Vitamin help...

So surgery is next Thursday!  I've been trying to start buying my vitamins but am having a hard time with some of them.

Right after surgery, you can't have a pill but I am seriously having a hard time finding a chewable multivitamins, and calcium citrate.  I thought I found calcium citrate on sale, bought it, brought it home and it only has 250mg per pill...so I'd have to take like 5 in a day to get my fill?  Can I crush them into foods or will that be nasty?

I have the handout with the brands listed but the only ones that are chewable apparently are the ones you get at the hospital pharmacy which I've heard they aren't selling anymore until they get something with the labels changed.

Anyways, any help or advice would be really appreciated!

Thanks,

Jenn

I also use calcium Wellesse (use 3X day in-between meals) and I also use Centrum 50+ (needs to be 50+ for the iron that it has - used breakfast and dinner time)  and both are carried by Walmart.

The dietician did visit me in the hospital prior to D/C and did review the timing

Good luck !

Hi there, jus wanted to make sure you know not to take Iron and calcium to close together, as Iron will cancel out the calcium and the calcium won't be absorbed.  Like in the multi vit. the amount of calcium doesn't matter because you won't absorb it anyway as the multi has iron.  Take the iron and calcium a few hours apart.  This is what the nurse told me at the bariatric clinic, so I take the multi and iron pill (I have a separate Iron pill as I have always had a problem with iron) in the morning and calcium (same one as you) late afternoon and before bed. 

Just wanted to make sure you know about the calcium and iron thing as I was surprised when I found out! And for the poster who will soon be starting vit's too!  lol

Melissa!

Also don't take the calcium with meals as it binds to the phosphates.  Calcium should be taken in between meals.

Learn something new everyday!  Good to know!  Thanks!

Melissa!

The nut at HRRH does no like Vita-vim - it does not have enough in it.  But at walmart they have the chewable Centrum select 50+ and the equate brand.  I love the Wellesse calcium $17 for 2 liters at Costco

I got Centruim chewables at Shoppers drug mart.

Centrum chewable at most pharmacies, I bought a liquid blueberry flavour calcium citrate from Jamieson.  I would recommend you buy small quantities of the chewables and liquids in case you get tired of them.  The blueberry flavour was Ok but after a month I really hated the taste, same with chewable centrums, wanted to go to pill form as quickly as possible.  I still split them into four, both the multi and calcium are a little big, making good use of the pill splitter I bought first week home!  

Shoppers has a lot of chewables.  I got Vita Vim multi chewable, you can also get those caramel type calcium chews, there are vitamin C chewables.

You have to find the right TYPE of supplement, but not necessarily the BRAND they recommend.  I found they recommended stuff that was 2-6x pricier than other stuff I could get.