3 weeks out and no vomiting except...
on 7/6/15 9:06 am
I was given the okay to start my chewable vitamins at my 2 week post op visit last week. I've had no nausea or vomiting with anything I've drank so far. Even starting the pureed foods gave me no issues. Sure enough as soon as I took my chewable multi-vitamin I was vomiting immediately. I thought it was because I tried to eat the whole thing at once and maybe didn't chew it enough so the next day I broke it into quarters. That made me very nauseous and I was only able to eat the pieces over a period of an hour. I kept it down at least. Next day I tried the same thing and it came back up. These are the O purity Orange Berry flavored. I have samples left over from my Nut (bariatric advantage and celebrate) that I tried and all those came back up too. I don't know what to try next or what would cause this reaction when everything else has stayed down so wonderfully.
Like others have said, take them with food. I've never had a problem with taking vitamins on an empty stomach (pre or post surgery) but many people do. My husband, for example, who has not had WLS will vomit if he takes vitamins on an empty stomach.
Lap Band September 2007 / Slip discovered March 2014 after significant regain / Revised to VSG April 29, 2014
on 7/6/15 11:29 am
Thanks everyone! It seems pretty obvious now in hindsight that it's probably just me trying to get them in first thing before I leave the house without any breakfast. I am planning on bringing them to work with me now and waiting until after I've eaten to try them again. I think I was afraid that if I tried them after I ate that I'd just have more to vomit up. I bet it was just to harsh on an empty stomach.
I am going to offer a different view point.
I take my vitamins on an empty stomach. Did before VSG and still do. What I learned post VSG is that not all vitamins are manufactured using the same ingredients. The non vitamin ingredients (referred to as binders by some) may be very different from vitamin to vitamin depending upon the manufacturer and the quality grade of vitamin. Some people are more sensitive to the binders than other people might be.
As an example, I tried a chewable multi-vitamin designed specifically for WLS patients. Didn't matter how I took them, before or after eating. They made me nauseous. I switched to a store brand chewable (Trader Joe's) and had no problems whatsoever. Once cleared for pill form I switched to a big box store brand and couldn't tolerate those. Switched to Centrum and have been fine for 3+ years. Same thing with calcium. Loved my chewable from Bariatric Advantage, but tired of the high cost. Tried switching to the big box store brand and got sick each time I took them, so I had to switch again. I tried the CVS brand and they are just fine. So I've stuck with those.
Yes, it could very well be that you need something in your tummy when you take your vitamins, but I think experimenting with different brands is worth exploring, too.
When I was early post op I tried taking vitamins in every form, time of day, before, during, after food, but would throw up every time, no matter what. My doctor had no solution except to tell me keep trying, which I did for a while, but when I finally got tired of it I just stopped completely. At my next appointment they did a blood test and it showed my vitamin levels were perfect, even though I hadn't taken any for over a month. I'm now 12 months post op and I can now take generic gummy vitamins but only once a week or so, sometimes every other week. I make sure I eat pretty good most of the time and my blood tests are fine. Could it be not all of us need so many extra vitamins?
