Hi everyone! I'm Deborah - new to bariatricfacts, but not to WLS. I had a BPD/DS in 2000 with Michel Gagner in New York and have done pretty well, overall. My highest weight was around 400 (my scale wasn't too accurate at its upper limit, so I'm not completely sure). My lowest weight was around 155, which was awesome. I'm currently around 208, which is not bad but not ideal. My main issue following the surgery has been anemia. I basically cannot absorb any oral iron at all, apparently. I do well with periodic infusions, though, and they generally last me several years before my stores start to be significantly depleted, so it isn't bad. Looking forward to meeting you all!
Hello from Alabama
- Thread starter Deborah
- Start date
Elizabeth N.
Herder of cats
Howdy 
. Oral iron does nothing for me except mess up my gut, so I get annual infusions and it seems to work well.
. Oral iron does nothing for me except mess up my gut, so I get annual infusions and it seems to work well.
aaa
Well-Known Member
Welcome. You're not alone. Many DSers need infusions.
Glad you're here.
Glad you're here.
newanatomy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2014
- Messages
- 2,983
Hello and welcome! Glad you found us!
Thanks for the welcomes, everyone! @southernlady, I'm about an hour and a half northwest of Birmingham, so not too far from where you were!
brooklyngirl
Yankee gone south
Hey, 
@Deborah !
@Deborah !
Thanks for the welcome! The link @southernlady provided is great info. I'll add my experience too -
When my iron levels first got low, my GP was adamant that there was some form of oral iron that would work for me. I had to waste months proving him wrong (and get a blood transfusion in the process) before they finally determined that some other method was "medically necessary". I tried EVERYTHING - every form of iron known to man in massive, gut-busting, doses. First time out, my GP wanted to handle it "in-house" rather than sending me to a hematologist. So I got about 60 IM injections of Dextran in my butt/hips over the course of several months. It did restore my levels, though, and they held for several years (gradually declining, but not to a problematic level). In the meantime, I moved and had to get a different GP. He is the type that likes to refer out most anything that is complicated, so he sent me directly to a hematologist. I got a great one, and she set me up with an infusion of Feraheme. It is given in two doses, spaced one week apart. Basically, they just gave me an IV line and slowly pushed the meds in over a 10-minute period. Worked a treat. This last time that my levels got low, I had an infusion with Injectafer. It is newer and wasn't available last time I was low. Same deal, though, 2 doses one week apart. This one was a drip IV that was administered over 20 minutes.
Mine isn't annual, it is more like every 2 years. Basically, I just follow the labs religiously and let them know when I need it. To be honest, though, I don't really need the labs to tell me when the ferritin is low - I start CRAVING ice. CANNOT stop chewing it. It's horrible for my teeth and drives my daughter crazy, so I will get my labs early if that happens. I still find it amazing that within about 2 weeks of the infusions, I'm suddenly not at all interested in the ice.
Mine is all covered by my insurance, so I don't really know how much it costs. The nice thing is that I don't even have to take any oral iron in between infusions, since they truly have no effect. One less supplement is nice...
When my iron levels first got low, my GP was adamant that there was some form of oral iron that would work for me. I had to waste months proving him wrong (and get a blood transfusion in the process) before they finally determined that some other method was "medically necessary". I tried EVERYTHING - every form of iron known to man in massive, gut-busting, doses. First time out, my GP wanted to handle it "in-house" rather than sending me to a hematologist. So I got about 60 IM injections of Dextran in my butt/hips over the course of several months. It did restore my levels, though, and they held for several years (gradually declining, but not to a problematic level). In the meantime, I moved and had to get a different GP. He is the type that likes to refer out most anything that is complicated, so he sent me directly to a hematologist. I got a great one, and she set me up with an infusion of Feraheme. It is given in two doses, spaced one week apart. Basically, they just gave me an IV line and slowly pushed the meds in over a 10-minute period. Worked a treat. This last time that my levels got low, I had an infusion with Injectafer. It is newer and wasn't available last time I was low. Same deal, though, 2 doses one week apart. This one was a drip IV that was administered over 20 minutes.
Mine isn't annual, it is more like every 2 years. Basically, I just follow the labs religiously and let them know when I need it. To be honest, though, I don't really need the labs to tell me when the ferritin is low - I start CRAVING ice. CANNOT stop chewing it. It's horrible for my teeth and drives my daughter crazy, so I will get my labs early if that happens. I still find it amazing that within about 2 weeks of the infusions, I'm suddenly not at all interested in the ice.
Mine is all covered by my insurance, so I don't really know how much it costs. The nice thing is that I don't even have to take any oral iron in between infusions, since they truly have no effect. One less supplement is nice...
star0210
Well-Known Member
Deborah I was the same way when I was severely anemic. I LIVED off of sonic ice and pistachios and coffee.
I would literally go through 2-3 bags of sonic ice per day.
About two weeks fter my infusion (one 6hour long infusion) I suddenly woke up one morning and didn't want ice or pistachios and haven't eaten either ever since.
Hell, just looking at pistachios now makes my stomach turn!
I would literally go through 2-3 bags of sonic ice per day.
About two weeks fter my infusion (one 6hour long infusion) I suddenly woke up one morning and didn't want ice or pistachios and haven't eaten either ever since.
Hell, just looking at pistachios now makes my stomach turn!
