Tums as calcium source?

This is just bugging me.  When I saw my nut last week she said I could either go with Calcium Citrate or Carbonate.  Well, which is it?  She said either one is fine.  Now I'm confused.  I want to do the right one but the chewables that I've found are nauseating to me.  I cannot take the chewables.  Does anyone do Tums for their calcium supplement?  I cannot find out wether they are citrate or carbonate.  Please help me in this quest.  Good grief I'm almost 3 months out and still aren't taking my calcium.  My labs came back perfect by the way and I HAD been taking carbonate.  make any sense?

Dianne

Calcium is something that slowly leaches from your bones when you don't provide your body enough to function.  Please start taking some form of Calcium Citrate today.

Here is an interesting article I read about Calcium Citrate.  I found it when I was looking up info about Iron last week.   It will tell you why this form of calcium is better for everyone, particularly, WLS patients.

I, too, can not tolerate the chewables.  I started taking liquid about one week after surgery.  It is tolerable and I do it to regularly each day.   I have to take 6 shots to get my daily dose of elemental calcium.  But, it is still better than the chewable.  I did all that to buy my time until I could start taking pills.  That time has come.

Officially, this week I will begin taking Calcium Citrate petites.  I ordered them last week from Walgreen's online (cheaper than in the store) and they will arrive on Monday or Tuesday.    I can swallow them with a tad bit of water and the water will actually begin to break down the calcium so it is absorbable.

There are plenty of posts on here about why it is important to take our supplements and what will happen to you if you don't.  No one can guarantee that the bad things will happen, but why gamble?

 Sara - 

I read that article you posted.  I'm really concerned about the validity of that "UltraDense" supplement.  Combining calcium and iron/zinc/copper into one pill goes against all the science that proves you can't take calcium and iron at the same time.  The body uses the same cell receptors to absorb calcium and iron.... so putting both in the body at the same time means that one gets absorbs and the other doesn't (and iron always loses).  

Yes, that patent application outlines that calcium citrate is better absorbed - that's good.  But I'm afraid that the iron combo part makes me doubt everything about what's written there. 

Pam

That something has a patent claim filed against it  says NOTHING WHATSOEVER that the claims made for that patent are true.

Don't waste your time slumming around patentstorm.us; it's full of would-be money makers provided that their wild guesses ever turn out to be true.  It is the worst possible source of legitimate medical information.

/Steve

Hey Dianne....

your body will always show your calcium levels as "GOOD", until it's too late!!  Your body will take whatever calcium it needs from your bones....it doesn't care if you are supplementing or not..so by the time it shows up low in your lab tests, you all ready have the onset of osteoporosis.

Your NUT should of known that WE as gastric bypass patients ONLY absorb citrate and use it to our benefit.  Carbonate needs stomach acid to break it down and absorb, where citrate doesn't.

TUMS is a poor supplement for calcium for a gastric bypass patient because, it is cabronate.  I take Bariactric Advantage cherry lozenges....they dissolve in my mouth like a sweet tart...I WUV'em!!!

Start takin your supplements NOW before any labs say you need them....
take care,
Dawn

Start takin your supplements NOW . . . 

Dawn, this has been bugging me now since surgery. Due to my complications, my doc and nut have told me not to take any supplements for the time being. I guess due to my stoma restriction, they can sit in the esophagus and cause erosion. Anyway, although I'm only two months out (as of today, thank you very much!!) I know that I should be doing it, and it really goes against my grain not to be taking my supplements. I know that once they get this stoma thing fixed, I'll be on them like white on rice! Many of them are sitting on the counter just waiting til that day!

Oh. I can't have rice. LOL

Oh, I know where you are coming from...and if you can't take'em...you can't take'em...I had two stictures 3 & 4 months post op..and then an ulcer and then by 9 months post op, two bouts of surgery for twisted intestines...so it seemed I was always "stopping and starting" my supplements...

You do what ya can ~ girlfriend!!!

Dawn

Just like most of the human race, I'm kinda glad to hear others that have had problems, too. Misery loves company and all that.

But you have me nervous now. I mean, I thought I'd have all my complications right from the gate, not further out. Oh well, I guess I have to take my own advice and not look for trouble. Right?

Thanks for the warm wishes.

SM,
You could take liquid or chewables for multis, and dissolve Citrical in H20 and pour into whatever you are drinking.  Ya gotta start taking them. 

(((cindy)))

ps, I'm just following you around the boards today!!!

I was never breast fed as a baby.

Oh. Wait. That was another board.

I hear what you're saying about the vits, but I can get so little in right now, they really want me to concentrate on my fluids first, protein second, and we'll get to the rest soon.
Did I say that my next dilation is in 8 days?

Oh. I did? Well, I just said it again, didn't I? LOL

Soon. Soon.