August 2022
Jacqui Lewis - BHSc Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine
The Importance of Blood Tests After Bariatric Surgery
After you have undergone a Bariatric Surgery or if you plan to do so soon, congratulations
on giving yourself the best gift: a second chance at life! You know that a healthy diet
and exercise routine are two critical components to achieving long-term weight loss success.
However, monitoring your vitamin and mineral levels is crucial to avoid
deficiencies that can lead to serious health problems. Because of malabsorption after Bariatric Surgery,
your digestive system is more vulnerable to certain vitamin deficiencies, particularly after Gastric Bypass Surgery.
By altering the stomach size and digestive system, your body does not absorb vitamins from food or traditional dietary supplements as before your surgery. The most common deficiencies are from vitamins B12, iron, calcium, and vitamin D. To prevent these deficiencies, the following measures are necessary:
1. Daily Bariatric vitamin supplementation according to your body's needs determined from initial blood work.
2. Maintaining regular blood work and nutritional screening to prevent deficiencies from forming.
3. Have a solid and long-term relationship with your professional team with whom you feel comfortable and confident.
Blood work serves two purposes: It is proactive in detecting low levels of specific vitamins but is also the key to diagnosing any deficiencies that may develop.
Suppose you have a vitamin deficiency before surgery or neglect to take Bariatric multivitamins and develop a vitamin deficiency after surgery. In that case, it is critical to follow your Bariatric team's instructions exactly to prevent future severe problems, which are everywhere, from hair loss to osteoporosis.
Blood tests after Bariatric Surgery are the key to monitoring your vitamin and mineral levels accurately because you may not always feel the symptoms of a particular deficiency immediately.
For example, vitamin B deficiencies do not usually manifest physical symptoms at the beginning of the deficiency. Instead, the deficiency symptoms arise once your body's reserves are depleted.
Will the commitment to getting regular blood work to be the highlight of your weight loss journey?
Although not a ball of joy, getting blood work is vital to protecting your long-term health.
Free tip: Request a butterfly needle if you fear needles or feel pain when getting blood work.
They are smaller, and you experience minimal discomfort.