Question:
DS 11 years VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES

Had this truly amazing procedure 11 years ago, My Hero Dr. Gagner, no issues at all, smotth sailing right out the gate, my start weight 316, holding pretty steady 11 years now at 175 average. Dr. G told me prior to surgery that I shoould get down to 150 and then have pannilectomy to remove the remaining 15 pounds of skin and I would be done. Stared working on that goal again. Now, have Vitamin A (15)and D deficiency; also chronic anemia requiring monthly intravenous of ferritin as out patient in hospital - advised probably the rest of my life; iron reserves do not sustain; recent blood test shows microalbumin of 35.8 and normal being <17; PCP wants to start me on a blood pressure control medication (even though I have always had low blood pressure even at 316) that is kidney-protective; paratohormone (responsible for calcium metabolism is off too; now this morning I woke up with my legs, arms and some on my hands with "black and blue" marks (not very dark but noticable) of all differing sizes from dime to half dollar littering my upper and lower extremities - sbout 60 of them in total. Marks not on any other part of my body. I have not been doing anything differently except started a low-carb diet to get the next 25 pounds off. I would like to hear from any long-term 8+ year and older DS patients with similar vitamin deficiency issues or health care professionals who monitor this site. Also, if anyone knows about the B&B marks, I await to hear from you as I am running to the doc's office first thing in the AM. Signed, Getting a Little Scared Now a.k.a. Donna - and thank you for your time.    — NOTGUILTY (posted on August 1, 2010)

August 1, 2010
Sorry. I do not have any answers but am praying for you to get this resolved. Please keep us posted. Linda
   — lindavip

August 1, 2010
So sorry to hear of your plight. I have always heard that no matter what kind of WLS you have, one must be careful to keep a check on your own numbers. Glad you caught it in time and you are still living. Some do not live, pass with mal-nutrition. I am also guilty of not keeping it in check, but still trying. So glad to see someone post news after 11 years. Hats off to you to bear your news to everyone. God Bless you, good luck, and stay healthy!
   — Tina B.

August 2, 2010
Donna, please post this on the DS board here. I'm a baby DS'er (will have my one year on August 20th) but there are many vets on the board who will be happy to help you. I don't know how much A, D and calcium you're taking, but just to give you a comparative example - I'm taking 75,000 IU of A, 100,000 of D, and 2000 mg per day of calcium (in a hydroxyapatite form). I also had to double my vitamin K1 after I started bruising easily. I now take 2000 mcg K1 per day and I no longer bruise so easily. I doubled my D dosage after my labs showed that 50,000 IU's per day wasn't going to be enough for me. I wouldn't have known to do any of this had it not been for the vets posting on the DS forum. They will be glad to help you. Please start a topic (to get to the DS board, mouse on 'Forums' at the top of the page, then click on Duodenal Switch - should take you right to it). Tell them your history, current med issues, and vitamin regimen. They are wonderful, knowledgeable people. Congrats on your amazing success - I agree that the DS is a wonderful, amazing procedure. I don't mind taking lots of vites to have the energy and verve for life that I have now - and wearing my size 4 pants while eating a high protein, high fat diet feels pretty good too, honestly! :)
   — Privacy Please

August 2, 2010
Greetings one and all! Thank you for posting such an immportant question seeking answers. I am 5 1/2 years post RNY. I religiously get extensive blood work tests run 3 times a year. Based upon the results, I either increase or decrease the supplements I take. I also had low blood pressure and have hypothyroidism. My thyroid levels (TSH) get checked 3 times a year as well. My Vitamin D is 10,000 IU's daily. I take prenatal vitamins (twice normal amounts due to my malabsorptive issues (3 times normal gives me abnormally high Vitamin B6 levels causing tingling and numbness in my extremities), twice normal Calcium Citrate, twice normal Nature Made Triple Flex (Glucosamine, Chondroitin Complex,, Hyaluronic Acid), and swim with Omega 3's: 4800 mg. Flax Seed oil, 5200 mg. Fish oil, and 1 1/2 Tablespoons Coconut oil, besides a baby aspirin. Then to top things off, I get 8,000 mg. of Vitamin C, a Zip-Fizz capsule added to my 96 ounces of water. The Zip-Fizz has oodles of goodies in it including 42,000 mg.s or so of Vitamin B12. My low blood pressure (down to 32 beats per minute) was rectified with a Pace Maker and my normal beats per minute now are 70 and can get to 140 beats per minute with no issues. My thyroid medication was recently changed to Synthroid and my fingernails are now finally looking really good: hard, shiny, no ridges, and not flaking or ripping off at the quick. We all must stay with getting our supplements for the rest of our lifetimes and make it an absolute requirement to get the nutrients our bodies need. Period. Our life is at stake. The coconut oil has warmed up my body and I enjoy the heat now and don't need air conditioning. And, I never suffer in the cold either. My skin looks very young for my age: smooth and very few wrinkles for being 73. I've had various serious medical issues but I have had the will to overcome each and every bad thing that has happened to me. You may have to settle for not getting down to 150 lbs. It is more important that you feed your body with proper nutrition. A low carb diet is not appropriate for you. It starts with protein. You also must get your greens, and fruits and vegetables if you want to poop 3 times a day and not have pebbles of compacted fecal matter. And the only way you can get sufficient greens and fruits is to purchase the expensive Vita Mix mixer and make green smoothies, drinking 2 quarts a day of the yummy tasting green smoothies. For more information, I have posted some information at both my personal website www.ObesityHelp.com/member/ChristineGibson as well as my group site www.ObesityHelp.com/group/BellevueWA. My friend, you have a long road to recovery before you. I'm sorry you thought your body could maintain its health without you feeding it properly. But, you have the ability to regenerate your health by eating properly and ensuring you get the right combinations of vitamins/supplements/etc. and having your blood work checked regularly. I'm not so sure blood pressure control medication is a good thing. You may have to do this in the short run because you really let your system get so run down. Then again, do your own research and explore your opportunities; however, you simply are what you eat and you need to eat the proper foods and take the proper supplements for the rest of your life. Every single day. Every single day. Every single day. Period. Getting scared doesn't help either. Go to my personal website and explore the positive affirmations I have posted there and adopt the ones you fancy. Remember, you do have the strength within you to succeed Donna. You truly do. You also cannot think that your doctor knows a whit about proper nutrition. They don't have that training. Also, many nutritionists are not trained in the bariatric field, and so they offer limited help as well. You might have more luck with a Naturopath; but, most of all, you need to get educated yourself. It is not too late to start Donna. the Lord has you here for a reason. Remember that. Blessings, Christine.
   — Christine Gibson