I had an article published for Johns Hopkins!!

by Denise Lucas (post-op patient)

One of the more daunting aspects of weight loss surgery is the prospect of taking vitamins––and a lot of them––for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, the novelty of taking vitamins wears off, sometimes very quickly, and often by the time the patient is a year or more out from surgery.

I found that knowing why I have to take vitamins is a critical component to making certain that I stay compliant. For example, a vitamin B-12 deficiency can leave you with irreversible nerve damage, iron deficiencies can leave you fatigued with shortness of breath; dizziness; headaches; coldness in your hands or feet; pale skin, gums, and nail beds; and chest pain. A calcium deficiency can cause an eventual leaching of calcium from your bones and teeth, which will leave you osteoporotic with teeth that easily crack or fall out.

I decided very early in my process that I was not going to have this surgery to improve my health only to compromise that very health by not taking my vitamins. I purchased a talking pillbox from Timex that has up to six reminders per day. The pillbox actually says, "Take pillbox 1 (or 2, etc.)" and will continue to say it three times until you either take your pills or shut off the timer.

I also purchased a very large weekly pillbox that enables me to load my pills for a week at a time because frankly, who has time to open 5 or 6 vitamin bottles 4 or 5 times per day? Once it is loaded, it is a simple matter of going to the right compartment several times throughout the day and taking them. The timing, types, and doses of the vitamins does take some tweaking, so work with your surgeon or dietitian for information about how best to schedule your doses.

If you find that taking your pills when away from home is difficult, you may want to consider one of two options: either purchase a small daily pillbox that you load each evening with an entire days’ vitamins and place it into your purse or briefcase or purchase a weekly pillbox that has removable boxes for each individual day so you can just grab the day you need and take it with you.

Another thing that has been extremely helpful is having a timer set on my cell phone to remind me when a dose is due. You can also set up text alerts or e-mail alerts. If you have a really difficult time remembering or being compliant, find a buddy who might be willing to call you to remind you until it becomes habit.

The fact of the matter is that taking 5 minutes a week to load your pillbox and less than 5 minutes total per day to take your vitamins can help ensure a lifetime of health following your weight loss surgery. 


                              

Edited to add a picture of my pillbox!