anyone here anemic - iron related??

NeverGivesUp

Can't absorb the iron through food and blood test confirmed that the supplements I have been taking for a month are not working either. Is anyone out there anemic?? What do you do to get iron absorbtion?? I have heard beets are good. I am a pescetarian but I do eat eggs. I heard iron in the liquid form absorbs better. I would love to hear if anyone has experience with this. Thanks

tncmom

Are you taking Vitamin C to help your body absorb the iron that it does get? Also, are you separating your calcium supplements from your iron supplements by at least two hours?

NeverGivesUp

yes I take my iron supplement with a pomelo or with orange juice. I do not take calcium supplements but I do wait a while before I take my tea and milk to allow the iron to absorb. It just isn't absorbing unfortunately.

SCUBAMomofTwo

what kind of surgery did you have? what kind of iron are you taking?

I have had good experience with the HEME-based irons (not ferrous sulfate); I get mine from a bariatric supplement website. I have heard that some people become SO anemic they have to have iron infusions.

Why do you not take Calcium? If you had any malabsorptive surgery you should, even if you are post menopausal or a man. Please reference the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons for their supplementation recommendations. They are the authorities.

Good luck.

MacMadame

Yeah, if you had RnY in particular, you probably aren't getting any benefit from ferrous sulfate. I alternate between the carbonyl form and the heme form. The heme is the best absorbed but it's freaking expensive. So I take the carbonyl in between.

NeverGivesUp

thanks so much!! That was what I was suspecting. I did have the RnY. So I will have to do some research since I am living in Denmark. What about the liquid iron, does that absorb? Thank you!

NeverGivesUp

I don't take calcium because I just had a full blood workup and the only vitamins lacking were b12 and iron, the rest was perfect.

NeverGivesUp

Thanks so much for this information. I just found the iron supplement that I think I need and will double it till my numbers get back into control. Thanks. I stopped following up with my surgery after I got pregnant with my first child and that was my fault because one forgets that regular doctors are not aware of this information. Most doctors are not aware of the ferrous sulfate not absorbing. I will be sure to share this info with my doctor as she is also a good friend. I did find the one I should be having here in Denmark after much guessing and translating of Danish. The pharmacist and I figured it out together. In 4 weeks I will get my blood taken again and will come back to share whether this helped or not. I remember my doctor that did my surgery telling me to keep up with the b 12 but I didn't remember the iron. It was 10 full years ago. Glad to have this forum to fix this problem. I appreciate your feedback more than you could realize!!

MacMadame

I don't take calcium because I just had a full blood workup and the only vitamins lacking were b12 and iron, the rest was perfect.

Your serum calcium levels will always be good because your body will take calcium from your bones in order to make it so. It needs that calcium in your blood so your heart keeps working so everything else is sacrificed to keep the serum levels within range.

Therefore, you can't go by that. In fact, if your serum calcium is on the high side, that often is a sign you need more calcium. It's not remotely intuitive, I know!

In general, it's a good idea for all women who are not post-menopause to take calcium whether or not they've had WLS but after WLS it's very hard for us to absorb calcium because a lot of forms of it require an acidic environment and we have very little (or none in the case of RnY) stomach acid. Because of that, I just take the calcium no matter what my labs say.

In general, to diagnosis if you need more calcium, you look at 3 measures:

Vitamin D - if it's under around 50, that's pretty low. The lab may say it's in range but new information says that what we thought the ranges are is not accurate. Basically the ranges are based on avoiding rickets, not on optimal health.

PTH - the higher it is, the harder your body is working to get calcium from your bones. I think this one is also supposed to be under 50 but I'd have to check on the exact number.

Calcium - if it's high, that's a sign it's coming from your bones. If it's low, that's not good either. Generally, it should be in the middle.

However, these numbers are based on the US lab's scales so I'm not sure if the same numbers apply in other countries.

NeverGivesUp

I don't take calcium because I just had a full blood workup and the only vitamins lacking were b12 and iron, the rest was perfect.

Your serum calcium levels will always be good because your body will take calcium from your bones in order to make it so. It needs that calcium in your blood so your heart keeps working so everything else is sacrificed to keep the serum levels within range.

Therefore, you can't go by that. In fact, if your serum calcium is on the high side, that often is a sign you need more calcium. It's not remotely intuitive, I know!

In general, it's a good idea for all women who are not post-menopause to take calcium whether or not they've had WLS but after WLS it's very hard for us to absorb calcium because a lot of forms of it require an acidic environment and we have very little (or none in the case of RnY) stomach acid. Because of that, I just take the calcium no matter what my labs say.

In general, to diagnosis if you need more calcium, you look at 3 measures:

Vitamin D - if it's under around 50, that's pretty low. The lab may say it's in range but new information says that what we thought the ranges are is not accurate. Basically the ranges are based on avoiding rickets, not on optimal health.

PTH - the higher it is, the harder your body is working to get calcium from your bones. I think this one is also supposed to be under 50 but I'd have to check on the exact number.

Calcium - if it's high, that's a sign it's coming from your bones. If it's low, that's not good either. Generally, it should be in the middle.

However, these numbers are based on the US lab's scales so I'm not sure if the same numbers apply in other countries.

Thanks for all that info. I really didn't know this. I live in a country where there is a lot of calcium in the water, we even have to decalcify our appliances like coffee makers and dishwashers in order to keep them functioning properly. I am not sure how that will affect my calcium levels though but I do drink a lot of water daily. I try to take my iron with orange juice instead of water to make sure it is absorbing. I think once I get this iron under control, I will add an all around supplement in. I am basically take a lot of iron throughout the day 27 mg 3 times a day in order to help it absorb now that I am taking the right iron for my body. In 4 weeks I will have a clearer picture if what I am doing is working or not. I get shots for b12 every 3 months. I really am not good at popping pills all the time.

MacMadame

I've lived where the water is like that and it's a PITA!

But area levels of osteoporosis aren't better than average because of it so I suspect it's a form of calcium that our bodies don't use very effectively. It would be interesting to find out for sure.