Help needed for male RNY friend

I need your help, please.

I have a male friend is in the middle stages of RNY pre-op prep before he can get his date.

As soon as he gets his date, I want to give him a care package that has several protein samples and all the supplements he will need when he comes from home from hospital.

My question is: Do the men have the same vitamin/supplement requirements that women do with regards to calcium and iron? Do most men have to take iron? For non-ops, we generally think of these as women's supplements and I didn't know if it is the same for post-ops. Do they have additional requirements that women don't have?

Thanks for any input

Pam

My surgeon's vitamin paperwork only indicated iron for women.

I asked one of the two male friends I have who had RNY, and takes the same basic supplements that I do (2000mg of calcium) with some adjustments for his own labs, of course, EXCEPT for a daily iron supplement.  He is about 3 years out and said his iron levels are "low normal", but have been slowly, but steadily, dropping.  

Lora

The ASMBS says men need the same vitamins as women, but they only need 36 mg iron a day, the same amount women that don't menstruate need.  Menstruating women need 54 to 63 mg iron.

Because I was no longer menstruating, I was told not to take iron.  Now at six years out iron has gone down a bit and I starting capsules a few months ago.  I had not been eating meat, which may be a factor.  Most likely your friend will not be taking iron after his RNY.  It is possible that he will get all he needs from food, especially if he eats red meats.

You might want to have him ask these questions on the Men's Forum on this site:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/men/

There's a lot of good info and advice there, with no worries about the wimmenfolk getting into the conversation.

I had my procedure through Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in NC and am required to take iron daily as well as B12 (1000/day sublingual), Calcium (500/3x day), and 2 multivitamins.  I also take a B Complex with  100mg B1 daily.  I started with 18mg iron a day and at my 3 month labs it was low so I take 2 a day now.

Our surgeon asks that all men take iron for at least 2 years, but my husband takes half of what I take as a menstruating woman. After 2 years he will have labs done every 6 months and as long as the appropriate levels are within the normal range and not dropping from where they were, then he will likely go off iron.