what is the least awful way of administering crushed meds?  It's not like I can gulp fluids to take the awful taste away.  This is the one aspect I am dreading.  How long will it be before I can swallow pills normally?

I don't know how long it will be for you.  The ASMBS says it's OK to swallow pills as soon as we can tolerate doing so, which can vary from person to person.  Some surgeons recommend waiting a certain length of time, too.  I was able to swallow pills normally about 12 hours after my surgery.  I'm not sure there is a way to administer crushed pills that doesn't taste awful.

Oh, I'm surprised by that.  -and encouraged.  I don't think I will have to take these pills long term anyway as they are obesity related.  (blood pressure and cholesterol)  They aren't too huge either.  I take mine before bed, so maybe I could try swallowing them to see how I get on.  They'd have all night to disolve. 

I had a pill stick once on the way down and I gagged for ages even after it was long gone.  I'll ask the doc on monday what he thinks about trying to take them whole.

I wonder what happens if you can't tolerate it?  I assume people have mixed results

If it's a pill you really need to take and you can't swallow it, then you'll have to cru**** or cut it into little pieces or do whatever you have to do to get it in.  You probably won't need the BP and cholesterol meds for long after surgery, but don't quit taking them until your doc says it's OK.

And do ask him when he thinks it is OK to start swallowing whole pills and why, because different docs have different opinions on that.  I think it's one of those things where we need to get the information and then decide what's best for us because it just doesn't seem like there is one "right answer" to that question that works for everyone.  But I do think when we are gathering information about something so we can make the best decision for ourselves, we should at least get our doctor's input on it.  If my doctor tells me something that doesn't make sense to me or tells me something different than I've heard or read elsewhere, I just ask why she says whatever she's saying.

I guess like everything else it depends on your surgeon, I never had to crush meds but had to cut them to the size of tic tacs in the beginning and could then take regular swallow pills at 6 weeks post op.

I crushed my tablets and put them in an ounce of warm broth. It kinda melted it. Sipped it quickly and chased it with another ounce of warm broth to get all the leftover crumblies washed away. It wasn't so bad. I tried applesauce and other things to mix in and it was aweful to take several bites...yuck! I much prefer the quick way. BUT make sure the broth is warm. I once put my pill in an ounce of cold Snapple. It took 4 or 5 ounces to wash all the crumblies out and get my pill down. My kids were laughing at me because I was SOOO STUFFED I had to wait for room to drink more.

warm broth sounds like a good idea.  If I can't tolerate them whole, I'll give that a go.

I could tolerate my pills whole from day one, but crushed them for about two weeks just to avoid any chance of it getting stuck.

 I only have one that i need to take.  Lexapro.  It is small anyways but there is a score mark on it so i am cutting it in half.  I am not sure i really need to do that at this time but my BSRN told me to for now so i am.  Its smaller than my nail on my pinky. I just take each half with water.. Also, i have allergies and used to take those huge allegra.  I know i couldn't get those down for anything so i found claritin has a meltable tablet.  And for aceteminophen i also found a meltable tablet.  

I cut mine in half and sometimes in half again, then stuck them in a spoonful of yogurt and down the hatch, never had a problem, still can't do large pills, but I couldn't before surgery either, bad gag reflex and they always get stuck.