ObesityHelp

I know someone who can answer this question. See my signature.

I'm a Smith DSer too.  I got on Vita Lady's plan once I realized that HIS crap plan was going to kill me.

You need to be able to individually adjust your ADE and K based on your labs.  And no, there isn't enough ADEKs in a multi to work.  And you don't have to take chewable anything unless you want to.

Vita Lady is the way to go...you start on her plan then you individually adjust your program based on your labs.  (NOT the labs he would have you get but the FULL labs that she lists.)

www.gblcreations.com/Resources/Gina/ProgramDRNY_ERNY_BPDDS3- 2010.pdf

docs.google.com/Doc

Be your own self-advocate and take care of yourself.  I get my labs done and send him a copy.  He usually tells me to decrease something or other and I get my lab advice from the lab gurus that are now on the new proboard forum.

~Becky

Thanks for all of the advice! Just checked out Vitalady's list and it is CRAZY. That is a whole lot of pill popping through out the day. I see a lot of people on here using her plan so I'm guessing it works. Is it possible to adjust some of them? For example, I have pernicious anemia so sublingual B-12 doesn't do anything for me. I'll be taking shots for the rest of my life....would I need the pill on top of that? I'm also having issues with absorbing iron...having my first iron infusion tomorrow. Why don't our bariatric doctors tell us that we need all of these extra supplements? I've been told a chewable multi twice a day, a chewable ADEK, 1500g of calcium and thats it. Why such discrepancies? Also, how often do most of you get your labs done? Do you see your bariatric doctor or your PCP? My surgery is in 2 weeks so I just want to make sure I have everything in order prior to.

 So if you have pernicious anemia then you will do your B-12 like you have done before, the same with the iron, if you need the infusions then that is what you need to do.

Most surgeons do not understand what a DS patient need in the long term. They are surgeons, and most nutritionists seem to assume that all rearranged intestines are like the RNY and will give advice accordingly. So here you are then, with a surgeon that had maybe one hour of nutrition and vitamin needs while he/she went to medical school and a NUT that has no idea what a "real" DS patient needs. 

So..... you can go with their advice.................and take a big risk 
or
you can go with Vitalady..... someone that has lived with malabsorbtion for many years, has access to companies to get tablets/capsules made to our/your need, someone that has researched like crazy to get the best in supplements for herself, her husband and us lucky people, because we don't have to do all that research. She did it for us. 

So, I hope all goes well for you, whatever you decide. Just keep in mind it's your health you are messing with.

ADEK's sound so good, but the amount of each component is so small as to be totally inadequate.

This doesn't mean you have to spend your whole day taking pills. I take a batch first thing in the am, separate doses of calcium during the day (3 times in addition to the am dose), and a few more pills at bedtime. That's it. My labs are good, so it works for me.
    But if you take the wrong forms of vitamins and calcium, or not enough, you WILL get into trouble, so get the right stuff from Vitalady, follow your labs, and you'll find a system that works for YOU. Make sure you take the "dry" form of all the fat soluble vitamins, and the citrate form of calcium. Make sure you know what a "dose" of calcium is - most brands have 2 pills as the dose, not one. The exception is Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate lozenges, which are 500 mg each, which is what I use, but you can use calcium citrate pills from CostCo or a drug store and do just fine as long as you take 2 at a time.
    So all this will take some learning and planning on your part, and it's a shame that most surgeons don't provide adequate info, but this is the reality. As long as you accept this reality and deal with it appropriately, you'll be fine.

Larra