Bought the wrong Calcium

 Dang, I went and got some vitamins this evening and bought the Carbonate. Wonder if I can return it. I was just seeing the Caltrate Plus with D and "chewable"...and grabbed it not thinking it was the wrong kind. Has anyone taken these instead? I heard we don't absorb them. 

 Eh, i think all of my calcium supplements were carbonate until I stopped taking them all together. I think the other kind is absorbed better but not its not like the carbonate is useless. Id just take them and switch next time you buy calcium. 

 Thanks. I think I will do that. I am a few weeks out from surgery yet but wanted to get them ahead of time. Why did you stop taking them all together? Are your labs pretty good?

 Yeah all of my labs post op have been great - I had to take some extra D to get it up but now everything is good. I eat enough to get all my nutrients from food, but i still take my D, B1 and B12 and multi. I just puked one too many times after trying to swallow those nasty calcium pills sooo I just stopped. 

 I was told that the Carbonate is not only an absorption problem -- the biggest problem is that it can cause kidney stones during rapid weight loss.  Beats me, but that's what they told me!!

I heard that the D vitamin helps absorbtion in the calcium suppliments. I didnt hear about kidney issues, but that could be possible. I know lots off ppl have gall bladder issues so we got to be on the gall bladder meds for a long time. :)

Carbonate is cheap, and not effective. The ASMBS warns against. Your labs won't reflect bone health, once calcium gets so low on blood work, your bone health will already be compromised. A bone density scan is the only true measure of bone health. Bloodwork is useless in this matter.

You'll absorb some of it, but it's cheap, and you'd have to take 2-3 times the amounts to get any decent amount of calcium into your system.

Even though I'm over 3 years out, and eat hoards of dairy, I have a uterus, osteoporosis/osteopenia runs in my family. Therefore, I'm NOT risking it by just not taking it. I only take 500mg of citrate daily now that I'm further out and can eat my dairy, BUT I'm still on a PPI which keeps me from absorbing all the calcium I eat.

Better to be safe than sorry, follow the proper guidelines for bariatric patients. It's all nice in theory to not worry about it now. But, I don't want a broken hip or a hunch back by the time I'm 50 just because my labs look "stellar". And, my labs have remained stellar for over 3 years and through 2 post-VSG pregnancies.

 If you can't return it then just give it to someone. :)