What's the best way to take your vitamins?

I meant I'd take 2 halves. Someone below suggested cutting the tablets in half.
I will have to speak to my doctor about a bone scan. Either way, I will really bump up my calcium.

I would also add, if you tend to take your pills whole, cut them in half.  This increases the absorption time.  My calcium level went from 8.6 to 9.0 in two months after I started cutting the pills. 
I take the heme iron, Proferrin, 3 times a day.  At $64 a month, I need to absorb every bit of it I can!

Your calcium level going up does not necessarily mean you are absorbing more calcium.  In fact, sometimes it means the opposite.

See, if the calcium level in our blood drops too low, our muscles cannot contract.  The heart is a muscle and if it cannot contract, as in beat, we drop dead.  So if we don't take in enough calcium or don't absorb the calcium we take in for some reason (like if our vitamin D level is too low), our bodies produce extra parathyroid hormone, which sucks calcium out of our bones to keep that level in our blood good.  As long as you have bones and teeth to suck calcium out of, that calcium level in your blood will likely be OK. 

If it drops low, it may mean you have problems with your endocrine system or other potentially serious health problems, but it doesn't mean you aren't getting enough calcium.

For lab results that tell you about calcium, what you want to know is your D level and PTH.  If the D is below 80, that means you won't absorb calcium well, no matter how much you take. Doesn't mean you won't absorb any, you will.  But maybe not enough and you will be at increased risk for osteoporosis as well as other unpleasant things.

If the PTH is on the high side (even in the normal range, just on the high side), it suggests you are indeed leaching calcium out of your bones.  A high calcium level (or even in the normal range but on the high side) can also indicate you're leaching calcium out of your bones.

Kelly, you are a treasure trove of information.
I appreciate all the info. Its been a long time since I've been mindful of my vitamins and supplements.

Is there a website that lays out what levels of calcium, iron and other levels we should aim for? I really think my primary doctor is uneducated. I told him a year ago I would need a B shot and he didn't seem concerned. I recall my surgeon telling me to get a shot once a month for...forever. I went the sublingual route initially, but now I'm thinking I'd rather get a shot. I think the shot is easier, plus, you know it's going right into your system.

Does anyone know about what the shot costs, and does insurance usually pay for such things?

Insurance should cover the shot.  I'm not sure how much it would cost if you had to pay full price.  My insurance covers my B12, I just have a $2.50 copay.  It will not cover the needles, though, so I pay for those myself.  But I get them for about 25 cents each.

Here's the link to the ASMBS guidelines  nutrition.otago.ac.nz/__data/assets/file/0005/4784/Bariatric NutritionReading.pdf