because I care

I am posting this from another board because I feel it is an EXTREMELY important issue. A few people on this other board who are several years out are finding problems because of not supplementing correctly. I don't work for (neither does the woman who posted it) vitalady, but I did go to the website and printed off a lot of material to educate myself. I want to be healthier 5 years+ down the road not have more problems. This is just fyi..because I care. Luci Hi friends, I come to you today to urge you to take this journey of WLS seriously. Very few doctors are really up-to-date on the nutritional requirements of the post-op patient in bariatric surgery. If you want the most current regimen that works for your particular surgery type, you need to do your own research. A good place to start is by checking out vitalady.com. She will email you a schedule that is specific to YOUR surgery. She is well-versed with the needs for any, and EVERY, surgery type. I have found it to be true that people who had WLS five, six or more, years ago, are suffering irreversible damage, and just finding out about it NOW (right Theresa?), because they weren't given the right information back then....OR, they thought THEY were the exception and they didn't need to supplement. Let me tell you...YOU ARE NOT THE EXCEPTION! NOBODY IS EXEMPT!! Please do not take this lightly. Just because you "feel good" (which is due to the weight loss), doesn't mean your body is getting all that it requires to maintain proper functioning for the long term. Let me tell you, my doctor tells me to take Tums or Viactiv, CIB for protein, milk, flintstones, and ONLY do B-12 "if and when my labs are low". If I listened to him, I would probably end up in protein deficiency and on TPN, B-12 deficient and have nerve damage, B1 deficient and have bariatric beri beri and lose my ability to walk, calcium deficient and have no bones left...all within the next 5-6 years. So what do I do??? I DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! I don't argue with him either. I just do what has been found, by those who have "been there done that", to work. I supplement TO LIVE! Not for today...but for the future. It's breaking my heart that 9 out of 10 of you are NOT supplementing properly. And I know this because I've done my research. VERY few doctors get this right. It's causing an epidemic of later post-op problems and THAT'S WHY IT'S SO HARD FOR PEOPLE TO GET INSURANCE APPROVAL NOW!!! So get serious if you want to continue having a heart that beats properly, bones that will hold your frame up until you're old, and a brain that can continue to function and remember what you did yesterday.

I agree that it is very important that we all always go the extra mile to make sure we are fully supplemented. One of my concerns for myself is that I know how I am with pills... I hate taknig them. I am worried I will get out of the habit of taking all the supplements I should every day -- and not realize how I have hurt myself until I am having a medical crisis. I have seen several posts on the main board about people ending up in the ER because they wern't taking their vitamins... or didnt drink enough water. (And I am talking about post-ops a couple years out....) We can't EVER forget how important this is.