Vitamin Rant

I dunnow.. OH kicked this to R&R..  the powers-to-be probably wouldn't be too happy if I did another one.

If I was going back in time, to when I was newly post op, this is what I would start with:

Multivitamin: Centrum Chewable (I hated the flavor after all was said and done)
Calcium: Chewable from Bariatric Advantage at the beginning later switch to Citracal
B-12 sublinguals

All these are available either online or at your local vitamin shoppe. If you aren't one who took vitamins to begin with, I'd start with that, make sure you're getting your liquids, protein, calcium, multivitamins, and B-12 in... then go from there.

I'm now 5 months post op and I take

SF Fiber Choice (for regularity)
Citracal (total of 1500 to 2000 mg, three or four doses over the day)
Multivitamin (Viactiv not calcium)
B-Complex Chewable (Soloray, taste funky)
B-12 sublingual 500 mcg daily (TwinLab - I was taking 2000 mcg but my B-12 was REALLY high)
Biotin (Soloray - 1000 mcg) for my hair and nails
D-3 dry - Source Naturals 4000 IU 2 x per day
Magnesium (250 mg, Nature Made, 2 x per day)
Vitamin C (Solgar Chewable - love this stuff - 500 mg once per day)
Iron (Twinlab - 36 mg once per day)

This is NOT a perfect supplementation routine... it's a work in progress. I will modify it as I learn, as I peruse my lab results, etc.

On September 2, 2008 at 6:23 PM Pacific Time, Andrea U. wrote:Sorry.. but the sheer multitude of people taking insufficient or incomplete supplements is simply mind-boggling to me.

Keep in mind, I don't think people following their health-professionals recommendations are stupid.  I think it's stupid to follow someone blindly without making rational, intelligent decisions with all the information at hand.  Doctors, dieticians, and nutritionists are not infallible, and don't always know what we should take.

If you haven't read this before, please print this document twice about Bariatric supplementation; keep one copy for yourself to read, make notes on, highlight, whatever - and the 2nd copy to your PCP, surgeon, dietician, nutritionist, support group leader.. SOMEONE that you feel will benefit from the information.  Go crazy and print multiple copies if you feel the need to do so.

Just a few takeaways:

1) Calcium carbonate (the calcium in TUMS, VIACTIVE, OPTISOURCE, and CALTRATE to name a very limited few) is not acceptable for RNY, DS, Fobi, or VSG patients.  Period.  Carbonate requires stomach acid in order to be absorbed.. we don't have any, thus it's wasted money.  Carbonate will give you kidney stones before it will help with your bones.

2) RNY patients *need* 1500-2000mg per day of additional supplemenation to the food we consume from elemental calcium.  Not all calciums are created equal, and labeling practices are not always honest or fair (such as with UpcalD).  For your own benefit, make sure you are getting enough calcium -- yes, I know, it takes 8 citrical petites to hit the minimum on the range.

3) Flintstone vitamins, in of themselves, are not adequate supplementation.  They may be enough in an entire supplementation program (extra iron, calcium, b-12, etc.), but by themselves are not adequate to protect your body.


Yes, I know, people don't want to hear these truths.  It sucks when preconceptions (especially those based off medical opinions) get blown out of the water.  Hell, I don't want you to simply follow me, either.  Do your research.. do not take your doc's word as gospel.  Don't take *my* word as gospel.  Be your own advocate, because honestly, noone else has as much of a vested interest in your health as you do.

Isn't everyone having monthly blood tests to check all this stuff?  I do, they take almost a pint. So far I have not been deficient in B 12 and am not taking it.  I was also told that citrical petites are unacceptable and I had to use chewable citrate.  I would LOVE to stop eating thse GIANT chalk chunks that I got from Bariatric Advantage.  Yicko!  I was told no way though.  Bummer.  My doc is not counting any nutrients or protien from food sources either.  I guess they are all different.  I am part of a study for the rest of my life.  Sometimes I feel kinda  like a guinea pig though!

 

Just for the record I take

4 flintstones complete

4 Bariatric ad cal cit's

3 protien shakes (soy and whey)

per day. 

No, they aren't.

Most surgeons draw blood maybe 4 times in the first year.  After the first year, it goes to 1x per year.  Monthly and quarterly draws do not happen often after the 1yr mark, which is when all the deficiencies begin to show themsleves.

Andrea, I'm getting ready for surgery in 19 days and got my vitamins last night.  I got the citracal petites, centrum chewables and b12.  How many do I take of each? Will my doctor tell me?

The document that is linked in my first post gives the following recommendations:

2x multivites
at least 500mcg b-12
1500-2000mg calcium citrate (so 8 citrical petites)

additionally:
27mg iron (for women)
1 b-complex
500mg vitamin c (taken with iron)

I didn't see that you linked to anything..but I did see that you answered someone else, after I asked, by about an hour.

Thanks for the information, though.

Blue text, in a sea of black, indicate a hyperlink.  It's in the paragraph that goes something like "If you haven't already done so, print out this document twice...."

I just think there are nicer ways to put things out there.  no you don't have to coddle people but being completely rude is just that...rude.

we are on a learning curve here.  No, I was not taking what I should be taking, but I am now...at least til I have blood work done saying different.  we look to long term post ops for support and education...not belittlement and rudeness.