vitamin deficiencies

[Gardeningbuff]

I had most of my sigmoid removed because of diverticulitis five years ago. My question is my surgeon said that it should not affect my vitamin or mineral intake because the sigmoid doesn’t involve that. Got on finding that it most certainly does I get a B12 injection because I’m a vegetarian so that’s taking care of my vitamin D is bottoming out regularly. I live in Australia and I try and get into some every day but I’m still extremely low. I am 68 and that might be the problem. Does anyone else have this problem that has had my surgery?

[OldTed60]

perhaps it’s a problem relating to the underlying cause of your diverticulitis rather than the missing area sigmoid itself?

[Gardeningbuff in reply to OldTed60]

thank you for your reply. I appreciate that. I’m not quite sure what you mean. I never had any deficiencies before my sigmoid was removed. The surgeon said there was no underlying cause for my diverticulitis because I’m a vegetarian and I’ve never been constipated in my life. I was just very unkucky.

[OldTed60 in reply to Gardeningbuff]

Ah right. I have rare autoimmune diseases and hypermobile spectrum/ EDS so my recto sigmoid is severely damaged by these and I need a colostomy operation soon. My various autoimmune diseases and medications cause malabsorption issues and osteopenia so I am prescribed Vit D3 and I buy B12 online. Your situation sounds completely different to mine but I know that diverticulitis can often be caused by poor nutrition/ diet - although not always of course. Other causes can be autoimmune diseases eg Coeliac, Sjögren’s, tendonitis so this is why I asked. Vegetarians and vegans can also suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies too.

Personally I’m skeptical when told by any dr that stuff that happens to me is just bad luck and tend to research cause for mine so I can best self manage. But I understand that this isn’t always possible

[Gardeningbuff in reply to OldTed60]

Absolutely agree. I do a lot of research as well. I think we have to be our own advocates. Being vegetarian I made sure that I had all the nutrients I needed because I’ve been a veggie for 50 years. So I supplemented with everything I needed. My diet has always been extremely healthy. I’ve always exercised, I do have auto immune diseases in my family, but I don’t have one that I know of. But is my understanding autoimmune diseases is the body fighting its own self if that makes sense and I think that’s what was happening to me. I’m very sorry to hear of all your troubles You have a lot to contend with. I had quite an extensive surgery that went right down to the rectum and I had an ileostomy bag for three months, but I was very fortunate to have that reversed. I’m very fit now for 68, apart from these awful deficiencies. . They do make me feel very unwell. thank you so much for your reply.