questions

I have so many questions! When can we start taking pill versions of vitamins? i am 3 weeks out and can not take my chewables (blech!). also, same for protien drinks, cant keep them down. are there other ways to get protien than shakes? i dont want to hurt myself by not doing these two things but i need a better way! HELP!? ThAnK YOU!! Karen Open Rny - 5/26/05 248/218/150

Hi Karen - Centrum has a liquid vitamin, maybe you can take that? As far as protein drinks go, which ones have you tried? I'm not crazy about the creamy type one so I take 1-1/2 scoops of Nectar and put it in about 5 oz of juice (or cold water) and it has about 35 grams of protein. Two or three of these a day (also counts toward liquid quantity) and you've got all the protein you need! The fuzzy navel flavor is good. Good for you for not wanting to do things to hurt yourself - it is difficult and I just figured out what is going to work for me and I'm a little over 6 weeks out. Michelle Open RNY - 5/3/05 327/289/175

THANKS! i have tried all different flavors of muscle milk (with water) and whey something...ugh. i will try the liquid vitamins, thanks! i appreciate the help!

What types of protein supplements have you tried? Bottled pre-made? Powders mixed with water? Powders mixed with milk? I cannot do mixed with milk right now. My pouch and intestines rebel. I use Nectar (Lemon Tea) mixed with water and it goes down smoothly. You may have to play with how much water to mix in...adjust it to your taste. Some folks mix protein powder in with Crystal Light. You really have to experiment to see what works for you. Good luck, Kathy

Hi! The only protein supplement that I have tried and thank goodness I can tolerate it very well is called Unjury. I learned about it when I was pre-op at a support group meeting. You can order it off of the web at www.unjury.com. I ordered chocolate and unflavored, both are great I just wished I had ordered vanilla instead. You can put them in anything or make it a drink by itself. Good Luck!!

HI Karen. There are many chewables out there. How about the gummi bear chewables? Some people chew those well and they have the same stuff as flintstones I hear. I recently started taking a smaller multivitamin/mineral by Optifast I think. Carnie Wilson takes it. It's just 4 times a day and better than me taking 2 kids vitamins and 5 calcium carbonate chewables. These take care of everything. Talk to your dietician/ nutritionist. They always have great ideas. As far as protein drinks, I know some people don't like or tolerate ANY of them. Do milk products agree with you? I think in the Copperas Cover area there are HEBs??? They carry a milk called Mootopia, it's skim milk with 14 g. protein per 8 oz. of milk. I drink several glasses a day sometimes. Hope this helps.

Karen, I went to my post op yesterday and told them I was also having trouble getting enough protein. They recommended a product called "Isopure" it has 40grams of protein per bottle. They have it at Trader Joes. Kate Z

Kate - be warned on the Isopure - people either LOVE it or HATE it. It will leave a stringy, thick coating in your mouth - it made me gag. The flavor isn't too bad, like a really weak kool-aid. Some of them are better than others. I bought a case of them (12) and paid $30 for shipping (they were nowhere near here that I KNEW of, but later found out that GNC has them -AND I've got a gold card so could have saved a butt-load of money, LOL) and drank three or four of them and gave the rest away. But, like I said, some people SWEAR by it cuz it's the best of both worlds, you're getting 20 oz of fluids in with it and 40 g. of protein. I hope they work for you!! Oh, some people mix it in with Crystal lite, too, I heard. Just make your regular Crystal lite with a little less water then just dump it in, but you've got to drink the whole thing to get your 40 oz of protein, though. Anyway, good luck with them! Michelle