QUESTION ABOUT VITAMINS

I am not sure if I am on the correct board for this question but here goes anyways. What vitamin supplements should I be taking? I like the idea of "bathing the guts in loads of vitamins" to try to prevent "short gut syndrome" BUT I don't have loads of money to dump on vitamins. I have chronic constipation, have for years, so I found a vitamin that is a chewable form of fiber with vitamin added, I also take iron daily so for each iron I take a Colace (generic), I also take Citrated Mg/Ca and a sublingual B12 (I get a B12 injection every 10 days also), I take Zinc ( I swear by this and am sure that it is the ONLY reason I haven't lost my hair this time around). and Vit D.........any ideas? I really hate taking so many pills EVERY day because on top of all of this I also take an allergy pill, Protonix AND doxepin (for my leg cramps) and usually several SudaFed a day and Tylenol (arthritis). My eyesight has gotten significantly worse since the surgery and I read about Vit A BUT I also know that you  can get too much of certain Vitamins. Like I said this gets VERY expensive and I don't have money to just dump down the drain. Are these things going to help me or not make any difference. I know people who only take a multi and iron........HELP!!!

You should be taking: 1. A multivitamin 2. Calcium 3. Iron 4. B12 (either sublingual OR injection - not both) 5. Possibly a B-complex with B1 & B6. It is possible that you could use some Vitamin A, but I would never recommend this long term as you can become toxic from it. You can have a lab draw to see if you are deficient, or talk to your PCP. Or, if you are feeling like you want to supplement it without talking to your doc, then take ONLY 5000 IU/day for no more than 10 days. After 10 days, you need to stop. In addition - although you think zinc is the best thing around, I'd also caution you with zinc. Excessive use of zinc can cause other mineral deficiencies. And the vitamin D .... whoa - we discussed this in depth on this board - you may want to check the archives. Check with your doc on the Vitamin A and but I'd recommend discontinuing the zinc, choose either sublingual B12 OR injection, discontinue the vitamin D, and start a B-complex that includes B1 and B6. Furthermore, vitamins DO NOT PREVENT short gut syndrome.

What the heck is short gut syndrome?...and how do I keep from getting it? Thanks, Ingrid

Short gut is a condition that some people get when they have a large intestinal resection. It is typically caused by procedures like Billroth II (not a weight loss surgery). There are a handful of surgeons performing a DISTAL RNY for weight loss - which usually does have a short gut component. Short gut is not something you catch, or something you prevent. It is directly related to the type of surgery you had. A typical RNY or VSG likely will not have a short gut syndrome component. If you were to have short gut, you would have had it from the first day after surgery. If you don't have it now, you won't get it. Unless, of course, you have more surgery.

Whew! Thanks for the information. The condition sounds awful! Ist