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So my surgery date is April 20th. I am looking into Vitamins and am not sure what is worth spending money on? I don't want to have to take a bunch of different things and am looking for something that has most of the Vitamins I need in one. Is there anything like that out there that you all know of or am I going to have to just deal with it and take multiple vitamins? Thank you all for any advice you have!!!

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you'll end up taking quite a few unless you go with the patch. In that case, that covers most of the Vitamins you need although many people still end up taking a couple of other supplements because patch either doesn't include them or doesn't have enough of them.

I don't find the supplements as much as a pain as I thought I would. I take some in powdered, sublingual, liquid, or chewable form so I don't feel like I'm taking as many as I am (powders and liquids you can often mix in with food or beverages). I take a small handful of pills in the morning, a couple before dinner, and then Iron and Vitamin C before I go to bed. Then I just have to take a Calcium chew a couple times a day and....voila! (my first Calcium dose is at Breakfast - I use a powdered form (Upcal D) and mix it in with my Greek yogurt)

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Have you gone through your pre-surgery class with your surgeon yet? When I did mine they gave out a book that told what types of Vitamins and supplements that I am required to take. Some, like for gall stones only need to be taken for 3 month, others like Multivitamins, calcium citrate and Iron need to be taken daily (or multiple times daily) for the rest of your life.

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After RNY gastric bypass surgery, you are required to take many Vitamins for the rest of your life. This is because you body no longer synthesizes Vitamins from food. That part of your stomach has been cut away, so this daily requirement is extremely important. Even the formulations in the vitamins are important. For example gummy vitamins are not readily absorbed and therefore this is not an option. You cannot use a time-release version of B12 and sublingual formulation must be methylcobalamin. If you are taking Iron supplements, it must be ferrous sulfate for the best absorption. The Calcium supplements formulation must be calcium citrate for best absorption.

Also after surgery I lost my ability to swallow large or even medium size vitamins. I used a pill crusher or pill splitter to break them up to a size that I could consume. This condition lasted for a couple months and then my body returned to normal.

As @@Redmaxx said, they generally provide you with a half day class where they give you a book that details the Vitamin requirements in great detail.

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My NUat recommended optisource. It's a chewable tablet that you take 4 times per day. It's much easier not having to juggle a bunch of different pills and combinations.

Sent from my SM-G900P using the BariatricPal App

My NUT recommended Optisource. It's a chewable tablet that you take 4 times per day. It's much easier not having to juggle a bunch of different pills and combinations.

Sent from my SM-G900P using the BariatricPal App

Sent from my SM-G900P using the BariatricPal App

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As others have said Vitamins after surgery are a lifelong requirement. It is important to find one that works well for you. Your surgeon might have one they prefer but there are a lot of good options. Calcium, Multivitamin, Iron and B12 are the big ones. Couldn't find the right page on the site with all the Vitamin details but this site is another good resource http://asmbs.org

I use Nascobal because I get the b12 nasal spray and the other Vitamins come with it. All for 25 dollars a month.

They have pills to swallow if you are far enough out from surgery. But also dissolving/chewable ones if not.

For me, it is covered by insurance and shipped straight to me. It isn't for everyone but works great for me! 25 dollars a month and I get everything I need.

It is ideal to give time in between taking the the Iron and the calcium. Usually an hour or more. They compete for absorption. So if you take them at the same time, they can cancel out each other. The iron can also be tough on the system. I take mine with 2 crackers and started with one pill and worked my way up to the three pills once a day.

So you do end up taking pills through the day. But once I figured out a schedule, it became really easy. Now all my blood work is good.

The Nascobal is a prescription and the doctor fills it out and faxes it to the company. The company calls you and tells you how much it will be with your insurance and you get to decide if you want to fill it.

https://www.nascobal...utrition-direct

Also, many surgeons recommend a daily acid reducer too. I use prevacid chewable. It tastes like candy.< /p>

Best of luck with everything and good for you for doing your research.

All the best!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using the BariatricPal App

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Went to local pharmacy medical supplies store and looked around found a couple different chewable ones spoke to the pharmacist asked what's the best for post bariatric he said he has a prescription one that alot of post op people get and your MD can write you an Rx

Sent from my XT1635-02 using the BariatricPal App

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I hope it's ok to ask a question in the replies. Are the Vitamins nauseating after surgery?

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Definitely. My first try was Ecodrink, which is a flavored powder you add to Water. I was only able to do that for 2 days, and then I bought some Centrum Silver chewables. I'm not exactly "silver" yet, but that's the only chewable they had at the grocery store. Those are already starting to nauseate me. I thought about buying the Patches before my surgery but put it off too long. In retrospect, I should probably have done it. My sleeve is pretty touchy, so it would have been nice to have one less nauseating thing in my life!

VSG 1/20/17 HW: 325 SW:294 CW: 290

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After RNY gastric bypass surgery, you are required to take many Vitamins for the rest of your life. This is because you body no longer synthesizes Vitamins from food. That part of your stomach has been cut away, so this daily requirement is extremely important. Even the formulations in the vitamins are important. For example gummy vitamins are not readily absorbed and therefore this is not an option. You cannot use a time-release version of B12 and sublingual formulation must be methylcobalamin. If you are taking Iron supplements, it must be ferrous sulfate for the best absorption. The Calcium supplements formulation must be calcium citrate for best absorption.

Also after surgery I lost my ability to swallow large or even medium size vitamins. I used a pill crusher or pill splitter to break them up to a size that I could consume. This condition lasted for a couple months and then my body returned to normal.

As @@Redmaxx said, they generally provide you with a half day class where they give you a book that details the Vitamin requirements in great detail.

I know I will have to take them everyday from surgery on out, I was just hoping to combine some. I already take Iron daily so that is one out of the way. I meet with my surgeon a month before surgery and we will go over that. The nut visit didn't really give me much as far as vitamins. Just told me that I need to take a multi and calcium. I am definitely hoping the surgeon will go over it and if not I will be sure to ask him before my appt is over! Thank you for all the advice!

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Went to local pharmacy medical supplies store and looked around found a couple different chewable ones spoke to the pharmacist asked what's the best for post bariatric he said he has a prescription one that alot of post op people get and your MD can write you an Rx

Sent from my XT1635-02 using the BariatricPal App

I have been looking online and trying to see what is best for the money. I am noticing not all of them are made the same! I want to make sure there is enough of everything I need in my Multivitamin. I guess I just want to make sure what I am taking is going to be the best for me.

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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