Question:
Dr left the state and new PCP not up on bypass test.

My follow up care was not good Dr left the state and new PCP not up on bypass test. Low Vitamin D is 32 mine was at 7 unknown for how long but now I have secondary hyperparathyroidism and early stages of osteoporosis. Educate yourself and demand your test get done. Broke my tailbone and almost a year later is not healed right, and I hurt all over.    — RitaNichols (posted on February 2, 2009)

February 1, 2009
Low D levels or D deficiencies are common with the many of the world's population. I know, as I've researched this issue due to my own D issues. My first labs 30 days after RNY indicated a D level of 8, similar to yours. My PCP put me on script D, and 3 courses of the 50K IU D once a week for 8 weeks and retesting, resulted in a level 14. Not much of an improvement. I began taking a liquid vitamin with 600 IU in it's daily dose, and my levels rose to 33 within 2 months. This is in the normal range, but not much. My research found studies that indicate levels above 70 are best for calcium absorption and warding off a host of diseases. Studies indicated that levels above 80 have even better results. I now take 3 of the 5000 IU D3 from vitalady.com. Inexpensive and the D3 is more readily absorbed than script D. I feel stronger taking these too. increased D and C vitamins will help your calcium citrate absorption too. Be sure you are taking calcium citrate, not other forms of calcium. DAVE
   — Dave Chambers

February 2, 2009
Yes! A good reminder that ALL surgeons and pcps do not know how to take care of us long term. My doc was not running the all my labs for 3 years...By year 4, I was malnourished and had anemia...WITH a 10 pound weight gain on top of not getting the right nutrients! ????...DEMAND all your vitamin labs! YEARLY! My D was low at 43...Got it back up to 98 in 6 months with Vitalady's D3 (50,000 ius) I have since cut back to 5000 ius now that my D is nice and high! Which also reminds me that some docs do not stay on top of lab averages...We are all individuals as well...And just because the average person needs to be within a certain range does not mean we ALL fall into that range as well...A low normal range can be just as bad for someone who needs to be mid or high range normal! Get copies of your labs! Learn how to read them! Learn what labs you need! Malabsoption in GB is REAL! 75 % of GBers will experience vitamin deficiencies within 5 years....They can be prevented with KNOWLEDGE and being your own health care advocate! I also had high parathyroid hormone (PTH was 63 =high normal) levels as well and my D was 43! (low normal) So it goes to show that even though my docs labs showed my D as low normal...It was affecting my PTH to rise in my body! But my PCP never was concerned because both stayed just barely with in normal ranges...One super high and one supper low which proved to me that if I hadn't taken care of that then...in a year, I would have suffered as it dropped with no vit supplementation...This is where KNOWING how to read your labs (for the most part) comes in handy! Both my PTH and Vit D are in a good ranges far from lows or too high! I have lab tests on my blog that I take to my PCP and have them run yearly (bi anually lately until ALL my levels are ideal) I do not want to be that sick again on bed rest for two months while my levels got into better ranges. Thanks for your reminder!
   — .Anita R.

February 2, 2009
I would make and keep an appointment with a new doctor ASAP. If necessary go to a bariatric doctor; they will understand much more detail or what you need and help you. It is worth it; you already broke one bone. You don't want the disease to progress any further without treatment. Let us know what happens. WE care about you. vinnigirl, retired RN
   — vinnigirl

February 3, 2009
I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Thank you for sharing. It's a definite heads up.
   — Corina C