Question about vitamins (I purchased mine!!)

I went and purchased my vitamins, my protein shake powder, a weekly pill box to ensure I take my vitamins at the proper times and boy did it make it seem so much more real that this is going to happen!

One question about the vitamin B12...I went to three larger pharmacy type stores, Shoppers, Walmart and IDA and none of them had them in a dosage above 100 mcg that was chewable, dissolvable or sublingual. In our book it tells us the dose has to be at least 350 mcg, they recommend between 350-500.

Finally at Shoppers they had the sublingual strips but they are 1000mcgs. After much conversation with the pharmacist and looking closely at the pics in the book given to me by the WMC I bought them. The pharmacist said they pull out in strips so I could just pull half  a strip to get the 500 mcg dosage.  I hope he is correct.

I will bring them to my surgeon appt when I go just to be sure.

Wonder if anyone else has used these or has any other suggestions?

 Definately talk to your dietician, but at HRRH they told us to take the 1000mcg strips every other day unless we were notified differently.

Thanks.  I am going to speak with the surgeon.

I went through Ottawa and asked about the 1000 mcg strips and asked if I could just cut them in half and was told that, that was fine!

Kim

I get a B12 shot monthly. I get it from the pharmacist $12/vile and it lasts for # months. That way I don't have to take yet another vitamin, or worry about forgetting it. I go to the walk in clinic and they take me in front of the others as the nurse give it to me not the Dr.

I didn't realize it was so easy! I will definitely do this post-op.

How much you need, will depend on whether your current B12 levels are low, high or normal and you can only know that from a blood test. Before surgery you should have a blood panel, including vitamin D, done so that you know what your starting levels of your vitamins are. Then supplement based on YOUR levels. If you B12 is low, you can take a full strip everyday and then adjust down once they get to the normal range. Do the same with the vitamin D, iron, protein, etc.

Those strips are what they used to recommend in Ottawa and are what I was instructed to buy when I went for my education class back in January of this year. By the time I went for my dietician appointment, I was told that the dosage recommendation had been changed from 1000 mcg/day to 350-500 mcg/day but that I could just take the strip every second day since I'd already stocked up.

I found the strips tough to deal with because they can't go into the daily/weekly pill holder and it was hard to remember if it "was yesterday I took that thing!?!. Also, if they get warm or moist at all, they stick together and the whole pack turns to one big clump. I was travelling with them in June and the heat outside was enough to waste a whole pack.

I too am about to start the monthly B12 shots. I was supposed to get my first on Thursday but my doctor decided to take the day off and rescheduled me. I'll always keep a few extra pill form on hand for instances like this but am looking forward to one less pill to put down my throat.

Good luck and visit the drug store often looking for sales. They put the calcium chews, vitamin C, Multis and B12 on sale on a regular basis. I don't think I've paid full price for any of my supplements except for my iron.

Cheers

I used to take the strips but now I take the Jamieson 1000 mcg sublingual tabs, every second day. 
BTW - hijack - Crackintoes, I was just thinking about you yesterday!  Hope all is well.

Thank you everyone for your replies. They have been most helpful