Vitamin Rant

I think it is great that you are posting this stuff. I wish I had it to read a couple of years ago before I almost lost my life to not taking my vitamins. YES..you can die from not taking them. It took a while (I was almost 4 years out) but I was close. It has been a life altering event. If people do not want to take note of all these warnings contact me and I can give you a glimpse of the life that I have.

Hey Andrea. Curiosity is killing the cat. What vitamins and dosages do you take on a daily basis? I am one of the lemmings who takes the Viactiv chews as recommended by my surgeon. My concern is that the other calcium does not contain vitamin k. I am assuming that is why they have you take the viactiv chews.  I know I shouldn't assume (makes an ass-you and me, ha ha).

I bought some citrical to see if I like that better. It doesn't hurt to try. Even though (rant straight ahead), I am sick of taking pills by the hand full everyday. I swear I did not take any kind of medication or vitamins pre surgery and now I am a walking pill case. It is irritating. Thank you for letting me get that off of my chest. Whew!!!!! I needed that.

Take care Leslie

Since you asked:

2 multis - NatureMade liquid gelcaps
2x 500mg vite c's - NM liquid gelcaps
12x 25mg carbonyl iron - sundown naturals (Target special order)
2x b-complex - NM liquid gelcaps
10x 5k vite d - vitalady tender d
4x "regular" citrical - target house brand
4x citrical petite - citrical petite
2x 400mg magnesium oxide - scripted, but also available otc
50mg zinc - naturemade pill
1000mcg b-12 pill - target house brand
400mcg folic acid - don't remember who's house brand this bottle is from

Hi Andrea - I noticed you posted a Vitamin Rant on the General Forum - a day after I posted my questions about Vitamins on the RNY forum.  Was this to be directed at me?  I hope you understand that I am not blindly following my dr.s orders - in fact I was doing my own research on vitamins/supplements.  It hit me yesterday that I should be asking my best sounding board - the people at OH.  I think it's important to get lots of information before meeting with your doctor and that is what I was doing. 

I really appreciate everyone's guidance and coaching on this board.  I would hate to think I couldn't feel comfortable posting a question that is relevant and educated.

Thanks again for the link yesterday.  It was exactly what I was looking for! :)  Nicole

NIcole, many many people are blindly taking their doctor's recommendations at face value and will not listen to anything that detracts from what their doctor's tell them. Andrea posts almost daily about vitamins to the main board because she is a crusader. I wouldn't take this personal, but I would try to learn and be better and better educated.

An example of taking things blindly:

I had my 3 month labs done at 4 months. Doc called me up and said "Your labs are GREAT"

Then I got a copy of my labs, and on the surface, sure enough, they look great. B12 is through the roof, etc.

THEN I read a little deeper, and my Vitamin D is tanking, but because the number is within the prescribed parameters, they didn't BOLD the result. Doc only looked through for the low and high numbers, not the numbers that were creeping down into danger zones.

Do I hate my PCP? Nah, I think he's one of the BEST doctors I've ever had... I truly admire him as a great man with a lot to offer his patients. But he is as human as you or I, and as imperfect. That's why I'm looking out for ME, because I don't want to be so proud of my awesome doc that I live life with crumbled bones because I was too stubborn to double check things.

I'll bring those labs up with my doc when I see him next and get my next labs. I'm becoming educated so that I won't get unhealthy due to ignorance, on his part or on my part. I'm my own best advocate, and I'd rather be a pest and ask a dozen questions, then research the answers I get, and ask more questions when I see the doc again.

I'm doing all I can to have the most perfect recovery from the disease of obesity. Getting the vitamins as right as possible is one of the steps in my recovery. I'm way way way far from perfect.... I add a new vitamin almost every month, as I learn more. But I'm very happy there are folks, like Andrea, willing to put out the message, and to repeat it and repeat it. It's too much to take in all at once. MM's post with all that information was awesome, but I had to stop at a certain point. Not because the information is bad, but because it is more than I can take in in one sitting. If I started my RNY off with EVERY vitamin I would never have figured out my schedule of eating and stuff like that. Taking it a little bit at a time helps me to keep my focus and add in new habits one supplement at a time.

LL - You are so right...I was just checking to make sure I wasn't sounding stupid on a post or being attacted by one.  (that KFC thing was scary! ha ha)    I actually look for Andrea (even though she is TOUGH ha ha) and the others like you to let me know what you think.  We are all in this together!  My 3 month appointment is in less than 2 weeks and I am gathering up all my questions and info now.  My Doctor is amazing but human.  :)

Thanks!  I don't think I realized there would come a day when I was eating the same amount of vitamins as I do food!  :)

Many of the people who speak straight up no nonsense are those that truly do care that the correct information is given. 

I for one am glad that I can claim Andrea as a friend.  She is one who will smack you in the head if she knows your doing something wrong (and you know it too), she will get the correct information so you can fix what your doing wrong, and she is also someone who when your hurting and need compassion she is there for that too.

However, many people on this site do not want that.  They ask questions but do not really want any answer that goes against what they truly want to hear.

Andrea is like Stacey London (TLC's What Not To Wear) if you as her if something looks good on you..... even if you absolutely love it.... if it looks like **** on you she will tell you.  Stacey wants you to look good and Andrea wants you to be healthy.  (as with many of the other BLUNT STRAIGHT speaking posters)

I have 3 general vitamin "rants" that I post every couple of days.  This one, costs, and a calcium-only one.  I'm thinking of doing one for the whole "flintstones by themselves are enough" debate, but haven't taken the time to write on yet.

Trust me, if this were directed at one specific poster, you'd know ;-)

Hey, perhaps the anti-flintstone coming from an actual RNY'er would be received better than from an evil lowly DSer like myself.

Whoever said you were lowly muhahahahahahahahaha