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Pre-op testing question



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Hi!

I just went to my 3 hour pre-op class today and the nurse told me that I have to have another blood test because my Iron levels are low. She said that I am anemic and that you have to be at a 10 or above to have surgery and I am at 11. Does anyone have any idea what the number actually means and how likely it would be that my levels would drop by 2 in a matter of about 2 weeks? My surgery is scheduled for May 15th so I dont have much time to take iron supplements and let them start working and take ANOTHER test so I'm just hoping that the likelihood of dropping by 2 is UNlikely! If anyone has any ideas or thoughts about this I'd love to hear them. I'm really nervous with only 13 days to go!

Thanks for your help!

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Im not sure exactly what the numbers mean, but my doc had me take Ferrous Sulfate 325mg three times a day for 2 weeks. This brought my levels up, and it was especially helpful in keeping my energy levels up during my two week liquid diet.< /p>

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Thanks for responding! The LPN at the pre-op class yesterday sent a prescription in for Iron supplements yesterday but unfortunatly I had to have the blood taken today. I dont have enough time to take them and then have another test taken before surgery so I'm HOPING that my levels havent dropped. I'm hoping that the 2 weeks that I can take the supplements leading up to surgery will help me with my energy and healing after surgery.

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The number is probably your hemoglobin level. Take the supplements and see what your levels turn out. If the anemia is a new thing, the doctor may want to run other tests to find out what is causing the anemia.

Best of luck with your surgery!

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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