Question:
When will I be able to swallow pills whole?
I am 3 wks post op. — gary M. (posted on March 24, 2003)
March 24, 2003
hi Gary, When i came home from the hospital until my first post-op visit, i
had to crush my pills and open my capsules. Bought a pill crusher at
walmart. At two weeks, I was able to stop crushing and start splitting.
Got a splitter at Walmart. Now at six weeks, I was told I can take whole
pills but if they are larger than an M&M, I have to split them. I took
a calcuim capsule saturday and it got stuck amd I was sick all day so I
will continue to open capsules for awhile.
— Delores S.
March 24, 2003
Hi! I had a horrid headache in the hospital the day after surgery. They
asked what I normally took for my headaches, and I told them Excedrine
Migraine, so that's what I got. Ignoring the aspirin thing, which I still
don't take, I was able to swallow them with no problem at all. I've never
had any problems swallowing pills since surgery, and my vitamins and
calcium pills are all pretty good size. I'd say if you could swallow pills
before surgery, you should be ok now. Good Luck! Kelly
— Kelly B.
March 24, 2003
I went back to taking my regular meds when I came home from the hospital.
I had no trouble getting anything down.
— koogy
March 24, 2003
I cut my pills into quarters until I was about 1 month out. Now at 2 1/2
months out, I only cut my calcium citrate pill because it is huge. The
others go down fine and I've never had one get stuck, thank goodness. Good
luck!<br>Lap-RNY 1/13/03 -83lbs & Counting!
— thumpiez
March 24, 2003
Hi, Gary, I have been taking all of my medications whole since the morning
after surgery. I have several friends that had different surgeons and have
to crush their meds. I asked my doctor why this was and he said that
different docs think different things and that he had been doing this
surgery for years and had discovered that there is no need for crushing the
pills. I am glad he does not make me crush them but if he did, I would do
what ever my own doctor recommened.
— garnet156
March 24, 2003
After reading soo much I was scared to swallow any pills. So, I asked my
doc, to which she told me that when I got hom with my Actigal for my gall
bladder I would be calling her back asking if she was sure I could swallow
it because of the size. She said it would be fine. I was skeptical at first
but now I take Citrical, which is way bigger than my actigal, and have had
no problems. I started on all my vitamins 10 days post-op and never had to
crush, split, open, or do anything but swallow my pills. Glad I trusted her
on that one and you should do whatever your surgeon suggests. Afterall,
he/she is the one rearranging your insides and knows what they did while
they were in there!
— Dee ,.
March 24, 2003
I was given Percocet tablets for pain in the hospital after my RNY, and was
sent home on all my previous medications....uncut and uncrushed, and with
no changes to liquid medications. I had no problems at all...this seems to
be more a physician-preference than anything else. Best wishes!
— Diana T.
Click Here to Return