Hair Loss/Achy Muscles/Weakness but LABS are FINE?? 3 yrs Out (Kelly - can you Pls...

chatterpam
on 10/23/14 4:23 am, edited 10/23/14 4:23 am - PA

Hi Gang... This is making me crazy.  My hair is falling out like it did when I was about 4 months out, my muscles are achy and weak.  I had labs done (they took 8 tubes of blood!), saw my PCP and no one can figure out what is happening.  My RNY doctor asked me about protein, and I am getting about 80 grams a day.  I take my vitamins... most of the time. Oh, and I wanted to say that I have NO FAITH in my RNY doctor.  They blow me off when I have concerns and questions.  I have gotten more help here, than from their office.  I can't post my labs here because it is in PDF format, but I have all of the numbers.  Below are some of the things that I think we would be concerned with.  I have a lot of additional stuff that was tested.  Any suggestions?  Thanks so much!

H.A.L.A B.
on 10/23/14 5:34 am

If you can post some of the numbers with the range of the lab thinks it needs to be. 

A lot of times low iron - ferritin, can contribute to hair loss. That and low thyroid hormones . 

 

Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG

"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"

"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."

chatterpam
on 10/23/14 5:57 am - PA

Not sure why they didn't show... here ya go:

Calcium 9.1, Protein 7.3, Iron 104, B12 984, Vitamin D 25 OH 35.7, Copper 160, B6 39, Zinc 75, B1 25, Magnesium 2.0

Cicerogirl, The PhD
Version

on 10/23/14 7:41 am - OH

Your Vit D appears to be quite low (does it say what units (there are two) or what the reference range is?) and that would definitely account for the muscle issues...

Also, have you had your hormone levels checked recently?  Fluctuations in hormones, especially drops in estrogen levels, frequently cause hair thinning. 

Lora

14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

chatterpam
on 10/23/14 9:14 am - PA

Hi Lora - thanks for the reply... in the report it only states the vitamin D test as Vit D  25-OH... when I google that designation, it appears to be vitamin D3 - I remember about a year and a hal*****hey had me on a vitamin D supplement, it was like 50,000IU/week.  As for my hormones, I had a complete hysterectomy 13 years ago, so I doubt it would be that.  

The guidelines for that test are: < 20 Deficient, 20 - < 30 Borderline, 30-100 Sufficient, >100 Potential Toxicity

I know that what is in the normal range for the general population, is often too low for us.  

Cicerogirl, The PhD
Version

on 10/23/14 9:41 am, edited 10/23/14 9:41 am - OH

If those are the levels that it lists for the Vit D test they ran, then your vitamin D is quite low; it should be about 3 times that, so you should definitely talk to the doctor about increasing your dose. I did read an article not too long ago... In Prevention magazine, I think (online version)... About a possible link between Vit D and hair loss (even though things like zinc, iron, and protein levels are more likely to cause it.  

Yeah, if they removed your ovaries, the hormones aren't to blame. (I still have one ovary, and one of the first signs of menopause for me was losing a bunch of hair when all my labs looked great.  We didn't figure out that it was menopause related until I started noticing other signs.)

 ETA: Here is the link to the article.

14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

H.A.L.A B.
on 10/23/14 9:19 am

Without knowing the units or min- max for the number tested its not very easy to determine how good your numbers are. 

Just iron, with no ferritin levels does not tell us how are your iron storage.  Many times iron is good, but low ferritin levels may cause hair loss. 

calcium with no PTH can not tell us if your getting enough calcium or if your system is taking calcium from your bones to keep good blood level of calcium.  High PTH may indicate your body is breaking down your bones. And that may cause bone pain. 

Etc... 

Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG

"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"

"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."

zigzag
on 10/23/14 3:53 pm - Australia
RNY on 11/03/14

Ferritin is the iron sores, from which the iron is drawn to be incorporated into your haemoglobin (for the red cells to carry oxygen to tissues).

Iron itself tells not too much from anaemia standpoint. and Boo Hiss to the lack of after care by your surgeon, he/she DOES have duty of care. I would find another Obesity specialist.  I also agree with other poster about zinc etc. Hair fall can be as you know from previous  trauma or deficiency - Vit D more sunlight will help virtually a must for enabling calcium incorporation of bones, too.  The weakness thing is a concern.

Take care

 

 

 

poet_kelly
on 10/23/14 6:44 pm - OH

OK, if they only took 8 tubes of blood, they didn't do a full set of labs - that would be more like 14 or 15 tubes.  But.... you listed most of the numbers I would ask about with regard to your symptoms.

What about ferritin?  Pre-albumin (that has to do with protein, but specifically recent protein intake)?  Vitamin A?

The weak achy muscles could be your vitamin D, which is very low.  I would take more D3, personally (not telling you what to take). 

But that's probably not causing the hair loss.  It's possible the hair loss and weak achy muscles are caused by two different things.  It's also possible the hair loss and/or the muscle loss is not related to anything nutritional in nature, although nutrition would certainly be the first thing I'd look at.

Did they check your thyroid?  Thyroid problems may cause hair loss.

So.  If they didn't do ferritin, vitamin A and pre-albumin and thyroid tests, I'd ask your PCP to please order those.

I would take more D3.

If the additional labs are all OK, I would go see a dermatologist about the hair loss.

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR.  If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor.  Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me.  If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her.    Check out my blog.

 

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