Vitamins
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 but are missing a number of important things. The ASMBS recommends 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.
54-63 mg iron for menstruating women (18-27 mg PLUS 18 mg twice a day in your multi, if you use a multi with iron). 36 mg a day for people that do not menstruate. 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, 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 bother with the prescription vitamin D, because it’s D2 and in oil so we will absorb very little of it. Everyone needs D3 and post ops need “dry” D3, not in oil.
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.
It is amazing the differences you see across the country. We were told the vitamins should be 200% RDV. Take twice a day. B-12 twice a week sublingual. Same on Calcium Citrate. They do not recommend iron unless you have a deficiency.
My hospital uses Bariatric Advantage products. A little pricey, but it's what they recommend until you get to 3 months out and can swallow whole pills.
This is what the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery recommends, and their guidelines are based on extensive research. They are a national organization.
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.
Ah yes, one would think. But the ASMBS does not require practices they certify as Centers of Excellence to provide patients with their nutritional guidelines, which I think is silly, but they don't. To be a Center of Excellence, a practice must do a certain number of surgeries each year, must have professionally facilitated support groups for patients, must have extra large wheelchairs, gowns, etc, and a few other things. However, they can recommend Flintstones and Tums and still be named a Center of Excellence. I wrote the ASMBS and asked why that was, and I know a couple other people that also wrote them about that issue, but they did not respond.
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.
I too went to a "Center of Excellence" and they too recommended Flintstones and Tums. It wasn't until I was on this site and did more research that I switched. I also downloaded the guidelines.. Always best to be informed. I now take Celebrate chewables, but the artificial sweeteners in them have been giving me an issue, so I think I may switch off. I guess I could switch to the capsules... the main thing is that we take them and take the right stuff:-)
Laurie :-)
