Ferous Sulfate

HELLO SISTERS
I AM CURRENTLY A "LADY IN WAITING". MY GYN WANTS ME TO START IRON SUPPLEMENTS BEFORE SURGERY "1/1/03" BUT SAYS THESE MAY CONSTIPATE ME SO HE SUGGEST TAKING CITRACEL ON A DAILY BASIS ALSO. A FRIEND HAS SUGGESTED SLO-FE IRON SUPPLEMENT WHICH SUPPOSEDLY DOESN'T HAVE THIS PATICULAR SIDE EFFECT. MY QUESTION IS HAS ANYONE OUT HAD TO TAKE IRON PRE-OP AND WHAT IF ANY SIDE EFFECTS. ALSO HAS ANYONE HEARD OF SLO-FE? WHERE CAN I GET IT. HOW MUCH TO TAKE ETC. THANKS AGAIN FOR ANY AND ALL REPLIES

Did your DR tell you what to take? Or just tell you to take any OTC iron supplement? If he said any OTC go to the pharmacy and ask the pharmacist what s/he would recommend. The dosage should be on the label.

I took a prescription iron supplement for 6 weeks before surgery and 6 weeks after. My DR told me to take each pill with a glass of oj for 2 reasons 1)the vitamin C aids in the absorption of the iron, 2)the oj helps keep you regular (use the kind with pulp, not pulp free. I had always had a tendency to be a little constipated, but the oj really helped.

Best wishes

Just an added note:
If you don't like the Citrucel, (which I didn't) there is a new fiber product on the market called Benefiber. It dissolves completely in soft foods or liquid and doesn't change the taste or texture at all. I add it to a cup of tea, a glass of oj, or sometimes even to a bowl of pudding. I really love this product!

I was on iron supplements before (and after) my surgery. I took ferrous sulfate and didn't have any side effects. I have seen Slow-Fe at stores such as Target and Wal-Mart.

It would be worth a call to your doctor's office to find out how much he wants you to take. If your iron is really low, you may need more than the dose recommended on the package. Only your doctor can tell you how much to safely take.

I was given a prescription iron supplement, Chromagen Forte, both before and after surgery--before surgery because I wanted to avoid a blood transfusion (1 gelcap daily) and after surgery (2 gelcaps daily) to replace the blood I lost.

I like it better than any iron supplement I have ever taken because it has iron, vitamin C (to help the body absorb the iron), folic acid, AND a stool softener to prevent constipation. When I eat some fruit an hour after taking the Chromagen Forte, I have no problems with BM.

Side effects of iron:
*constipation
*really dark feces

It's best to ask your gyn for the details of how much iron you should take.

Hope all goes well for you!

Slo-FE is a very good product. I tried another form of iron and it made me sick. I have not had any side effects from the Slow FE, but it has helped me. You can get it at the drug store or grocery store. It is a little pricey, but then most iron supplements are.

A WORD OF THANKS TO ALL THE REPLIES TO MY QUESTION. MY GYN DID ACTUALLY TELL ME HOW MUCH IRON TO TAKE. I WAS JUST WONDERING IF ANYONE HAD HEARD OF THE SLOW-FE ETC. I WAS SURPRISED WHEN HE TOLD ME THAT HE WANTED ME TO TAKE IRON BEFORE SURGERY BECAUSE I HAVE HAD TWO OTHER SURGERIES (NOT RELATED TO THIS) AND WAN'T REQUIRED TO TAKE IRON. IS THIS STANDARD PRACTICE FOR HYSTERECTOMIES?

I think one reason lots of DR's have us take iron before a hyst is one of the big problems that sent us to the DR in the first place was excessive bleeding - both in duration and amount. Women who have "normal" menstrual cycles lose iron and can be low immediately after a period.

my gut won't tolerate iron supplements in any form and believe me, I have tried several brands. What I do is take Centrum Silver which has no iron in it, eat tons of iron-containing food and take chlorophyll tabs. Kelp helps too. Liver is one of those food people either love or hate (I am a liver lover), but it is rich in iron. Vit C does aid absorption. Caffiene beverages will negate absorption. Prunes are rich in iron, so are the green leafy veggies.

If you can tolerate the iron supps, take them. And taking anti-constipation measures with the iron supps is a step not to skip.

With my hyster, my hemocrit was high going in and plummeted post-op for no good reason. I probably had an advantage since I didn't have periods for months prior to my hyster. Blood loss was minimal, doc scratches head. Better to go into surgery with a good hemoglobin reserve than to be weakened by losing iron with the procedure and healing process.

This is also a good time to make up a list of nutritional questions to ask about how to combat osteoporosis and other nutritional disorders after your hyster. We are being given good reason to start taking better care of ourselves with this surgery so this is the time for lifestyle changes if there ever was one.

Iron supplements aren't "standard" for hysterectomy patients, but many women are anemic or close to it due to heavy bleeding so would be advised to take it. I took Centrum vitamin/iron for years because of heavy bleeding , but at the time of my hyst I didn't need any extra. I even hemorraged during surgery but the doc didn't recommend iron after the hyst, saying I'd build up quickly since I would no longer menstruate.