My surgeon says Tums... 3x daily for calcium

Tums for my calcium supplement. !  That's what I was told to do.  Although I went one better and got Caltrate chewables, I hate chewing those big awful tasting pills twice a day.  I abhor it!  Can anyone tell me an easier way to get my calcium in?

My clinic started me on calcium citrate (better absorbed then calcium carbonate which is what is in caltrate) at one month post-op. 1200mg a day divided into two doses taken at a different time then any iron supplement you may be taking. Citracal makes pills you can swallow but they are huge, if they are too big, they also seel citracal creamy bites which are like a soft chewey browny....Dx has a post all about calcium supplementation...Maybe he will repost it, or find it by going to one of his posts and click "recent posts" and find it there...

Others may have the the science/details, but long term you're much better off using calcium citrate (citracal and generic clones) instead of calcium carbonate (Tums, your Caltrate chewables, coral calcium, oyster, many others).  Without stomach acid, we don't absorb much calcium carbonate. I just chomp a couple Sam's Club generic citrate+Ds and then wash them down with a flavored drink.  It ain't fun but it's cheap, and it's pretty flavorless (more and more, I just swallow them; I no longer have problems with big pills and they dissolve pretty quick in water).  ($7 for like 250.)  Citrical makes "Creamy Bites," which come in Fudge, Caramel, and Lemon Cream flavors.  Lots of people swear by them, but the price is a little high for me ($7 for 30).

I use a pill crusher....crush them up pop the powder in the back of my mouth and quickly wa**** down with water.

My surgeon also recommended the 3 tums a day. I hate tums so I looked for an alternative and I found the viactive soft chews were good and haven't cause any dumping.

I just bite mine in half and swallow one half at a time with flavored water.  It's a chore, but it's painless.

TwinLabs Calcium Citrate tabs from vitaminshoppe.com are pretty good. Like $7 for 60 tabs. they are citrus. Kinda tough at the beginning but you get used to them. They're my "candy" fix now

Thanks all!  When it's time to refill, I'll look for a Citrate that I can live with.

The docs put you on Tums right off the bat for two reasons: 1) to get you in the habit of taking calcium; and 2) because you need a chewable until the internal swelling goes down 6-weeks post-op. The bad news is that ordinary Tums is calcium carbonate, and if you had an RNY or VBG, they won't do a damned thing for you because you can't absorb them. You need calcium citrate instead. Once the swelling goes down (you'll know when, because that's when most people go, "Did I stretch it?), you'll be able to swallow citrate tabs without chewing.