Well I'm just under 3 weeks from my VSG surgery with Dr. Almanza in TJ. I'm trying to gather as much information as possible to ensure a speedy recovery and ulitimate success. This site is AWESOME I must say, but there is so much information to sift through. I saw a great thread on proteins and got a lot of good information from that. I've seen some good stuff on pre and post op diets. I think I'm most confused on the vitamin situation. I know that vitamin supplements are going to be a lifelong and essential part of life going forward. But what vitamin(s) do I absolutely need and is there a multi that will cover them all? I've heard I'll need to supplement vitamins A, D, B12, Iron, XYZ and the kitchen sink. I really hope there is one multi-vitamin that will cover my needs and would a chewable be better absorbed over one I have to swallow? Any help on any of the subjects mentioned would be greatly appreciated.

One final concern I have and help I could use are from the ones who have done this by themselves. Now my mom is actually going to Mexico with me for the surgery and will be with me for 5 days afterward while visiting relatives in SoCal. Then she heads home to Utah and I fly back to Texas where I'll be all by myself. I'm just wondering what I should expect. I currently wieght 500 lbs and figure I'll still be in the upper 400's when I get back. I guess I could just use some encouragement or advise from others who have already walked the path I'm about to. Thanks for taking the time to ready this.

Yeah, the number of vitamins and supplements you need to take after surgery is pretty daunting. Unfortunately, there is no single pill you can take to cover all your needs. Besides, if such a pill existed, it would probably be about the size of a hockey puck.

You can't take certain meds together because they tend to cancel each other out so you need to split them up over the course of the day anyway so an all-in-one solution wouldn't really work. Get used to taking pills, lots of them, all day long. I have one of those ginormous granny-sized pill carriers that holds a week's worth of pills split by day into morning, noon, evening and bedtime slots. Once you get into it, it becomes pretty routine.

I don't envy you having to fly after this. I was lucky that I was relatively pain-free after surgery and felt like I could have gone back to work three days after I was discharged, but I was lucky. Take it extra easy when you're in SoCal but do all the walking you can tolerate and you should peobably be fine for the flight home.

Good luck and remember that folks are here for you!

A good thread on vitamins: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/24472-recommendations-for-vitamins/

My prayers and best wishes for you on your surgery.

I just had a badn removed and a sleeve done. It was done on an emergency basis but i thought it was strange my surgeon said to stop all my vitamins and minerals (that I took for the band) and didn't prescribe any. Maybe it is just until my follow up or until my stomache heals to a certain point. I know with the band I had to take multivitamin, calcium, and vitamin D. They do make chewable ones specifically for bariatric patients and they taste great but it was too tempting for me to eat them like candy so I used pills. Good luck with your surgery. Since mine was done as an emergency and unexpected i think I may have more pain then someone that just got the sleeve. When I got my band I had surgery on Thursday and went back to work on Monday. I was a little sore and bloated but not in pain. I had my sleeve on 1/25/13 and got discharged from the hospital yesterday. I am just now to the point of being sore and not in pain but my pain was from all the other things that took place during my surgery (removing the prolapsed band, fixing a hernia, knicking my spleen, and the sleeve). I was a very sick person when they took me in.

Wow

First of all - best of luck to you. Secondly, my NUT told me exactly what vitamins were needed & how much to take. That is their job, to formulate what your body needs based on the blood work that they have. Please keep us posted!