There are vitamins online that are made for people with IBD that have absoprtion issues. I forgot the website but MARZ on here might still know that website.

Inovera is the company. Forvia is the name of the vitamin. Chewable or regular. My iv iron appointments went to once a yr-instead of twice—since taking forvia.  Could be a strAnge coincidence!!

thanks for info.  I'm comparing the two and will throw it over to the hematologist NP for her input.  I see Dr. Kiran next weekend for scope and will ask what their department suggests.  

Yes, I agree it could be a coincidence, but I find that once something works I'm reluctant to experiment its effectiveness by going without.  

Will report back.  Stay well.

@jan15 posted:

thanks for info.  I'm comparing the two and will throw it over to the hematologist NP for her input.  I see Dr. Kiran next weekend for scope and will ask what their department suggests.  

Yes, I agree it could be a coincidence, but I find that once something works I'm reluctant to experiment its effectiveness by going without.  

Will report back.  Stay well.

Sounds great dear! Definitely keep us updated! We love updates

At the time that I had my k pouch done (in 1979) I was told that if you can gain weight then you are absorbing enough.

In the long-term, I realized that that was not necessarily true. Yes, I absorb most things (especially those darned calories!) but some things need help.

I take my B vitamins in sublingual drops or dissolvable tablets (getting a shipment shortly from N.A.) and although I tried the Forvia Iron, I had a horrific allergic reaction to it and had to stop.

Now I take iron pills with orange juice (it helps to absorb the iron), a lot of trace minerals that can get lost in translation so I take mineral supplements (usually chewables) and calcium +D.

For the rest, I have tricks. I steam a lot of vegetables and do not throw out the water. I drink it like a tea. It contains a lot of trace minerals.

I mix and blend lots of fruits as smoothies (do not know if you can stand raw fruits, not everyone can) and make a vegetable soup every week with lots of green veggies (zucchini, green beans, celery, onions, garlic, a carrot for luck, an occasional tomato if it has nothing better to do, lots of fresh herbs and spices)...I flash cook it all in a pressure cooker then blend it and have it every day for lunch.

The result is that most of my numbers are pretty good. That said, if you suffer from chronic pouchitis, things are going through you faster than a freight train and may not stick around long enough to get absorbed.

My GP checks my numbers regularly. Depending on the season and what I am doing or eating they will change but over the years, I have learned to eat for my pouch and for my health.

Find what works for you and stick to it...

That is the trick

Sharon

Sharon, thanks for your reply, which as always contains great wisdom. I do eat a balanced diet and am clued into what foods to combine or avoid. That said more advice is welcome.  Additionally, I have been told that some K pouchers don’t absorb nutrients as well as others.

According to a scope there is one ulcer. Will know next week if it’s a scrape, perhaps from the catheter, or a small amount of pouchitis. Personally I don’t think that small of an ulcer could have caused the Iron deficiency, as I consume a considerable amount of iron. I’ll post again next week as to next steps. Long process dealing with the medical industrial complex!

Jan,

I had an Obs/gyn who was full of old-school wisdom. When learning about my pouch and the fact that my stoma bleeds regularly, even a few drops, every time that I intubate, he exclaimed that blood belonged inside and not outside the body...and that constant loss of blood no matter how small the quantity, could lead to anemia...he put me on higher doses of iron after that.

We have our special anatomy and special needs (no not that way!) and all have diplomas in medicine when it concerns our own bodies, pouches and anatomy.

As I age, things change. My digestion seems to be different too. (My liver may well be responsible for that) So I need to learn to adapt to things again...

I tried to go off of gluten & sugar for a while and my pouch was thrilled. Obviously, once I fell off of the wagon I never managed to climb back up 100%.

I feel that my body is happier without those things but I tend to gravitate towards them anyway so I make compromises...GF pasta helps and so do rice & potatoes, they make the sacrifice easier.

You may need to try different things to see how your body reacts. My skin is clearer and my quality of sleep so much better without the gluten & sugar. I do not bloat or have digestive problems. One would think that that is enough to keep me on the straight and narrow but habits are habits!

Test new diets, write down your results and then modify your diet to what works.

Let me know about the ulcer/scrape...and how they deal with it of fix it!

Sharon