Okay...what do you guys take for antibiotics if you get sick with the flu or something? Can you take Ampicillin or Penicillin tablets and crush them or something? I live 10 miles from Mexico border and we go over there to get our antibiotics. So could I still get the tablets and crush them up or the capsules and open them up and dilute in some kind of juice or something?

What about Pain Reliever? I hear everyone mentioning Children's liquid Tylenol but with some of my headaches I would have to drink that whole bottle to get any relief. Isn't it possible to take regular Tylenol? Maybe get the tablets and crush them also????

I read somewhere where a lady took an Advil and her stomach closed up and she had to have the band removed (if I'm not mistaken) I sure don't want THAT to happen.

Any help would be appreciated. I really don't wanna screw up and have problems.

Thanks:cool:

Linda

Banded 2/20/2004

Dr. Arturo Rodriguez, Monterrey MX

275/268.5/mini goal 200

Hi Linda,

I am newly banded, but I have been using Adult Liquid Tylenol. I have found two versions: One clearly states Adult Liquid Tylenol, located near the pill forms and the other is noted for use with sore throats and is located near the sore throat sprays. Both are maximum strength and have worked on my headaches... but not my monthly cramps. I have been crushing up Pamprin for those and taking them mixed with juice.

I haven't had any antibiotics yet, so I cannot comment on that one... sorry.

Take Care,

I haven't had to take any medicines since banding, but if it's pills you're worried about you may not have any problem. I take three Vitamins every day and they're actually fairly large pills. For a while I was breaking the large ones in half, but it turned out not to be necessary. You shouldn't have a problem with antibiotics assuming they are normal-sized tablets.

Advil (ibuprofen) is not recommended because it can irritate your stomach. But I've taken it a couple of times for cramps and my doctor has said it's fine. I only take it about once every eight weeks or so, and that's extremely unlikely to cause a problem. If you have recurring pain that needs more intensive medication ask your doctor for something that is not a stomach irritant.

There are apparently several layers of concern regarding drugs. Antibiotics are NOTORIOUS for chewing up the stomach. Some of them cause reflux in as many as 40% of patients...and those are the folks with a normal stomach. (I'm pretty sure my reflux actually began with a round of antibiotics and went downhill from there. I had to give up treating that condition.)

Then, the NSAIDS apparently have an entirly different thing going. It's not about the size of the pill or how long it sits in the stomach. It's about how the pain-relieving mechanism in the drug cuts down on the protective lining of the stomach. I have had no problems that I know of with ibuprofen...but it could have been exacerbating what the antibiotic did.

So, to your situation. Antibiotics do nothing for the flu. No one should take antibiotics for the flu. The flu is a virus and may respond to antiviral medications but will not respond to antibiotics, which only work on bacteria. And, acetaminophen is available in adult, extra-strength liquid. I know Tylenol makes a version cuz I've got some.

One-other suggestion...Do Not lay down directly after taking pills(even cut in half), I've had them lodged and it's very painful.

Thank you all for your help...I'll look again for the Adult Liquid but have looked at WalMart and at the grocery store here and didnt see it. Next time I'll ask the pharmacist and see if maybe he or she can direct me to it.

Wow, Sue, thank you for that great information! I had no idea antibiotics could be irritants. (Can you tell I've not had to take many in my life?)

I am wondering about pill size, though. When I take my caplet-sized Vitamin, does it go through the stoma into the lower stomach? I wash them down with lots of Water. And does it matter? If they're in the pouch for any length of time dissolving before going on down, am I risking irritation? I take a multi-vitamin and 500mg of C, plus a gel-type E capsule.

Originally posted by Alexandra

I had no idea antibiotics could be irritants.

Nor did I. The nurse who got me in to see the doctor for a reflux Rx told me and then he did, too.

I am wondering about pill size, though. When I take my caplet-sized Vitamin, does it go through the stoma into the lower stomach? I wash them down with lots of Water. And does it matter? If they're in the pouch for any length of time dissolving before going on down, am I risking irritation? I take a multi-vitamin and 500mg of C, plus a gel-type E capsule.

Ya know. I don't know. And I think it's hit and miss. So I bought a pill cutter and use it for any pill that's time released. Dr. Rumbaut told me to hold a capsule in my mouth until it was really, really soft, and then--just before the Gelatin dissoves--to swallow it with water.

this brings up a question i have

about the effects of the

band: do you have the same

chronic Vitamin loss that needs

suppliments that you have

with the other surgeries?

( multi Vitamins make me quesy now...without the band)

i think it seems not...it also seems

that with the other surgeries you get

diarreah and with this procedure, it

is only for the first days...?

i am trying to understand all the

lows as the highs are unquestionable...as i see from reading so many of your posts.

There is no reason you should have any malnutrition after banding if you eat a balanced diet, and no supplements are required. I've been taking these three vitamins for years just for my own reasons, but it's not a habit you'll have to cultivate if you don't want to.

Originally posted by lupelevenstein

this brings up a question i have

about the effects of the

band: do you have the same

chronic Vitamin loss that needs

suppliments that you have

with the other surgeries?

No. The bypsass surgeries remove/bypass the part of the intestine that absorbs nutrient/calories/etc. The band does nothing but put a kink in the get-along, so to speak.

i think it seems not...it also seems

that with the other surgeries you get

diarreah and with this procedure, it

is only for the first days...?

I've never heard of this. You ARE kinda messing with the gut with anesthesia and liquids and all, but I think many (even "most") of us got to bypass this part.

i am trying to understand all the

lows as the highs are unquestionable...as i see from reading so many of your posts.

"Lookin' for lows in all the wrong places?" J/K To me, the "low" is that the weight doesn't melt off overnight. But even with the surgeries where that (almost) happens, you still have to adopt new habits or it will all come back.

Sue

sue

thanks for you intellegent reponses.

Great to hear that the Vitamin loss

is not an issue. That was sort of scary.

i read about the diarreah post op

from some of the other discussions here.

it seemed like it was related to liquid diet

etc and that it cleared up.

i don't want to dwell on the lows,

i am really trying to get a handle on

what to expect.

Can anyone direct me

to place here where the known

short and long term side affects are listed?

I appreciate the wisdom of "if you don't change behavior nothing will work".

anyway....this is off the topic of antibiotics...sorry

alexandra

thanks also for the followup...i didn't see

it at first.

doctor told me to take calcium be already ...but it gives me

nausea...and this is prebanding...i am not

taking it...trying to eat things like dark leafy veggies skim milk cottage cheese etc.

and speaking of veggies, how do they

feel on the tummies post banding?

Originally posted by lupelevenstein

alexandra

thanks also for the followup...i didn't see

it at first.

doctor told me to take calcium be already ...but it gives me

nausea...and this is prebanding...i am not

taking it...trying to eat things like dark leafy veggies skim milk cottage cheese etc.

and speaking of veggies, how do they

feel on the tummies post banding?

I'm not prone to stomach upset, never have been. Vegetables are no problem for me, outside of their being hard to get down if they're fibrous. Broccoli, for example, I can only eat if it's really soft. I've been gravitating towards squashes and eggplant for the most part.

I was also told to take calcium, since I'm a woman getting older, but haven't been doing it. I get a lot of calcium from dairy products, so I'm not worrying about it...yet.

thanks...i am a big fan of vegetables.

And would feel sad to lose them.

i am attempting to look for a

suppliment for calcium in a small

chocolate candy.

i am getting up there and have a family history

of bone density problems...so i need to do it...now.

I take a chewable calcium I get at Traders Joe's.