Vitamins/Supplements

Just looking for information on where the best place is to get the post-surgery vitamins/supplements.  Maybe they will tell me when I go for pre-op but I just thought I'd toss it out there and see if anyone has some suggestions.  I want all my "ducks in a row" before I have my surgery, I guess.  

Thanks,
Carol

Nothing wrong with wanting all of your little duckies in a row, I am one of those people who cant do anything right inless everything is lined up the way it needs to be so I completly understand.
Since we arent required to have protien drinks, get your carnation powdered milk bought, if you have a Sam's Club membership you can get a big box of it there pretty cheap. Im not sure where  in Iowa you are, but theres a Sam's here in CR.When I asked Debi she said that Flintstones vitamins twice a day ( some surgeons go nuts about using Flintstones but they are complete nutrition). Chewable calcium three times a day, Vitamin b12 sublingual once a day a Vitamin B once per day and Iron once a day. ( You should have gotten a list in your folder the first day it is in with the diet stuff from Amy) You can get all of those at WalMart at reasonable prices.
I am already trying to take the vitamins, just to get in the habit of taking them.
Good Luck!

Hi Carol!

They didnt really tell me where to get the vitamins at the pre-op appointment. I got a lot of handouts/papers though, and I havent looked them over yet (it was very overwhelming again yesterday) so maybe there is something in there. Amy gives you something she calls your new bariatric "bible" which is a book that goes over all the diet stuff post-op and it talks about the vitamins...it has a schedule of when to take them, as some of them say "do not take this with ____" ect. so I was glad to have that to go off of as i was worried about how to get them all in with all these "restrictions" also. I know like Sunny said, you can get them at Walmart and such, I havent priced them yet, but I need to do that and also stock up on my carnation milk so that I am prepared. Oh ya, and another helpful thing..she (amy) will give you a "shopping list" of things to buy before surgery that will help for not only after surgery but also for the liquid pre-op diet. I thought that was a god send!! Lists are great for me, then i know im not forgetting anything!! Good luck, let me know what you find out if you go do any pricing/shopping!!

Jenn

K, I buy from various places depending on where I'm at. 
I have found that I love the Centrum Chewables and I also take a chewable C-500 at the same time, taste like fruit in your mouth!
I have had good luck with the Citracel Petites, and for B, I found a sublingal liquid that has B and B-12, put one dropper full under the tounge for 30 seconds, swallow and you're done for the day!
If CVS has BOGO, I buy there, otherwise Wal-Mart.

I knew if I posted, you would all help me out.    Thank you, thank you!

Jenn, it sounds like the pre-op is going to be very educational.  That is good.  Glad that Amy is going to give me the "diet Bible" then.  I need something I can reference as I am going through this.

Thanks for the vitamin information, girls!  I take a Flintstones twice a day as Debi's suggestion because she said my Viactiv multi vitamin and calcium with D are not okay.  I don't take B at all because I didn't think I needed it yet.  No CVS close by but Wal-mart is.  One of the girls from my area I know said she gets her Bs at a health food store in Dubuque.  Maybe that's another option but if Wal-mart carries what I need that's closer.

So much to learn, isn't it?  Thank God for all of you to turn to for support and help! 

Carol

I use Optisource vitamins from Walgreens.  They are formulated for gastric bypass patients.

I use Rexall brand B12 sublingual from Walmart.  Really cheap.

I use the citrical petites for Calcium.

Be careful of using B complex liquid.  I was using that and was getting too much B6 and was having all sorts of neuological symptoms that they thought could be ALS or MS.  Only the B6, thankfully.

Thanks so much for the information, Lyn.  Everyone has been so helpful here and I truly appreciate it.  Just one question about the calcium............where do you get the citrical petites? 

I am so glad you just had B6 problems and not ALS or MS!  I hope that you are okay now and don't have any lingering problems due to that. 

Thank you again for your information and help! 

Carol 

You can get the Citracal petites anywhere.  I usually get mine at Walmart.

As far as the B6 issues, I'm also hoping that I have no lingering problems.  I'm still having a few issues but I have a lot of issues generally that I'm hopeful Dr. Lamasters can sort out.  I saw her today and she thinks I might have a bacterial overgrowth in my small intestine.  I guess they are seeing that in patients that are around 5 years out.  Figures.  If it's gonna happen, it's going to be me.  Anyway, she is going to figure it out.

When I went thru UIHC they did have you do the childrens chewables for the first couple months.  They used to also have their patients due TUMS for calcium until I questioned that and brought a lot of research on how we weren't able to absorb calcium carbonate compared to citrate. 
I unfortunetly have a lot of absorption issues, so I have to make sure I am taking the best supplements possible.  Even with really good supplements, at massive doses, I still have a lot of deficiencies.  I take prescription iron and an iron from bariatric eating . com ...... I even had a hysterectomy at 26 and still have MAJOR iron issues.  I also have to take MASSIVE doses of potassium as I know longer absorb that.....also prescription.  I take a lot of B12, but I should be doing injections.  I take a B complex along with my B 12, I don't absorb B's very well either.  I take citracal petites for my calcium, they are small and gentle on your pouch.....I also take some chewable calcium I get at Bariatric eating.  I get some  my multi vites from bariatric eating also. I am switching who I order from and I am going to start ordering from Vitalady.com.....she really knows her stuff.  When I had surgery with Maher, he actually transected the intestines,(cut them out) and I think that is why I am having major issues.  But who knows!  The health food stores here have a lot of stuff.....but aren't too up on gastric bypass questions....a lot of the stuff they carry isn't easily absorbed by us.......unless you can get it in capsule form.   I have went in a bought a lot of stuff I wasn't able to use because they were huge horse pills we would never break down enough.  Best thing you can do is start taking everything now.....get your body super healthy, lots of vitamins, lots of protein.....and never slack on your supplements afterwards.  I also take my supplements and I still have problems :(  Be super vigalent and hopefully you won't   But you can never be to careful......once you start having problems.....they are REALLY hard to correct.  I had surgery at 25, I am 30 now and take more pills than my mom, dad, husband, and three kids combined just to stay at a little below normal ranges......I don't know what I would have to do to be "normal" again.  Check out Vitalady (you can google it to get the website) at first it might seems expensive, but they last months and it is a lot cheaper being healthy.  Best wishes and take care  Jesi

Hijack - Hey Jesi,

Do you have abdominal pain?  I saw a new WLS doc today and she said that once you get to be around 5 years out, they are seeing a bacterial overgrowth in the small bowel in some patients.  I have pain after I eat at times and just don't feel well.  I have to go in for some test that takes 3.5 hours but need to figure out how to arrange that with work.  New boss.