I have had my band for 2.5 years now and in the last year I have had problems with reflux. I have had my band adjusted several times and I take stomach Med to treat the reflux. I have also had my band adjusted several times. Now I have been told by my doctor that my ferriten level in my blood is low. I just finished up a 10 day IV infusion. I might have an internal bleed. Could this be caused by my band?

hope not good health 2 u

Not really - well not directly anyway. I've had my ferritin bottom out after chemo and it came right within three months of Iron supplements (which gave me gastritis, ugh).

If your diet's not up to par, you can get low on iron, so you may need to supplement. If your ferritin is low now, you defintitely should supplement for a while anyway. Bandsters probably dont eat enough red meat on the whole as portion sizes are so small and its a difficult food.

Secondly, stomach meds for acid reflux can reduce the absorption of B12 which will also contribute to anaemia so you could try supplementing B12 - or at least ask for your levels of B12/folate to be measured.

But in younger women, menstruation is often enough to explain low iron or ferritin - heavy periods, long cycles etc.

I'd be wanting a fecal occult blood test - you just have to ah, donate a bit of poo for that one. An internal bleed is no laughing matter, as very often, its a sign of bowel cancer. And you dont necessarily know it, I was bleeding for months and months and the tumour was only 5cm in, so I should have noticed red blood, but I didnt.

if you dont want to go to the doctor, I'm sure its the same there as it is in Australia, you can buy a bowel cance r testing kit in any pharmacy and all it measures is blood in the stool - which if it is there will be enough to get you approved for a colonoscopy. Recommendation here is that anaemia in any non menstruating woman is reason enough to go in for a colonosocpy, no questions asked.

That sounds alarming but reality is if youre under 50, cancer is a very very unlikely prospect, but I did manage to develop it in my 30's (family history) so you should never fail to rule out the possibility.

The doctors office has now ordered an upper and lower GI. This should give us a better idea of what is going on. My B12 and vitamin D are both normal and my menstruation is minimal. I eat small portions and pay close attention to nutrition. So I am seeking more tests to help resolve the low levels. Thanks for all your advice and information.