How many daily vitamins? Insurance coverage?

I'm wondering how many vitamins you need to take daily with the DS?   I've been reading a lot and have found it ranges from 10 pills/day to 44!  I can handle 10 and possibly 20, but 44 a day seems difficult.   

Also, does your insurance cover any of the vitamins? 

I did an informal survey two or three weeks ago and found that most people took their vitamins roughly 4 times a day.  Some took them 3 (no less than that) and some took them as much as 6-8 times a day.  I've seen the handfulls of pills they have to take--seriously, handfulls at a time. But I guess it's a small price to pay for being able to be healthy the rest of your life.  When I was super diabetic during my pregnancy I took 4 shots a day--it wasn't too bad because I knew that when I awoke, I took one, then one with breakfast, lunch and dinner, then before bed.  It's the same with the vites.

I'm also curious about insurance paying for some of the vites.  To the best of my knowledge they won't pay anything. I'm checking with my primary care physician next week when I have my annual check up--we'll see what he says. I'm with Kaiser and I'm guessing the answer will be NO. But, I might point out to him that without the vites, we will get sick very quickly and possibly (or even probably) die.  So it'll be interesting to see what happens there.

Good luck! I'm still waiting for my date for the DS!

 I would say the 20+, even up to 40, is about average.  It all depends upon your labs.  Most people find they do best when they start with the Vitalady plan and modify from there according to their labs.  I found that I was able to drop back on certain things, but had to up others.  The key is to know how to monitor your labs and adjust.  It's an ongoing process.  

It's better to resign yourself to the "high" side on the number of supplements per day, and count yourself lucky if you can keep your labs looking good with less.  Over time you will probably find that you need to up them.  For me, it's not a big deal at all.  Yes, I take vitamins by the handful, but my health has never been better.  Before my DS I was taking medication for high blood pressure, and before too long I know I would have become diabetic.  It's a happy trade for me.

One note of caution on the insurance coverage for some of your vitamins.  Many doctors are quick to write an Rx for Vitamin D - but it is the gel based kind, with the vitamin D packed in oil.  We DS'ers dont absorb that well enough - you must take dry Vitamin D.

 I take around 35-40 pills a day, broken up into 4 doses. My iron is proferring Forte and it is Rx, because it's cheaper for me, and the potassium I have to take is also Rx because the OTC just is not a high enough dose.
I would never let the vitamin load discourage me from getting the DS. I was taking 8-10 pills a day before for diabetes, HBP etc.
And now I take vites instead, not a problem.

Thanks for the quick replies.  One more question.....do you have to figure out yourself how to adjust your vitamin intake from the lab results or do you get the help from a nutritionist/doctor? 

 Ah, that's sort of a loaded question.

Most surgeons and nutritionists will try to help you, but their advice is most often not enough.  Most of them are good cutters but not good when it comes to supplements.  If you get the DS, you will really need to be self educated about your labs and vitamins.  You can use your surgeon's and nutritionists input, of course, but you will need to be your own advocate.  

There is plenty of help out there, like this forum, other DS'ers, and people like Vitalady.

Here's an example.  I dont follow my surgeon's plan.  He is a well respected DS surgeon, and I'd let him operate on my any time I needed it, but not so much on the supplement advice.  I just had my 18 month check up with him, and he and the PA were saying how my labs were the best they had ever seen.  Duh, I dont follow their plan.  See? :)

My surgeon does not help me with my labs although I send him the results.  I have adjusted my vitamins based on input from the lab experts right here on this forum, including Gina (Major Mom) VitaLady and many others. 

My labs are not perfect, but they are acceptable and improving.  Tweaking vites will be a life long process and that is fine with me.

~Becky

Mine are probably more toward 40.  No, insurance doesn't pay for vitamins.

12 of mine are magnesium and 8 are calcium...so I'm definitely over 20.  Not that you'll need all that magnesium, but I take 300mg per calcium dose and my current mag is 100mg each.

Then I take 3 vit D, 3 vit A, 1 vit E, 6 vit K (but am switching this soon so I only have to take 1-2), 2 iron, 2 vit c, 1-2 zinc, 1 copper, 2 multis, 1 selenium, 1 b complex, 1 b12.  I think that's about it.  How many is that? about 45.

Who knows what you'll need.  I know people that take 8 vit A and I know people that take 1.  So individual.

There are a number of the vets who are extremely knowledgable on vitamins and labs. They will help and guide you....just post your labs.

I am pre-op so I can't help much.  However, I have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) through work.  If it is OTC and the MD writes a script, I can pay for them via that account.  I'll take any help I can get!!!