Low Vitamin A after surgery

[lily06 54]

Hi everyone

I’m currently just gone 7 months post op and just got my bloodwork back from the Vitamin and minerals panel my surgeon had me do and it turns out i’m very low on Vitamin A.

I realise i’m super uneducated on what vitamin A is/comes from and how to remedy it.

I take a daily bariatric vitamin - one that was prescribed by my surgeon and it seems to be doing the trick on all other necessary levels of Vitamins but A.

I’ve tried to research a little but so far i’m not understanding how to manage this or where it comes from.
All i’ve seen is that it’s common in bariatric patients ?

I’m seeing my surgeon mid november so it’s a little far out from now and i kind of want to know a little about it before my appointment.

If anyone has any insight it’ll be greatly appreciated !

[ShoppGirl 5,076]

2 hours ago, lily06 said:

Hi everyone

I’m currently just gone 7 months post op and just got my bloodwork back from the Vitamin and minerals panel my surgeon had me do and it turns out i’m very low on Vitamin A.

I realise i’m super uneducated on what Vitamin A is/comes from and how to remedy it.

I take a daily bariatric vitamin - one that was prescribed by my surgeon and it seems to be doing the trick on all other necessary levels of Vitamins but A.

I’ve tried to research a little but so far i’m not understanding how to manage this or where it comes from.
All i’ve seen is that it’s common in bariatric patients ?

I’m seeing my surgeon mid november so it’s a little far out from now and i kind of want to know a little about it before my appointment.

If anyone has any insight it’ll be greatly appreciated !

I had the SADI and ADEK are all fat soluble Vitamins that people with the SADI and DS tend to malabsorb more than other surgeries. You need to eat these vitamins with fat for them to be absorbed best to get them from food. I am actually surprised you are just getting your vitamin panel at 7 months out. I would definitely not wait to get this issue addressed if it’s very low because there are a lot of scary things a deficiency can cause including blindness. Not to be an alarmist but I would call your team right away about this issue and see what you need to do. I’m not sure if they have infusions available but that would certainly be something I would ask about.

[lily06 54]

I had VSG so wasn’t aware it was common

It’s my second panel - i had one 3-4 months out and it was fine

I’ll définately call my doctor later today thanks for the insight

[ShoppGirl 5,076]

41 minutes ago, lily06 said:

I had VSG so wasn’t aware it was common

It’s my second panel - i had one 3-4 months out and it was fine

I’ll définately call my doctor later today thanks for the insight

Well because it’s more common with SADI, they make special Vitamins that are higher in those 4 vitamins for people who had those surgeries. It sounds like if you are only low in the one they will probably just address that one specifically but of course I’m not sure. Maybe search foods high in Vitamin A and try to incorporate them while you contact your team.

[ms.sss 15,861]

i had low levels of Vitamin a the first 3-4 months. and yeah, ur right, for some reason most Multivitamins dont seem to include much of it...so my doc had me take extra Vitamins a (via supplements) during those months, until he was satisfied with my levels (i had my labs done 6 times the first 6 months)

low vitamin a (all vitamins, really) is common among wls patients cuz we really just dont eat enough (i basically ate almost nothing the first 3 months)! Also, when u eat alot of Protein (like we are all told to do), our vitamin A needs increase. further, prolonged protein UNDER-eating hampers vitamin a storage and transport within our bodies and blood systems (science, baby!)

once i started eating more my levels became satisfactory. (fish, eggs, dairy! yum! green leafy stuff, practically all fruits and veggies! also yum! but liver too...not so very yum, ha)

do you/have you ever track/tracked your macro consumption?

Edited October 21, 2024 by ms.sss

[lily06 54]

On 10/21/2024 at 15:47, ms.sss said:

i had low levels of Vitamin A the first 3-4 months. and yeah, ur right, for some reason most Multivitamins dont seem to include much of it...so my doc had me take extra Vitamins a (via supplements) during those months, until he was satisfied with my levels (i had my labs done 6 times the first 6 months)

low Vitamin a (all Vitamins, really) is common among wls patients cuz we really just dont eat enough (i basically ate almost nothing the first 3 months)! Also, when u eat alot of Protein (like we are all told to do), our Vitamin A needs increase. further, prolonged Protein UNDER-eating hampers vitamin a storage and transport within our bodies and blood systems (science, baby!)

once i started eating more my levels became satisfactory. (fish, eggs, dairy! yum! green leafy stuff, practically all fruits and veggies! also yum! but liver too...not so very yum, ha)

do you/have you ever track/tracked your macro consumption?

Interesting info !

I was tracking my macros but my doc asked me to stop as he maintains it can lead to unhealthy obssesional behaviour

I don’t fully agree with that but i tried winging it just to see.

Maybe i should track macros for a while without fixating on calorie intake but only on nutrional values 🤔

[lily06 54]

On 10/21/2024 at 07:22, ShoppGirl said:

Well because it’s more common with SADI, they make special Vitamins that are higher in those 4 Vitamins for people who had those surgeries. It sounds like if you are only low in the one they will probably just address that one specifically but of course I’m not sure. Maybe search foods high in Vitamin A and try to incorporate them while you contact your team.

Yes i think i’ll do that especially because as you say it’s the only low level i have.

Crazy to me because i’ve had Iron issues all my life this is the first time my iron has been in « normal » range albeit low side of the normal range

[Chatterboxdea 226]

17 hours ago, lily06 said:

Hi everyone

I’m currently just gone 7 months post op and just got my bloodwork back from the Vitamin and minerals panel my surgeon had me do and it turns out i’m very low on Vitamin A.

I realise i’m super uneducated on what Vitamin A is/comes from and how to remedy it.

I take a daily bariatric vitamin - one that was prescribed by my surgeon and it seems to be doing the trick on all other necessary levels of Vitamins but A.

I’ve tried to research a little but so far i’m not understanding how to manage this or where it comes from.
All i’ve seen is that it’s common in bariatric patients ?

I’m seeing my surgeon mid november so it’s a little far out from now and i kind of want to know a little about it before my appointment.

If anyone has any insight it’ll be greatly appreciated !

Maybe start by eating more of these, until you can see your dr.

[NickelChip 1,358]

My pre-surgery Vitamin A was 43. It had dropped to 27 at 4.5 months and was up to 34 at 7 months, but "normal" is 38 or above, so the doctor is having me take 10,000 IU of Vitamin A daily for two weeks (which is the same as 3,000 mcg) just to bolster my levels. I will retest before my 1 year surgery follow up. You can get Vitamin A supplements over the counter, no prescription needed.

[ShoppGirl 5,076]

6 hours ago, lily06 said:

Yes i think i’ll do that especially because as you say it’s the only low level i have.

Crazy to me because i’ve had Iron issues all my life this is the first time my Iron has been in « normal » range albeit low side of the normal range

Just keep in mind that with food that you can’t just consume the foods high in Vitamin A and absorb it all. You need to research how much fat you need with it (healthy fat of course) but it will need to be a balanced meal to absorb it all.