Swallowing Vitamins and Exercise :)

anyone able to swallow their vitamins yet? I have heard that some 1 month post ops are able to, and just wondering if any of you have tried. and how many of you are exercising and what type are you doing??? thanks guys for any info you can provide!!!

i'm 5 1/2 wks post op and i was suppose to start swollowing vitamins 4 wks post op after my dr said it was ok. i told them how nervous i was and they said that it is common........but i was so nervous i diddn't get the nerve to do it till last night haha it was fine...i cut the big horse pills in half with a pill cutter..... as far as fitness goes i have been walking and doing the elliptical machine.....at 6 wks post op my dr said i can pretty much start workin that up to include weights and what not dee dee

My nutritionist recommends chewable vitamins but I'm still on several prescriptions and have been swallowing them since right after surgery. I did have to wait 6 weeks to start exercising. The first time I swam my usual half mile in a half hour I ended up lying on a bench in the locker room for an hour. I just couldn't move. The next time I took an hour to do the same half mile and was still wiped out. I asked my surgeon about it and he said to make sure I ate one hour before exercising and to take a protein bar to eat as soon as I was done swimming. I did that today and did the half mile in a half hour with no problem. I wish I could do some walking but my knee needs to be replaced first. Good luck. Didi

Hi Bethany, I take chewables, but I do have a couple of Rx that I have to swallow--so far no problems. I take a couple of swallows of water first then a sip with the pills. I DID have one get stuck( Actigall--big pill). It's important not to panic. It took a few minutes, but it did go down. The pills are made to dissolve, so just leave it alone and it'll do its thing. I'm mostly walking. I do 40-50 mins a day, longer on the weekends. I'm exhausted right afterwards, but then later I feel a glow... If it hurts to walk, or if you're really feeling out of shape, try just dancing to your favorite songs for a while. I made a couple of cds that I like, and if I just don't feel like walking, I'll put one in and just kind of bop around. It makes me feel happy and alive, and I figure, at least I'm moving...

Hello Sandi, I live in Crescent City too! I just had surgery on Nov 1st. Let me know if you want to get together and walk! Pam

Hi Pam, Email me at [email protected] and let's get together and compare notes!

Hi I am 7 weeks out as of today and I did try and swallow a vitamin and it was kinda difficult and didn't feel to great so I grind them down and take them that way cause I don't want them stuck. As far as exercise goes I am up to 45-60 minutes a day on the treadmill and of course I have to constantly run up and down the stairs all day doing things around the house and chasing after my boys Today I started doing some free weights arm exercises to help with my bat wings hopefully!! Take care, Anita

Hi Bethany, I take 2 chewable vitamins daily (1 am, 1 pm) and all others are swallowed. My rule of thumb is if it is bigger than the tip of my small finger, I chop it in half. I'm a little behind in the exercise category. I've gone walking outside in the neighborhood twice and otherwise just working around the house. I'm still not able to drive much because of a dislocated shoulder injury. I've been pretty much a home-body since WLS 4 weeks ago. I am going to venture out tomorrow evening and go to my first support group meeting at the hospital. Good luck Tammy

I used to take a pretty complex vitamin regimen (7 pills throughout the day). Post op, I went on the Optisource chewable vitamins by Novartis that are specially formulated for bariatric patients. You can buy them at any Walgreen's or at this web site: http://www.walgreens.com/store/productlist.jsp?navAction=pop&navCount=1&CATID=301120 I'll have blood work done in another few weeks, so I'll know if I'm getting enough nutrients from the Optisource vitamins. If I'm not, then I'll work with my surgeon to find what's right for me. I had a 20mg Lexapro (anti-anxiety med) get stuck my first week home from the hospital and it was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. I've learned now that if something gets stuck to stay calm, lie down with a pillow under my back and wait for it to pass - usually about 10 minutes. I now cut all of my pills in half though as to not take a chance. I'm walking 5 days a week and am starting yoga 3x/week on 1/15. I can't wait to start yoga.