Vitamins that work for me

I was at OHSU to see Dr. Deveney this week.  I had a list of questions that I wanted to ask him about.  One of them was about vitamins.   Since the surgery, I have not been able to drink the protien drink or keep my vitamins down.  I finally gave up on both, but have been frustrated with the hair loss and the breakdown of my teeth. While waiting in the reception area of his office I overheard a man (he had a gastric by-pass) talking to a woman (who was going for her first appointment) about vitamins.  I went over, introduced myself and asked what he was taking that he had so much success with.  He told me to go to Trader Joes and get the "soft chew" calcium, the B-12 "under the tongue" sublingual tablet, and the  TraderDarwins high potency chewable vitamins. The soft chew calcium is comes in a box with little sal****er taffy like wrapped pieces.  It's very tasty, melts in your mouth and leaves no icky after taste.  The sublingual Vitamin B-12 is just a simple little red tablet that you pop under your tongue and it disolves before you even have a chance to realize it was in your mouth.  No taste at all, and easy to take.  Then, the chewable high potency vitamin was the best part for me.  It's about a 1/2 in diameter tablet (I got the fruity flavor) which has no foul or chalky smell or taste.  You just chew it up, and again, it is very palitable and liquifies quickly. In the past, I would be throwing these vitamins up within seconds of trying to get them down, but I have had no problems at all with these.  I am so happy that this man in that waiting room was so nice about sharing information.  I am thrilled to be able to take my vitamins - and know that I will be even healthier. So, if you having troubles with the vitamins, you might try the ones at Trader Joes.   My check up with Dr. Deveney went very well.  He was encouraging as far as "the hair loss will grow back."  I'm looking forward to starting my daily walk today...and hoping to strengthen my knees so I can actually walk for longer periods of time.

Glad to see that you're otherwise doing so well! Would like to know who the man and woman were and if they're OH members. Every time I go to the Digestive Health Center, I always want to know if the others in the waiting area are also WLS patients.  I have met several of them at get-togethers since becoming an OH member. Keep up the excellent work!

I always mention OH, and what a great support it is for me, but neither of them responded as if they were familiar with it.  I made a point with the woman to tell her about OH.  The man was from Washington, and very nice - and very helpful.  He was there being support for another woman who is going to have the surgery soon.   When I go to OH, I always make eye contact with people and look for opportunities to talk to someone.  I find that the one on one discussions with others that have had the surgery are helpful to me, and always hope that I can say at least one thing that could be helpful to others.   I keep missing the local support groups here in my area - and so I look forward to meeting up with someone at OHSU.  I don't know what I would do without OH.  I always want other people to know about it.  Most of the time that I go to OHSU I have been able to find OH magazines to read, but this time there wasn't even one in site.  I am thinking that I need to subscribe and then take my mags up there when I am done with them!

Good for you Gayla - I've been doing really well with my Flintstones Complete, Citrical Creamy Bites, and B12 injections.  I do wish I had some vitamins a bit more palatable than the Flintstones though.  I don't chew them all the way up -- just crunch into them then swallow with water.  I'll check out the ones at Trader Joe's.  Do they have iron in them?  We need that. Linda

I am so glad you found some vitamins you can now tolerate!!!! I am sure it will improve your blood levels and protein intake. I take Centrum Chewables and Kirkland (costco) sugarfree calcium chews. My B-12 is in an injection. Dr. Deveney prescribed the injections, if you prefer to have a shot once a month instead of a daily sublingual this is the way to go. (one less pill to take) What I need to find is an Iron pill the last time I did blood work they said my Iron was low, any suggestions??? Anyone???? Thanks, Christina

Christina,  Bariatric Advantage has an iron I take and it has brought up my levels.  Vitalady also has a good one, I understand.  Order online. Julia

Julia, one of the things that has happened to me, since this surgery, is that my stomach must be tied to my "smeller", because most any smells make me feel very nauseated.  I'm so sensitive to some smells that never used to bother me - like the smells of the vitamins.    I've not taken any vitamins for months now, and it's really taking a toll on me.  I seem to "upchuck" anything that has any odor like some natural vitamins.  Then, the size is also important to me, so chewables work best (from my most recent experience).   Finding the right vitamin to take has been frustrating.  I was going to order those online vitamins, but most of them are expensive, and I don't feel like I can afford to keep trying vitamins.  So, I count on all of you out there to help me out to get the right type of vitamin - and one that tastes good and doesn't smell.  I feel like an oddball with all my weird new smelling issues. So, I can tell, by what Schmeesa reported, that I need more vitamin K, and probably some E and Zinc (according to Dr. Deveney).  I'm at a loss as to how to add these new vitamins - oh, and I am sure I could use the extra IRON also - because I know I am not getting iron in my diet at this point.  HELP - any info would be great on the smell and taste of the vitamins that you recommened above!  Thanks tons!

Gayla,  I know what you mean about the smells.  I often smell odd odors too, that I never did before.  Doesn't  bother me as far as eating goes though.   I don't think the Bariatric Advantage Calcium or Iron I use has an odor but you might.  The vitamin C and the Flintstones complete I take don't really smell but have a taste that is "tart".  I take Vitamin K which is a very small white disolvable tablet and has no taste or smell and dissolves really quick.  I get it from Vita Lady.  I also take a Vitamin A capsule that has no taste or odor and get it from Vita Lady as well.  If you PM me you phone number, I can bring you a few to try tomorrow as I am going to Eugene and could drop them by.  That way you can check them out before you buy any.  You do need to get your vitamins in and not get sick!!  Julia   

Hi Christina, my iron is low too, and I take generic 150mg Niferex twice a day with a chewable vitamin C to help it absorb. You can't take iron at the same time as calcium or foods containing calcium like dairy products, or coffee or tea, as they all interfere with absorption.  I was buying it at vitalady.com, but I asked my primary care doc to give me a prescription for it, and even though my insurance didn't cover it it still ended up being a lot cheaper for me that way. (I work at a hospital and we get an employee discount at our pharmacy).

Hi there, I'm glad you found vitamins that work for you. I was taking the Bariatric Advantage chewables and bought one bottle of the TJ high-potency chewables, hoping I could switch to them since they are so much cheaper. However, even though I am taking them until my bottle runs out, I noticed that the TJ ones don't have any vitamin K . It's very important for us to supplement vitamins A, D, E, and K, and the Bariatric Advantage is the only one I've found that has all of that. I tried to find vitamin K by itself but had no luck. Also, make sure the calcium you are taking is calcium citrate. We don't absorb calcium carbonate well.