Bypass Post Surgery Vitamins And Supplements

Hello everybody!

I am thinking about Gastric Bypass. As expected, questions are arising. The big one right now is:

Are the post surgery vitamins and supplements essential for living? I mean, if I find myself in a situation where I don't have them... would I die?

You won't die but might get very run down.  Probably half of RNY patients stop taking vitamins, just my guess.  It is a gamble and I would rather keep the odds in my favor by taking the vitamins. 

I understand. It would be dumb not to take them. I was just going through the 10,000 scenarios of "what if." It's not my intention to not take them... more so if I ended up in a situation without them. Bad weather.. camping.. ect... 

Your body has reserves.  It could be months or even years before a deficiency shows up.

I've wondered this too.

But my 'what if' situation was always centered around a zombiepocalypse.

Read whatever ya like into that :D

It's such simple low-cost insurance, I just don't know why anyone wouldn't make it part of their normal daily routine.  I understand that sometimes economics can get in the way, and I don't think that skipping vitamins for like a week once in awhile is any big deal.  I'd be nervous if it was expected to become a longer term issue.  Think of it as drops in a bucket, once the bucket is full, missing a few drops isn't going do make much difference, but if the drops stop, eventually it'll cause major problems.

Ok, good to know. 
Thanks everybody!!

hi I am 3 weeks post gastric bypass and the vitamins make me sick every day. At my drs office they told us there's a woman across the rd in rehab who did not take her vitamins and she will never be able to walk again. I am sure a day here or there want hurt but long term is a huge risk!

I had trouble with the vits at first - I  used the patch vitimins for a few months - now I can use the chalky, chewables, with no problem.

Patchmd.com

Deficiencies can be hideous... like make you feel like you want to die... and yeah some will kill you eventually. Since gastric bypass is a malabsorptive procedure it's a double edged sword (I think the good stuff outweighs the negatives but YMMV) if you keep up with your vitamins, get to a place where you eat a pretty varied nutrient rich diet (maintenance) AND watch your labs it's easier to avoid issues or spot something before you tank in an area.

If you have insurance some things may be covered. B12, Iron.