Dear Doctors please do not do this:

[Clematis]

I'm a zebra for now, but that could change at the next labs!

 

[southernlady]

I'm a zebra for now, but that could change at the next labs!

Which is why I aim for labs twice a year even now.

 

[Munchkin]

Huge numbers of the regular population are D deficient. And getting rid of Hpylori is always a good idea. But the message would have me concerned too!

 

[writegirl]

@southernlady @Clematis I'm pretty sure I've always been somewhat D deficient except for maybe a few years of being a beach bum in Florida in my youth. I'll definitely pay attention to my labs now--thanks for advising me to get copies because I would never have assumed a need to do that. @Munchkin I hope I'll get whatever my current deficiency is under control pre-op. That message was a little scary--glad I called the pharmacy!

 

[DSRIGGS]

Which is why I aim for labs twice a year even now.

Which is why I get them monthly. I would be in big time trouble has I not been getting monthly labs the last two years. My numbers fall off very rapidly and I have has to conine to ratchet up A, D, E K. ZiNC and copper as well. I am up to 200k A and 300K D now even with injections of both. My vitamin absorption seems to be getting worse and just don't know why. The only thing I can think of is the fecalized common channel...but my weight is maintaing and I am actually eating a little less protein the last month or two. Yeah I am a damn mess

 

[aaa]

1) ALWAYS get a copy of your labs.
2) Learn to read your own labs or ask for help. A doctor only looks at what is too high or too low...and you may be trending down and still be in normal range.
3) The prescription based D is D2 and is OIL based. D3 is OTC and doctors can not prescribe it. The prescribtion is worthless post op cause you malabsorb oil and it ends up in the toilet and not doing your body a damned bit of good.

I was given the prescription of D2 back in 2007. One pill a week...(50,000). This was 4 years before my surgery. I was able to climb from 1 to 15 in 3 years. I stayed on it THREE YEARS. Then I found out about Dry D3...started taking the 50,000 a day from BioTech in October of 2010. When I had my surgery in Jan 2011, I had gotten it from an 18 to a 54. MUCH better results on the dry in three MONTHS than on the prescription for over THREE YEARS.

And make sure you get a copy of your preop labs. It's important b/c if you have an issue postop you can see where you were preop and aim for that. I had a circumstance where I was normal (in the low range, but still normal) postop. However, I was having some issues. Once I brought it up to my preop range (which was much higher normal range) the issue went away.

Oh, and some people like to keep an Excel spreadsheet of their labs. (You may find it helpful). I don't, but I have all of them since the beginning and always go over the lastest one (comparing it to the last 2) to see which way I'm trending. Then I email with my DS team and we discuss what I should tweak (if anything).

 

[Larra]

H. pylori is very common - probably about 20% of adults in our country, higher in other parts of the world. It doesn't always cause problems, but can be nasty when it does, so it's good that your doc picked up on it and it treating it appropriately.
Thinking more about that phone call, part of the problem may have been HIPAA confidentiality rules. The doc has no way of knowing who might hear whatever message he/she leaves for you. While H. pylori may not be terribly sensitive, not like a phone message such as "bad news, you have chlamydia" for example, it's still your medical info and still subject to the same rules. So the message may have been deliberately vague.

 

[duh_Mom]

i got a call like that because my thyroid levels were out of whack. thought it was but assed crazy 'cuz it was a brand new dx and the nurse is calling. . .

 

[Vikki C.]

@writegirl -- Don't let your PCP scare you into thinking large doses of Dry D after surgery will cause toxicity. Many doctors routinely prescribe D2, and/or minimal doses of D3, but that won't bring up a deficient Vit D level. As @southernlady noted above, you will need to take whatever amount keeps you in the desired range. I took only 5,000 daily for years because my PCP warned me off larger doses, and my blood work showed severe Vit D deficiency, low calcium, and elevated PTH. I now take 50,000 units twice a day, and I'm doing much better. You may not need such a large dose, especially in your early postop period, but with the help of blood test results you will eventually find the dose that works best for you.

 

[writegirl]

And make sure you get a copy of your preop labs. It's important b/c if you have an issue postop you can see where you were preop and aim for that. I had a circumstance where I was normal (in the low range, but still normal) postop. However, I was having some issues. Once I brought it up to my preop range (which was much higher normal range) the issue went away.

Oh, and some people like to keep an Excel spreadsheet of their labs. (You may find it helpful). I don't, but I have all of them since the beginning and always go over the lastest one (comparing it to the last 2) to see which way I'm trending. Then I email with my DS team and we discuss what I should tweak (if anything).

Thank you for that tip--I will definitely ask for these!

 

[writegirl]

@writegirl -- Don't let your PCP scare you into thinking large doses of Dry D after surgery will cause toxicity. Many doctors routinely prescribe D2, and/or minimal doses of D3, but that won't bring up a deficient Vit D level. As @southernlady noted above, you will need to take whatever amount keeps you in the desired range. I took only 5,000 daily for years because my PCP warned me off larger doses, and my blood work showed severe Vit D deficiency, low calcium, and elevated PTH. I now take 50,000 units twice a day, and I'm doing much better. You may not need such a large dose, especially in your early postop period, but with the help of blood test results you will eventually find the dose that works best for you.

This is so good to know. Since I already have a D deficiency, I imagine I will carry that post-op. I'll keep close tabs on this with my PCP for labs but I am not one to really always believe that doctors know best about nutrition and vitamins. If I have a deficiency post-op I will do all I can to make sure that is addressed through the correct amount of D supplementation.