How Important Are Vitamins and Why??

Someone posed a question - why do you need to take vitamins and just how important is it? I wasn't certain on how to reply, so I hope someone can answer this... Gawd, where is KP when you need him the most???

We need vitamins because we do not consume enough to get them naturally from our foods....They are very important...your body will do funny things if you do not have them......

As a bypass patient, we don't absorb all of the vitamins we eat, so we need to take supplements. It is truly a matter of life and death for us to be taking vitamin supplements. We may feel fine, at first, but eventually our health will decline and by the time it shows up in our labs, it's very difficult to correct the problems, if they can be corrected. Seriously, you can even end up with neurological disorders from not getting the essential vitamins each day. I say it's worth it to choke down a few pills a day to remain healthy, that's why we have this surgery right? To be healthy and look better? Good luck m'dear!

The portion of the gut that absorbs the vitamins and minerals from the food we eat has been bypassed, creating malabsorption. We need to take our supplements in CHEWABLE form because they are more bio-available right from the stomach, rather than having to be broken down and distributed via the gut. Swallowing whole vitamins after RNY is a waste.(according to my NUT) I have been chewing Flintstone's Complete three times a day and one 500mg sublingual B-12 daily since day one and all of my labs, twice now, have been within normal ranges.

I think the reason why I got asked this question is that they knew I didn't take vitamins BEFORE my surgery - if I didn't need them then, why do I need them now? I know I will be asked the question, "what do you mean, malnourished? You look fine to me!" So while I can tell them I don't absorb them like I used to, what would be the problems that can come up from that, so I can explain it better? Weight loss/gain? Sluggish? your guts out? Wanting to a lot and just wanting to ? to the 24/7??

It all boils down to absorption and our lack there of. It's the fat soluble vitamins that you really need to be careful to get in and also your calcium. I am the prime example of what will happen to a patient that does not heed doctors orders and take vitamins and so is my mother for that matter. For the first 3+ years out-patient, I did not take any vitamins. I was tired all the time, I use to black out, I had extremely low blood pressure and low and behold I developed a nice case of Osteoporosis at age 26 (I'm now 29). While I can now do things to slow down my osteoporosis, I cannot reverse it. My mom, from her lovely vitamin deficiency, developed Rickets. Typically that's a child's disease from lack of vitamin D. So I started taking my vitamins regularly and noticed a massive difference in my energy and my blood pressure even went up (still low, but good low). When I skip a day or two I can tell and I start to get dizzy, etc. Just take the vitamins, don't question why you need them, just take them. You wouldn't question your doctor if you had a heart condition and he put you on heart medication. It's the same premise here. A few pills a day is a small price to pay for good health.