what do I need???????

I'm trying to get ready for coming HOME from the hospital. What will I need to have on hand? I'm mostly curious about vitamens and supplements. How often do you do protien drinks/bars What vitamens are you taking? Help! There's so much out there I'm confused. Sublingial, chewable, sprayable, and of what!!!???? Brinn

My surgeon and nutrionist gave me a list of all the vitamins & protein I will need after surgery. Plus a long list of instructions about how much water I need a day, walking, etc. If you've had your pre-op appt you should've gotten this info too. If I were you, I would call your surgeons office and ask. Each doctor is different & it depends on what he wants you to do post-op. Good luck to you!

Hey Brinn, Everythign I've heard has suggested to avoid the sprayable vitamins and things because the dose you'd take isn't enough to sustain you. Sublingual are encouraged because they melt under your tongue and absorb better, this is especially important for the b12, chewable childrens vitamins, (i'm using generic flintstones) 3 a day gives you what you need as far as vitamines, however they say if you're a menstruating woman you should take an iron suppliment... don't remember the amount of mine, and you should take 3 tums a day for calcium because they are chewable also... Beyond that, you should have protein shake mix on hand... believe me, even though you get to day 3 and are ready for the "food" mentally, your best bet is a protein shake at first. Otherwise you'll be likely to just hurt. Eating (which after surgery includes protein shakes) is every 3 hours with a half hour before and after with no liquids. this is so the food isn't flushed through your pouch too quickly, it will take away the full feeling and you will eat more and not lose as effectively. Hope that's helped some. HUGS Rachel PS I agree that you should talk with your doctor about this, but believe it or not, some areas do not have a program that prepares patients for post op... I'm fortunate to be in one of the best programs in the country, don't remember if it was #1 or #2... I was completely prepared before hand. HUGS

I have sublingial B-12 that I do 1000 mg every night. I also have been taking B-100 but was told B-100 complex??? Couldn't find it. BUT, it says time released on it... so I'm not sure what it's all about. Is it a before vitamen? Because they told me B12 and B-100 complex to start immediatly after my initial consult. Not sure if it's supposed to continue after or not. I also know about the vitamens... but have been told that flinstones are junk. That I'll need to find other chewables... what's good and where? I also was told that Tums are junk for us as well because we don't absorb the calcium from calcium carbonate... that we need calcium citrate... which is hard to find in a chewable or liquid form. Then the iron... can we find that chewable? I'm just confused. I plan to have some shakes on hand... anyone know where to find a sample pack so I can try a few before I make up my mind? Brika

Hi Brinn! I ordered my chewable vitamins from bariatriceating.com. Also got some of their Protein Powders in different flavors. There is a lot of good info on this site in addition to the products they sell. I also splurged on a Magic Bullet blender at Walmart. Other than that, I've stocked up on fat-free cream soups, cream of wheat and will have pudding, yogurt and skim milk in the fridge as well. I do think that when you buy the protein powder, it's good to get some that's flavor-free so that you can mix it with soups, yogurt, pudding, etc. Hope that helps! Karen Lap-RNY 9-26-05

It's a great, great idea to order the non flavored stuff. I had thought yuk. But now that I think of adding it to stuff that isn't protien that makes sense. Hmmm Brinn

Hey there: Like you, I am also trying to get everything ready for coming home. I cannot help you with the supplement stuff as I am also a little confused, but I may be able to help you with some protein shake info. Recently I went to my pre-op class, and I met up with another lady who confirmed what everyone else in the class said, that most protein shakes taste awful. She told me about a website http://www.bariatriceating.com who have delicious protein shakes. The one she recommended is Protein Delight Smoothie. She said that it tastes really good, and that the strawberry one even has little pieces of fruit in it. I have just gone online and ordered some for myself. Hope this is helpful to you. Good luck with the operation. Marion s