Got my labs back

[MyNewLife]

Advice and help. I'm truly shocked that my protein is low. Even when I've been non-compliant with my vites, I've always made sure I hit at least 100 gms of protein a day. Not sure what to think about that....other than I guess I need to up my protein but there's only so much room

Notes:
I had already ordered and have started taking a Triple K that I saw on the boards. I've just been taking K1 prior to this.

I have doubled to 100,000 of Vit D per day from 50,000 but I ran out for about a month before the test.

Not sure what to do with the iron, I take the vitalady tender iron. Should I take two?

I take vit b100. I had read somewhere that you can take 50 or 100. I figured 100 must have more so that's what I bought, with my B6 high should I drop to the B50?

My aPTT is high, what does that mean?

I've just switched over to UpCalD. Did you know there are 3 carbs per packet?

I take a generic multi for women over 50 from Sams. It has 250% of B6 RDA

Please offer any advice or experience you have. Unless there is a better time frame, i was going to wait 3 months and draw the stuff I was low or high on at that time to make sure I'm on track.

Thank you in advance for all your help

P.S. This is what happens when you are non-compliant. I got some of the sense the good Lord gave me a few months ago and ran into some finance issues but I've got my vites now. The only symptoms I've had is dry skin, when I scratch my skin, I get blood blisters along where I've scratched. I'm tired a lot but I work all the time, it's kind of normal. I'm losing hair but I accidentally bought oil biotin, I just bought dry biotin so hopefully that will fix the hair issue.

 

[southernlady]

Advice and help. I'm truly shocked that my protein is low. Even when I've been non-compliant with my vites, I've always made sure I hit at least 100 gms of protein a day. Not sure what to think about that....other than I guess I need to up my protein but there's only so much room

Notes:
I had already ordered and have started taking a Triple K that I saw on the boards. I've just been taking K1 prior to this.

I have doubled to 100,000 of Vit D per day from 50,000 but I ran out for about a month before the test.

Not sure what to do with the iron, I take the vitalady tender iron. Should I take two?

I take vit b100. I had read somewhere that you can take 50 or 100. I figured 100 must have more so that's what I bought, with my B6 high should I drop to the B50?

My aPTT is high, what does that mean?

I've just switched over to UpCalD. Did you know there are 3 carbs per packet?

I take a generic multi for women over 50 from Sams. It has 250% of B6 RDA

Please offer any advice or experience you have. Unless there is a better time frame, i was going to wait 3 months and draw the stuff I was low or high on at that time to make sure I'm on track.

Thank you in advance for all your help

P.S. This is what happens when you are non-compliant. I got some of the sense the good Lord gave me a few months ago and ran into some finance issues but I've got my vites now. The only symptoms I've had is dry skin, when I scratch my skin, I get blood blisters along where I've scratched. I'm tired a lot but I work all the time, it's kind of normal. I'm losing hair but I accidentally bought oil biotin, I just bought dry biotin so hopefully that will fix the hair issue.

Iron: I take 6 of the Vitalady Tender tablets AND 2 Proferrin ES (the old version with 12 mgs...the new one has less). I am due up some labs and will see if that has maintained a decent level after having iron infusions in Sept. If not, I will just drop the oral iron and just get infusions.

B100???? Is that a B Complex? If so, drop the complex and just take what you need...esp since your B6 is too high.
aPTT is a clotting test. BUT it's only 1 point too high.

Dry skin can be a lack of fat issue.

As far as protein...apparently 100 grams isn't enough. Maybe add a protein shake or two.

 

[MyNewLife]

I adore fat, butter, bacon, rib eyes. With just two of us, we go through a minimum of a lb of butter a week if not two. I know I get tons of fat. I have oil slicks daily unless I don't have my normal fat.

I thought we were supposed to take a b50 or b100. It is b complex but my eyesight is so bad I can't read the little writing to compare the two. Could someone who can see the label, tell me the difference? Also, since none of my B's are low, maybe going to 1 every other day or every 3 days. I'm not sure what I would need to take separately other than b12. I'm obviously doing fine on thiamine. My B6 is high and I get b's in the multiple I take. Maybe just stop the B100 all together?

K. I'll go up to 2 iron a day, retest in 3 months and see where I'm at. I know I can't have diary or caffeine with iron. No Calcium. Is that all the conflicting stuff? Maybe I'm conflicting and that's why it's low.

I can't have any of the whey protein shakes because I live in the bathroom. That means I'm stuck with the egg protein (yech) and soy protein. Soy is not the best protein to my understanding, can't they make a meat shake? I've kind of backed off nuts for a while, that may be something I need to put back in my diet. I wish eggs had more than 6 gms of protein, that's something I can munch on all the time given the real estate available in my tummy.

I'll be seeing how the upcal D does when i retest.

Any other sage words of advice?????

 

[DianaCox]

I take a single prenatal per day - that's all the B vitamins I take.

 

[MyNewLife]

Ooh. I'm almost out of my multi. A prenatal is high in iron too, isn't it? You don't take any b12 separately, I thought we had to take i sublingually to absorb it. Is butter considered diary when it comes to absorbing iron?

 

[southernlady]

This is why we say follow your lab work.

I take 3 Costco (Kirkland) Daily Multi's...do not take any extra B other than that.
Your B12 is nice and high (too high according to most BUT mine is up around the same level as yours). Break it out...you need to discontinue the B Complex
Folic acid was fine
B12 considered high but it is the one that is dangerous if too low, keep above 1000.
B6 was too high
B1 was too high.

IF you just add more iron with Folic acid, that should keep that one up. That will bring the others ones down. The one to be very careful is the B12...get a separate one of that and add maybe one a week. to supplement what you get in just your multi's.

 

[MyNewLife]

I really can't read the labels. Does the vitalady iron have folic acid, I still think I should go up to 2 a day till I recheck? I'll stop the b100 tonight. I'll take 1-b12 weekly.

 

[bearmom]

I take similar to SouthernLady, but take 3 tender iron and 3 poly-sac iron (I get otc at Costco, and its cheap) and I only take the iron doses 2 x per week. I had been taking it 4 times a week, but keep lowering doses and days, as I seem to be getting plenty.

High b6 seems to be a rampant thing with us. There is some in multiple things I take, and if we don't purge the excess as easily as other supplements, it just builds. I'm considering trying the b-comp that has no b6 in it, or just taking a few separately.

Also wondering what source you usually get your protein in? Meat? If I were you, I'd aim for 150, and maybe try other protein sources, but it's hard to beat meat. I add whey isolate protein shakes when I'm feeling lazy to keep mine up, even if I don't love them. Sometimes my laziness outweighs my need for eating something palatable.

BTW, those are not necessarily the labs of the non-compliant - most of what you list are things that many of us have had to tweek as well.

 

[southernlady]

I really can't read the labels. Does the vitalady iron have folic acid, I still think I should go up to 2 a day till I recheck? I'll stop the b100 tonight. I'll take 1-b12 weekly.

Actually the Proferrin Forte has folic acid. You can get a prescription for it if you have a HSA or a resemble co-pay.

 

[MyNewLife]

Hi Bearmom,

Yeah, I feel like I only got winged by the bullet and came close to missing it all together. I have been non-compliant but a few months ago, my two brain cells got together and decided that I was important and taking my vites was in my best interest. I think I may get depressed at times and it's just too much work to take my vites. Hopefully, I've gone through the last episode of non-compliance and I'll stay on track from now on. Now that I have a way of getting labs, I can stay on it

I eat lots of meat and eggs. I occasionally make a tofu scramble and I love hummus (I use it to flavor sammich meat or just use it as a dip). I try to get 50 gms in by second breakfast. I'm going to have to work on figuring out how to increase my protein intake, I really had no fear of that being low. Boy am I in shock! I really don't see myself doing shakes, they stuff me and then I can't eat the meat. I don't think the soy protein shakes have quality protein for us that would be better than meat. I do eat non-protein items, I love salads but I may have to replace them with protein as there is only so much real estate in there. I'm going to have to work on it

What about beans? Is that a quality protein for us? I know they are carby but I don't seem to have to be concerned about carbs at this point. I don't get a lot in simply because of real estate, there's not room for a lot of junk. I like pinto beans and make mine with a stick of butter. Yummmm.

Ok. It's time for me to make a confession. I've felt really dumb (embarrassed) since about a month after my surgery and I found out how different it was. When I went in to my surgery, my surgeon told me about a different way of doing the DS with only one anastemosis (sp?). I asked him if it worked the same with the same longevity and weight loss. He said it had only been around for a few years but there had been no difference so far. I had the SADI. I originally had real problems with reflux and the surgeon was no help, I felt like he was grumpy with me about it and wouldn't change or increase my PPI. Eventually, that stopped and I dont' take a PPI now unless I need an anti-inflammatory. I have occasionally had issues with reflux and I swear taking the melatonin at night has ended all those issues. He told me every anastamosis increases the chances of bowel obstructions so it seemed like a bright move to me to only have one. I agreed with the surgery so there was no deception involved, just my stupidity to allow a non-vetted surgery to be done on me. I don't know how it was billed since I never looked.

Thanks!

 

[brooklyngirl]

Ok, so this is gonna sound harsh, but if you've gone through extended time periods where you were too depressed to take vitamins, which you know are ESSENTIAL for you to live, then you need to find a therapist and/or anti depression meds. I say this as someone who's needed both routes and had better success with therapy than meds, but everyone is different.

As far as protein and not having room to boost those grams, you need to ditch the idea of salads and beans and drink a damn protein shake. I don't love them, most of us don't. They make my insides spaz out, so I've tried no less than 10 different kinds over the past 18 months and different ways to drink them. YOU HAVE TO SUCK IT UP. Beans are ok, but if you don't have the room to eat a huge bowl, you're not gonna get a protein bang from them. I'd consider them a carb that happens to have protein. I have to sip my protein shake in small portions so it doesn't give me bloat and diarrhea, I'm quite certain you can "have room" if you drink it slowly throughout the day.

So, again, sorry to be a little harsh, but I think you need to hear it and I say it because I care

 

[MyNewLife]

When I first came to these groups, I thought some of you were so mean... Over time, I've come to understand that tough love is love and sometimes we need it. I believe the depression was situational. As more of my life resolved, I was able to think about the consequences and handle more of life on life's terms.

I know salads, as much as I love them, are probably going to have to be a treat. As long as I got in 100 gms, I wasn't worried about it. Now that I have to up my protein, I'm going to have to concede some of the things I love. I don't eat a lot of beans, I was wondering about the quality of the protein in beans. I maybe make a pot twice a year, if that but if it could be used to increase my protein levels, I would have made them regularly. Beef, chicken, eggs and fish are always best, IMHO For me, fish and eggs are lighter and utilize the real estate for a shorter period of time. I may have to focus there, cut salads and snacks and recheck in 3 mos.

As for the shakes, If I get 20gms of protein from a shake that will keep my stomach stuffed for hours (if I try to sip it, it gets gross and makes me gag). I can get 30 gms of real food in that same time frame. That's why I don't do the shakes. Soy protein is heavy and way filling. I used to be able to handle the whey shakes, they didn't hit my stomach like a ton of bricks. Until my body reacted with voluminous amounts of methane and liquid poo.

On FB, someone just posted about a meat shake. I guess the protein is derived from beef and chocolate flavored...I'd love to try a sample. I can't see any dairy in it. 1 scoop instead of the 2 it takes for soy http://www.amazon.com/Musclemeds-Ca...d=1424142355&sr=8-1&keywords=carnivor+protein Anyone tried this?

 

[bearmom]

Yeah, I feel like I only got winged by the bullet and came close to missing it all together. I have been non-compliant but a few months ago, my two brain cells got together and decided that I was important and taking my vites was in my best interest. I think I may get depressed at times and it's just too much work to take my vites. Hopefully, I've gone through the last episode of non-compliance and I'll stay on track from now on. Now that I have a way of getting labs, I can stay on it

I eat lots of meat and eggs. I occasionally make a tofu scramble and I love hummus (I use it to flavor sammich meat or just use it as a dip). I try to get 50 gms in by second breakfast. I'm going to have to work on figuring out how to increase my protein intake, I really had no fear of that being low. Boy am I in shock! I really don't see myself doing shakes, they stuff me and then I can't eat the meat. I don't think the soy protein shakes have quality protein for us that would be better than meat. I do eat non-protein items, I love salads but I may have to replace them with protein as there is only so much real estate in there. I'm going to have to work on it

What about beans? Is that a quality protein for us? I know they are carby but I don't seem to have to be concerned about carbs at this point. I don't get a lot in simply because of real estate, there's not room for a lot of junk. I like pinto beans and make mine with a stick of butter. Yummmm.

Ok. It's time for me to make a confession. I've felt really dumb (embarrassed) since about a month after my surgery and I found out how different it was. When I went in to my surgery, my surgeon told me about a different way of doing the DS with only one anastemosis (sp?). I asked him if it worked the same with the same longevity and weight loss. He said it had only been around for a few years but there had been no difference so far. I had the SADI. I originally had real problems with reflux and the surgeon was no help, I felt like he was grumpy with me about it and wouldn't change or increase my PPI. Eventually, that stopped and I dont' take a PPI now unless I need an anti-inflammatory. I have occasionally had issues with reflux and I swear taking the melatonin at night has ended all those issues. He told me every anastamosis increases the chances of bowel obstructions so it seemed like a bright move to me to only have one. I agreed with the surgery so there was no deception involved, just my stupidity to allow a non-vetted surgery to be done on me. I don't know how it was billed since I never looked.

Thanks!

I'd be a little miffed at the surgeon for suggesting the SADI, when we DO have longer term data about the success of the DS. Even though we all need to take the information we get here as general guidelines, and then follow our labs and adapt it to our specific needs, you will need to be especially aware of that. I'd also take the ppi's, because based on what I've read reflux seems to be common with SADIs.

As far as the dodging a bullet, you sort of did, but the thing is we have some storage in our bodies, which is why I didn't sweat the supplements for the first months, but did push fluids. But now that you've used many reserves up, if you continue to not supplement, you can find yourself with serious problems, and getting numbers back up from a deficiency is soo much harder than maintaining, sometimes impossible.

I agree that meat is usually the best source of protein, but I've eaten many other sources like beans, soy burgers or tvp, and they aren't enough for me, so that's why I asked what you ate as protein. Now if I'm counting daily protein, I don't actually count sources that aren't meat, eggs or whey isolate.

 

[MyNewLife]

I'm a big girl and made a stupid decision. If he'd brought it up prior to the day of surgery, I probably wouldn't have gone for it, but saying that, I'm the one that made the choice. He had bad timing but he did not deceive.

The good news is that Trish will have a real DS with Dr. Inman

As for protein, this morning I had ton of summer sausage, two eggs with a bit of mashed taters for flavor and texture (eggs loose something without cheese). I'm going on an interview for a part time job this afternoon so I'll grab some nuts and take a hummus snack pack with me. Probably get a butter burger on the way. I made the most luscious garlic butter chicken last night so I'll figure out something to do with the leftovers tonight. I think I need to move to more fish since I can get more in, it's lighter than beef and chicken. I just have to hit the grocery and stock up. No one ever has sales on fish around here

I've sent off an email to the meat shake folks to see if they have any sample packs. I just don't have 40 bucks to waste if I can't stand it. Maybe vitalady will have samples later on. The review says it's almost gross so that makes me less likely to spend the money to try it. I think I can do this with food, I just have to get smarter about it.

The other thing I love is chicken wings from KFC and they have 11 gms per wing. I can get 4 down in a sitting. If I could do that 3 times a day and get in some other protein, I'd have it covered.

 

[brooklyngirl]

I probably sound like I work for one or the other, but I really don't- Vitmain Shoppe and GNC will take back an open container if you don't like the beef protein. If you can't get a sample, you won't have to worry about wasting your money on the tub if it's gross.

Also, do I remember you saying you're lactose intolerant and that's why you don't eat cheese? On most days, I get at least the equivalent of protien I'd get from a shake just from cheese, plus I'm lactose intolerant and it doesn't bother me because chese actually has very little lactose. Unless I'm confusing you with someone else