Get your blood work done every year to make sure your values are good! If you no longer see your surgical team, then ask your general practitioner to have your blood tested at least once a year. Something to keep in mind is that not all GPs know which lab tests to order for people after weight loss surgery. But fear not - we have you covered! Since each country is a little different, we’ve included both the UK and Nordic guidelines as a place to start wherever you live!
Annual blood tests according to the BOMSS (UK) guidelines:
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) including Hemoglobin with iron status (Ferritin and/or Iron and TIBC.)
- Cobalamin (B12)
- Folate
- Vitamin D (S-25OH-D-Vitamin)
- PTH
- Calcium
- Zinc
- Copper
- Vitamin A
- Liver Function Tests
- HbA1c
- FS-Glucose
- S-Cholesterol (HDL, LDL, TG)
Annual blood tests according to the Nordic guidelines:
- Hb with iron status (S-Ferritin or S-Fe and TIBC; according to local routines). CRP is needed in most cases to assess whether low values are due to redistribution of albumin due to inflammation.
- S-Cobalamin (B12)
- Vitamin D (Vitamin S-25OH-D).
- fS-PTH,
- S-Ca
- S-Folate for women of childbearing age
If your samples are good, keep taking your vitamins! Even if you haven’t taken them consistently and still have good blood work, not taking your vitamins can catch up you with you later. This is because many people have good stores of various vitamins and minerals before their surgery, but these stores will start depleting if you aren’t taking your supplements. That’s why it’s important to develop routines with your vitamins early! Afterall, it can be difficult to remember that you need vitamins daily when you feel better than ever.
If you're having trouble getting into your routines, download our BariBuddy app for support! Also, make sure that your supplement contains all the vitamins and minerals you need after bariatric surgery, like Baricol!
Baricol contains all the vitamins and minerals needed after a gastric bypass or gastric sleeve according to the Nordic guidelines. That said, some people need a little extra of certain vitamins and minerals (for example, if you have low vitamin D), so follow up with your doctor or dietician to be sure that you are getting what you need.