Question:
Long term post-ops- Is it hard to keep up with all the supplements?
I just had my appointment with the nutritionist and she explained that I would have to take 5 vitamins a day plus calcium plus iron plus B12 for the rest of my life!! I've never been very good about taking all my medications. Do you get used to it?? If you miss a day do you really feel lousy?? Any info on this is appreciated. THANKS!! PS> I am scheduled for surgery July 1st. YAY!! — Jennifer H. (posted on June 18, 2003)
June 18, 2003
11 months out and still trying to get in the "regular" habit of
taking all my supplements. Pain in the...well anyway, I'm determined so
figure someday it will become habitual! Congrats and good luck July 1st!
— [Deactivated Member]
June 18, 2003
I don't understand why you'd have to take so many vitamins. I take a
prenatal vitamin and a trinsicon capsule once a day. That's it. I'm 19
months post-op and my blood work comes back normal. I think I'd ask my
doctor about the prenatal vitamin as it has most of the stuff that you need
and it certainly beats taking that many pills!!
— Patty H.
June 18, 2003
I'll be 2 years out July 17. I take a slightly different regime than my
surgeon advised. This was through my own research, talking to
nutritionists, and on how I feel. I take a multi-vit (store brand/or
whatever is on sale) 2 calcium citrate w/D (the best value I've found is
through Vitalady)and two B12. I take one multi/1 calcium/1 B12 w/ bf and
the other calcium and B12 w/ Lunch. I keep a pretty little dish with a lid
on my desk at work filled with all my vities so I rarely forget. On the
weekend I tend to forget the second dose, but I do keep a pill box in my
purse so if I'm on the move and think of it I will pop them or take them
with dinner. I just started the second B12 as a precautionary (I've heard
that once a B12 deficiency sets in it can't be reversed, stopped from
getting worse, but not reversed). I may stop it though once I get my next
labs...I've only had labs done once and they were fine. I work through my
primary as I don't have a relationship with my surgeon any longer. I
started out taking Iron suppliment but stopped because of constipation. I
was told only about half of us will need to suppliment that any way. I
donate blood on a regular basis and although I'm border line anemic, I'm
OK. If it drops I will certainly add Iron to my regime. Hope this windy
response helps. -Kim open RNY 7/17/01 -150(ish)
— KimBo36
June 18, 2003
No. It's just habit now, although I only take 1 multi (why 5??), B12,
iron, calcium. The effects of not taking your vites are cumulative. You
won't feel lousy in a day, or a week, maybe months. Then one day you find
out you have osteoporosis, or anemia, and at that point it's WAY harder to
get back to ground zero than if you took your supplements to begin with.
Get your labs checked for the rest of your life (preferable 2x/year), have
a yearly dexascan, get into the habit w/ your vitamins (I do mine in the
morning and before bed, and try to throw in an extra calcium at lunch).
It's a minor inconvenience considering what you've gained (a healthy body!)
— mom2jtx3
June 18, 2003
Are you sure the nutritionist wasn't saying you'd have to take 5 vitamins,
as in focusing on 5 certain vitamins, i.e. A,D,E,K, & forget the 3rd
now! Help Vitalady! I doubt she meant 5 multivitamins. I am quite distal,
200cm bypassed. I take the following regimen, with the support of our
bariatric program coordinator R.N. and the wonderful Vitalady herself.
EARLY AM- Iron & Vitamin C; BREAKFAST- 500mg calcium citrate; LUNCH-
Multi & Dry Vitamin E; DINNER- 500mg calcium citrate & Dry Vitamin
A & D; BEDTIME- Multi & 500mg calcium citrate. Please, please,
please do not go into having surgery even THINKING the thought that you can
miss a day of vitamins and be fine. Get it in your head now that YES, you
will have to take vitamins every day for the rest of your life. It's a
very, very small price to pay for this wonderful tool. You'll feel so much
better and you'll likely prevent having to take other, worse stuff (like
shots, i.v.'s etc. if you develop a vitamin deficiency). I carry my little
4 compartment pill keeper with me everywhere I go...it is more important to
me than my wallet! Heck, there's never any money in there anyway! Best
wishes to you on your upcoming surgery - Anna LAP RNY 7/3/02 -130lbs.
— Anna L.
June 18, 2003
I of course also take a B12 sublingual daily. I always forget to mention
that little sucker. I'm looking into getting monthly shots of B12.
— Anna L.
June 19, 2003
Jennifer, I can only speak to the RNY and a proximal. The distals (more
bypassed) have to take more supplements, so it will depend on the type of
surgery you have. It wasn't hard to get in the habit of taking
supplements. After a while, you get in the swing of things and now it is
2nd nature, just like any routine in your life. Mornings I take 1 calcium
citrate before leaving the house, after dinner I take 2 chewable vitamins,
and before bed, the other calcium citrate. Once every other month a B12
injection. At 16 months post-op, labs are fine.
— Cindy R.
June 19, 2003
Hi! Thanks... you reminded me to take my vities! :~) I keep mine in my
'fridge so when I open the door, I see them first thing and take them. I
hadn't gotten into my 'fridge yet today! :~)
I take a simple women's multi-vitamin from GNC and Omega 3 fatty acids (500
icu's 3xday). You should get the rest of your vities from your foods,
eventually. Five vities a day?? Gads, what vities is she pushing? I get
all the calcium I need from milk, iron from my food and B12 from my food.
You don't need to go overboard! Just get your blood work done every three
months for the first two years and every six months after that. If you are
extremely tired, get your bloodwork done before you start taking any B12's
or anything else. It may not be a lack of vitamins. I have actually slowed
down on my vities and take my multi about three to five times a week and
the omega three's every day. I don't feel lousy when I skip. PLUS, you
don't have near as many problems with liver enzymes... Get those checked
before you start ANY vitamin regime! That way you will be able to tell if
the vitamin you are taking is clearing properly. Good luck and email me if
I confused you or need more clairfication! :~)
— Sharon M. B.
June 19, 2003
I, too, have times I forget my meds. To help my daughter with this same
problem, I told her to set an alarm clock - like when you want to wake up
every morning...but one for when you need to take your pills each day.
I'm only being told a multivitamin, B12, and calcium - maybe just a multi
would have the five your nutritionist is recommending?
— bethybb
June 19, 2003
Hi, all: I have trouble remembering to take all my pills, so I got one of
those 7-day pill thingies. At this point I take them all at once, but
after surgery, I'm concerned about having to take pills at different times
during the day. It seems like I've seen somewhere there is a pill
container that has an alarm on it. I think that would be ideal! Maybe you
can ask your pharmacist about it. I may have seen it in a Harriet Carter
Book or something like that, just can't remember right now. (maybe I ought
to add Ginko Biloba to my regimen to help my memory!)
— Moysa B.
June 21, 2003
Thanks to everyone for their responses. And YES, the nutritionist said 1
chewable vitamin 5 times a day PLUS the calcium, PLUS the iron, and
possibly the B12. I asked her several times during the visit "Five
times per day? Five vitamins everyday?? For the rest of my life??"
She said yes because I would absorb very little of everything that went in.
I don't know. I'll do as I'm told and follow my labs.
THANKS AGAIN!!
— Jennifer H.
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