YET another vitamin question

lilbear412
on 9/8/11 2:43 am - MN
 OK so I am learning from you gents and gems that vitamins are an essential part of my life probably starting at my 1 month appointment.  Now can anyone tell me HOW MUCH of each vitamin i should be getting a day or where i can find information like that?  and also has anyone found a vitamin that works great and is somewhat cheap?  Like everyone else i don't want to sink my vacation fund (if i only had one of these..ha)  into expensive vitamins but on the other hand they are going to be a part of my life so mid range would be nice.  thanks

Laurie says:  Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind  ~~~ dr. suess

                
poet_kelly
on 9/8/11 2:53 am - OH

Here's what the ASMBS says you should start with:

A multi with 100% of the RDA of most nutrients.  Take two a day.  Stay away from kids' vitamins and gummy vitamins, because those will not have what you need.  Even though Flintstones says “complete" on the bottle, they really are not complete.  They recommend a multi with iron.  If you take a multi with no iron, you’ll need additional iron at a separate time.  They say to start your multi as soon as you get home from the hospital.

1500-2000 mg calcium citrate.  Make sure it's citrate, not carbonate.  That means no Caltrate and no Viactiv.  They say you can wait up to one month to start your calcium – not that you should wait, just that you can.

18-27 mg iron for menstruating women, unless your labs show you need more.  (If you’re using a multi with no iron, that would mean you’d need 54-63 50 mg iron.)  We absorb carbonyl iron better than ferrous sulfate.  Ferrous sulfate will also make you constipated.  They say to start your iron as soon as you get home from the hospital.

B12.  You can use a sublingual, 350-500 mcg per day, a patch once a week, nasal spray once a week, or shots once a month.  Unless your labs show you need more.  They say you can wait up to three months to start your B12 – not that you should wait, just that you can.

They say a B complex is optional.

Many people also need D3 so you should get your vitamin D level to find out if you do.  Don’t take the prescription vitamin D, because it’s D2 and in oil so we will absorb very little of it.

Here is where you can find this info: www.asbs.org/Newsite07/resources/bgs_final.pdf

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR.  If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor.  Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me.  If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her.    Check out my blog.

 

Dan OBrien
on 9/8/11 3:14 am, edited 9/8/11 3:19 am - FL
Kelly -
You are very up on your vitamins - my nut told me calcium citrate or carbonate - will the carbonate not work for us or is it something different?  She specifically suggested the Caltrate chewables, but from the info I've gotten from her, I trust her less and less.  Thanks for all the valuable info you always provide.

Also - just looked up Citrical - any feelings on the gummies?  They say the calcium comes from tricalcium phosphate.
Due to current economic conditions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.                                                                         HW: 396 GW:230
           
poet_kelly
on 9/8/11 3:23 am - OH
Carbonate will not work well for us at all.  For "normal" people, it's about as good as citrate.  But you need lots of stomach acid to break it down so you can absorb it and we don't have much stomach acid after RNY.  I found on stat that said we could expect to absorb about 4% of calcium from supplements containing carbonate.  So unless you take a whoe bottle of Caltrate a day, that won't work.  Your nut is wrong.  Apparently she has not read the ASMBS guidelines, and in her job, she should absolutely be familiar with those.

Tricalcium phosphate is actually worse for us than carbonate.

In addition to calcium citrate, we will absorb calcium gluconate and calcium lactate just fine, but you rarely see those two in supplements.

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR.  If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor.  Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me.  If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her.    Check out my blog.

 

azreggie
on 9/8/11 4:59 am - Tucson, AZ
This was when I lost all confidence in my NUT too. She said that Viactiv was fine.

Reggie

Paula F.
on 9/8/11 2:54 am - Rochester Hills , MI
Congratulations on your surgery!  We are about 1 week apart 

Didn't the nutritionist with your program go over with you what your requirements would be for vitamins?  It's a shame if she didn't.  I was put on all of my supplements while I was still in the hospital.  I had also been supplementing prior to sugery.

While I can only tell you about the UofM program, I am required to take 1 sublingual B-12 (mine are from Trader Joes's)  Twice a day I need to take a multivitamin/chewable.  Some people use Flintstones chewables or Centrum Silver Chewable.   Mine are from Bariatric Advantage.  And 3 times a day I have to take a 500mg chewable calcium which are also from Bariatric advantage.  Those are required for everyone in the program.

In addition to those, I also supplement with Vitamin D from Carlson's and chewable Iron from Bariatric Advantage in the strawberry flavor.  I am told that liquid iron takes horrible and it stained my sisters teeth over time.

My sister gifted my my beginning vitamins, so I can't tell you cost, but I am sure you can find the price on the Bariatric Advantage website.  We aren't required to take Bariatric specific vitamins.  They just have to be liquid or chewable.  If I recall off of the top of my head, in the next few months we can switch back to reg. vits.  For now, I think I am going to stick to the chewables even after that.  We'll see when that time comes.

Best of luck with your success!
lilbear412
on 9/8/11 4:52 am - MN
 Hi Paula and thanks.  So what kind and flavor of the bariatric vitamins do you take exactly?  i was looking at the same website.  And congrats on your RNY also.  

I have not seen my NUT for quite some time but will in a few weeks.  My BSrn told me not to take the vitamins yet but my little books shows maybe at my next appt. in 11 days.  I have not taken ANY vitamins at all.  

So i know a multivitamin...a calcium citrate and Vitamin D which Kelly mentioned.  My levels for vitamin D are low so i will for sure need to take them.  Thanks kelly for the information.  Oh and of course iron cause i was blessed to be a girl.  lol  

Laurie says:  Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind  ~~~ dr. suess

                
poet_kelly
on 9/8/11 6:02 am - OH
Don't forget B12.

If you're going to do any chewable vitamins, I suggest getting a sample first if you possibly can.  Kind of like with protein shakes, the one I think is really yummy might make you gag.  You don't wanna spend a lot of money on a big bottle you can't make yourself finish.

If you want to try something from a company that doesn't send samples, you might be able to ask at your support group (if you go to a support group) if anyone there uses whatever brand and if so if they would be willing to give you one tablet to try.  If you wanna try Upcal D for calcium, which I like a lot, I'd be willing to send you one packet.

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR.  If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor.  Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me.  If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her.    Check out my blog.

 

Dave Chambers
on 9/8/11 5:48 am - Mira Loma, CA
A dry D3 is the optimimum D for post ops.  OTC D is usually D2 and script D softgels are D2 also.  I went through this whole issue the first several months after my surgery.  I finally went on the 50K IU dry D3 from Vitalady.  At my last labs in OCT, 2010, my D was at a 65, and I'd been using 4 of the 50k IU dry D3 per week.  I now have increased it to one daily and will adjust again, depending on labs next month.  Don't buy the cheapest brand around.  There is dry D3 in a softgel, that costs less. But this is NOT the type you want--the oil in the softgel will not allow proper absorption of the D3.  Normally you can only find 5k iu dry D3 at local stores, and it's labelled as "high potency". But as a post op, you'll likely need a bare minimum of 10K per day.  It's likely cheaper to pay for the 50K IU, and begin taking at 3 or 4 per week and adjust later based on lab results.  Most post ops find that daily life post op is likely more expensive than before surgery. Mandatory supplements, protein shakes, high protein food (better quality foods, but smaller portions), and some optional supplements that you may need. I take 4 of the vitamin K tabs daily to help minimize bruising. Without this extra K, my arms had bruises the size of 50 cent pieces, with no memory of any trauma to my arms.  You may likely need Miralax or other stool softener daily too to prevent constipation.  I prefer the calcium citrate from Vitalady.com as it's in a capsule form, that is far easier to swallow than standard calcium citrate pills.  Good luck. DAVE

Dave Chambers, 6'3" tall, 365 before RNY, 185 low, 200 currently. My profile page: product reviews, tips for your journey, hi protein snacks, hi potency delicious green tea, and personal web site.
                          Dave150OHcard_small_small.jpg 235x140card image by ragdolldude

steve D.
on 9/8/11 7:18 am - West Fargo, ND
and for Christsake, don't take Flintstones.

Steve
            
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