Help! Overwhelmed by vitamin & protein info.

I went to my Weight Management class at St. Francis yesterday and am feeling completely overwhelmed.  The nurse mentioned Vitalady for protein drinks and such but when I checked them out online there were so many choices I didn't know what to do.  I know I've seen Vitalady mentioned here.  Can someone put me contact with a rep from Vitalady (or another brand) that could help me get started and sort this all out?  I live in the FW/ NE Tacoma area if it matters.

Thank you!

Dorothy (that's right, isn't it?), I can relate to what you're saying. There is sooooooo much to learn! I found that the way it was presented only confused me more, so I took all the handouts, manuals, and scribbled notes and sat down at the computer with them.
I entered them in a format I could understand and felt way better about it all once it was organized properly.

I would strongly suggest a trip to Vitalady (in Puyallup). I went there on a day where she wasn't present herself, but her regular summer replacement was on duty. The lady was very knowledgable, and I bet they all are, but they still can not tell you EVERYTHING because each surgeon has different ideas.

I would suggest to write everything down you were told to do/take, then grab that list and see Vitalady.
The best part of going in person is that they will let you try different protein shakes etc.

Hey there!  The cool thing...if you go to Vitalady's, they will mix up a bunch of proteins for you to sample.  Just remember though...your taste will change after surgery...there were quite a few I liked pre-op, but can't stomach them now.  It's a great way to try a bunch - before AND after surgery.

If you are near Auburn,stop in and do a taste testing any time. I have a support group meeting here on the 9th from 1-4. It is a great way to find out what others are doing and not doing! Call me Merrilou (253) 939- 8865

I will be calling you for sure.  We are heading down to Grants Pass, Oregon on Wed. so I will be calling next week sometime.  Thanks!  

Great! Hope to see you and help with any questions you might have! Merrilou

Vita Lady has all of Dr. Oh's protocol , on file . She has known him for many , many years . All of her staff are very helpful & will mix samples for you . You can also buy a sample pack to keep on hand for after surgery . It is true , your tastes change after surgery . I still don't like regular chocolate & i'm almost 2 years out .

I have the DS, but Vitalady had a list of the typical supplements that DSers take, and I'm sure she has the equivalant for RNYers.  Now that I've had several labs done and have had to adjust the vits my surgeon suggested, her list is identacle to what I'm actually having to take, so they've clearly had plenty of experience behind them.
I also made an Excel spreadsheet of my supplements, labs results, and range that I'm supposed to be within, and it automatically makes things bold or highlighted if my numbers get out of range. I update it when I change anything or have labs, and my pcp also appreciates me bringing that in. I know the different surgeries need to supplement different things, so my sheet wouldn't be ideal for you, but it could be a template and you could delete the things that don't apply to RNY and add anything else you need.  Send me a pm if that would be helpful to you.
Good luck getting it figured out, it does get easier.

Wow Bearmom how did you make that spreadsheet?  I have excel on my comp but i have a very hard time with it..  LOL  I need to back to school.  I would love to make one of those myself, I am in the military health system and you need to be very proactive with your health care.

It took hours to get it all together, but I've heard of several other who made spreadsheets too, and figured it would be a good refresher course for me ( and I sure needed the refresher). I have a DS, and my PCP hadn't even heard of it before, so I knew I'd have to be proactive as well. I'm happy to share it if anyone wants to use it as a base template, since I assume the same tests are done, but our supplements would be different, so those could just be deleted and filled in with what ever was appropriate.
What took the longest was filling in the formulas that would alert me when my levels went out of the normal range, and those should be the same regardless of surgery.