So confused about vitamins!!

My surgery is scheduled for July 11th. I have bought vitamins but I have no clue if its the right ones or what. I've asked my nut several time but I feel like it goes in one ear and out the other. I pretty much know that I need a multi witg iron, calcium citrate with d3 and I have those already but I don't know how many to take and how many times a day and what else I need to add to them. I also will have b-12 shots so I won't have to worry about that but I'm just flustered with all of this vitamin confusion!!

http://www.gastricbypasscoaching.com/roux-en-y-gastric-bypass-rny-vitamins/

This is from a blog by poet kelly - very helpful

Here's the short and easy vitamin info.  If you wanna know why you need some of these things, or why other things aren't OK instead, ask me.

You need two adult multivitamins, like Centrum.  They can be chewable or not.  Lots of people like chewables in the beginning.

You need 1500 to 2000 mg calcium citrate a day.  It has to be citrate, not carbonate or phosphate.  You need to take 500 mg three or four times a day.

You need iron.  You can have iron in your multi or not.  If you have periods, you need  total of 54 to 63 mg iron, and you won't get that much just in your multivitamins, so you'll need to take some extra iron anyway.

Here's the easiest vitamin schedule:

Breakfast - multi, 500 mg calcium citrate

Lunch- 500 mg calcium citrate

Dinner- multi, 500 mg calcium citrate

Bedtime- iron (take it with vitamin C if you want to absorb it even better)

Do your B12 shot whatever time of day you like.

Kelly, I had saved a copy of that schedule that you posted on someone else's post but I was just thinking how my nut told me that the iron in the multi was enough which would cause me to have to seperate the multi and the calcium. But now thinking about it I think I'd rather just take extra iron so that I can take the multi and the calcium together.

If you don't have periods, the iron in the multi might be enough.

Then you'd need to do something like:

Breakfast- multi

Lunch-500 mg calcium citrate

Snack- 500 mg calcium citrate

Dinner- 500 mg calcium citrate

Bedtime- multi

And if you need extra iron, you could take it at bedtime with your multi.

For me, it's easier to take the multi and calcium together.  It means I have to take pills four times a day instead of five, which is easier for me.

Hmm. Well, I like the idea of taking them together too. I'm only 24 so I still would have a period but I'm on depo shot so it prevents me having a period so would that mean that I should take extra iron or is it only if your post menopausal ? Also I've seen people talking about birth control after surgery and hormones and stuff, am I going to be safe after surgery taking the depo shot?

If you don't menstruate, the ASMBS recommends a total of 36 mg iron a day.  Unless your labs show you need more, of course.

You should be OK taking the depo shot post of, but talk with your surgeon and the doctor that prescribes the depo to make sure.  Keep in mind that your PCP or Gyn probably doesn't know much about RNY, so that's why I say to talk to your surgeon about it, too.  Then you can pass on any info from the surgeon to your other doctor.

Ok. This makes things much more clear and seems a lot simpler than I was thinking! Thanks sooo much!

I love the Depo shot! I use it as a psych med. I've discussed it with my pcp, who does have experience with rny. As far as my situation goes, I might not get the emotional impact post-op, but I don't know about using it for birth control.

I don't have periods anymore yet I needed iron infusions 3 years post op gastric bypass. Then needed another series the next year. I am not sure if I need that this year also. Only time will tell.