So Overwhelmed...

I am having surgery in just barely under 2 weeks.  I am trying to figure out what vitamins I need and purchase them.  But, I am SO overwhelmed!!  I don't want to waste money on something I don't like, or getting something that is overpriced.  I don't know if I should buy online or go from store to store looking at everything.  I'm a very educated person, and I know to read labels and compare all the labels and especially how many pills are required to get the appropriate doses.  I just can't seem to make any decisions. 

How do I do this?!?!?!

My doctor's list of recommended supplements:
*bariatric multi-vitamin for life
*b12 sublingual 1000mcg 2x/wk, nasal spray or injection for life
*Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D 1200-1500mg daily - divided doses (no more than 500 mg at a time and not with iron) for life
*vitamin D3 1000IU for life
*b1 100mg daily for first 3 months after surgery
*prilosec otc for first 6 months after surgery

I've also read the ASMBS guidelines that have been linked here and as a menstruating woman I know I also need 18-27mg/d of iron daily.  Though, I noticed that document does not say anything about the vitamin D3 other than with the calcium citrate...

How do I do this?  how do I figure out the best most cost effective not disgusting tasting supplements to get without having to shop at 5 different stores or websites or combination therein?

Am I just making this way harder than I need to?!?!?!!?

You're not making it harder than it needs to be. I think all pre-ops go through this. I know I certainly did. I felt absolutely dizzy trying to keep all the vitamins and supplements straight, the dosages, the schedules...made me nuts!

But I will tell you...go ahead and start now. Don't wait until after surgery. This serves two purposes.

1) It will get you in better habit to continue your vitamin routine post op, and

2) It makes MUCH more sense when you have everything in front of you, can look at bottles, sort them out, and are actually DOING it, rather than just letting it build into a messy heap in your head.

As for not having to shop at 5 different websites/shops, well...you might have to. I do. I buy my protein from Sam's. I buy my multivitamin from Bariatric Advantage. I buy my D3, iron, and B12 from Walgreens. I get my calcium from Vitacost. But you know, I usually order everything on automatic refill, so they bill me and send a new bottle every month, so I don't even have to think about it, and I never run out.

Good luck--you can totally do this! And you're certainly not the first or the last to get utterly overwhelmed. :D

Thank you so much for your reply!!!  I really appreciate the support.

I am also in StL!!!  It's a small world!  :)

I am in St.Louis area too and Dr. Morales is going to be my doctor also. I just got my approval from insurance yesterday and can't wait to get a date! 

Call the office and ask for it!  I called my ins and got my approval verbally, then called hte office immediately after and had a date right then.  FYI - they said at my class on Wed they are scheduling around the 27th or something like that...  So, not very long of a wait!!  Post-op classes are every Wednesday and surgeries are only M-W, if you didn't already know that information.  :)

Good luck!!!

You sound like me. Relax....b-r-e-a-t-h-e.....You are having to take more than I am.

Chewable Multi vitamin
Iron
Vitamin C
B12 sublingual
Calcium Citrate

I already have a prescription for my acid reflux.

I am going to keep on hand....Gas X and Listerine melty things for bad breath (for when I am in ketasis)

I wish you the best.

Kelly helped me feel better about the vitamin issue.

I mean this will be out life long thing, so I had to wrap my head around it! Wishin you the best.

I ordered my vitamins and calcium citrate online. What I found to be extremely helpfull was to read many reviews from people who have already tried the product out. I found that many companies has costomer reviews on them and for the ones that dident, I searched for the product on Amazon, which usually ALWAYS has user reviews and as most people know, Amazon sells like everything. I read reviews for protean skakes, powder, calcium citrate, multivitimens, and many other things. It might be time consuming but it is worth the time. At least it was for me - ended up liking all the products that I ordered. Best of luck to you!

Thanks for replying!  Would you mind sharing what you are using and found to have the best reviews?  That is a great tip about the reviews!  I do that with every other product... I guess I thought something like this is so individualized, I'd have a hard time using reviews.  For example, no matter how good the reviews are on green beans and how many people said they loved them... yuck!  :)

I was overwhelmed also - so much information thrown at you about what to do and not to do, what to take and not to take, etc. I had a real problem with vitamins tasting yucky - I found that the Walmart brand of multivitamins have a picture of the 'actual size' of the pill on them. I take the Equate brand that is comparable to Centrum. They are small and don't taste bad at all - and I gag if I just smell some vitamins)

Good luck!


Also - I take the Citracal for my calcium. Walmart has it also. They have Citracal petites - they are much easier to swallow!

Hi Michelle, For calcium citrate I will be using bariatric advantage calcium citrate chewy bites (250mg x 6/day) which I really like. I have low-carb vanilla slim-fast protean shakes ( I hear taste can change after surgery so I would not go out and buy a ton of shakes). A big factor in my choosing my protean shake was that I wanted it to be 1-easy to find in stores, 2- because I am on food stamps and can purchase them with my stamps. I bought Flintstones chewable multivitamins which I will be switching to an adult chewable multivitamin once the bottle is gone. I ordered jarrow formulas 1lb bottle of whey protein off amazon, which was pretty inexpensive. I liked that it came in a small bottle because I found that you have to buy a supersize container of a lot of the protein powders, so I thought the small bottle was good in case I don’t like it (I have not tried it yet). Hope this was helpful…..Oh and by the way....now you got me wanting to do some on-line shopping!! haha