My DS experience...with complications

[Munchkin]

Happy you are moving in the right direction!

 

[joben]

I do have a couple of vitamin-related questions. Maybe not the best place for it but trying to not clog up the page with tons of new threads!

I am mostly following the Vitalady DS plan as my "guide" but there are some that just seem pretty high to me - like 100,000 IU Vit A daily, for example. Of course I am no expert and certainly not a doctor, but I guess I'm wondering if it would be better to start at a more "intermediate" range (say, 50k IU, for instance) or just dive right in at the full dosage and dial it back later if need be? My next set of labs aren't set until July, if I remember correctly...

Otherwise, I think I have found good options for all the recommended vitamins... The only one I am having trouble with is magnesium citrate in the recommended dosage - I think it says 2x 140mg, so of course 280mg total. I did find a good deal on 400mg mag citrate, so thought perhaps taking that every other day would be okay, but wasn't sure. I also know that (liquid) magnesium citrate is a laxative...I don't know if the 'dry' form is, but I wouldn't want to take a higher dosage and have it just tear me up...
I'm a little curious about the "No-B6" B-complex 50, too. How important is the no-B6 bit? Do people run into problems with B-complexes that include B6?

Oh, and one more thing: I'm curious about when to time some of these vitamins with some of my other prescription meds. At the moment I am only on two others - Ursodiol (2x daily) and omeprazole (1x daily). I'm told to take omeprazole first thing in the morning (before eating anything), but I also thought that I remember hearing that it would interfere with iron absorption? I don't know of any conflicts with Ursodiol but figured I should check anyways.

Thanks, all!

 

[DianaCox]

I would think you can take the ursodiol anytime, since it is slowing down the absorption of cholesterol in your common channel. I assume you didn’t get a cholecystectomy with your DS?

That sounds like WAY too much Vitamin A, unless you are very deficient. I take two 25K IU capsules of dry A per WEEK to maintain a mid-range level of A - when I was at the high end of the range for A and D, my liver function numbers went quite high. So I cut back.

I use this for MagCit - 200 mg with both doses of CalCit (630 mg). Seems to work for me, although they are horse pills.
NOW Supplements Magnesium Citrate 200 mg, 250 Tablets https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000BV1...t_i_PXT2H7SC2CB8709EJWAF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Reminder: don’t take MagCit (or anything) in gel caps containing an oil.

Proton pump inhibitors taken away from food. I take mine when I first wake up, and at least 30 min before dinner (I have reflux if I don’t).

I take no exogenous B6, although there’s probably a smidge in my prenatal. Our designer gut bacteria generally synthesize it in sufficient quantity. I tried taking Costco CalCit years ago, because it was cheaper and had all kinds of extra stuff in it, including B6 - and my B6 went sky high. Many others had the same experience

 

[joben]

That's all really helpful, thank you! I do suspect I have some "catching up" to do, given that it took me a long time to get up to adequate levels with food and all the complications and I question just how effective the "high ADEK" chewables really are...Perhaps I will start on just one 25k IU daily, but yeah, 100k a day seems like a ton to me, too. Those magnesium pills look like they will do the trick, too. Thanks again!!

 

[southernlady]

With anything on the Vitalady list, you follow your own lab work post op. I was 4 months out before I got on the full list but by then, I had a 3 month post op lab in hand so I followed it. I started with one A a day. By the end of that year, I had dropped it completely and was 6 years out before needing it again. At 11 years out, I take one 25,000 a week to maintain my current midrange level.

Yes, it’s a heavy start but it assumes most of us, like most people in general, are woefully deficient in most vitamins. Just because we were morbidly obese, did not mean we absorbed the vitamins we needed.

 

[Justme222]

I'm so glad you are doing better. I am just over 1 year out. I was lucky I did not have complications like you did, but even in ideal circumstances it is not a picnic.

I remember the first few months when I couldn't hardly eat anything. We would go out and I would eat 4 or 5 bites and be stuffed.

Now I eat a decent amount, but I don't overeat and "clean my plate" like I used to before surgery. Getting used to leaving food on my plate has been the hardest part for me. I feel guilty about wasting food, but I think that was just drilled into my head as a child.

I'm not sure if you are having any stomach or bloating issues that are bad, but I found out about the magic of probiotics at about month 3 and it changed everything for me. I take 1 Align first thing every morning and I cannot say enough about how much of a difference this made for me with that overfull and bloated feeling. If I forget to take it I remember about half way through the day because my body tells me.

The weight loss has also messed with my head when it comes to sizes. I went from a woman's 24 to a size 6-8 and medium tops.
When I do laundry my clothes don't look like my clothes. I hold them up as I fold them and say to myself who's clothes are these? This won't fit me. Lol

I have hit all my goals. Crossing my legs, tying my shoes without it being a chore, wearing boots, owning sweaters, going up and down stairs alternating feet instead of dragging a leg by stepping each step with the same foot where it looks like your dragging a bad leg behind you, riding Rollercoasters again. The only goal I have not met is I want to go sky diving and now I am under the weight to be able to jump tandem.

Like I said I just hit 1 year and don't regret this decision at all. Now my next hurdle will be some level of skin surgery, but I think I am going to wait on that for a bit. Just very happy where I'm at. I think you will be too. Don't get too discouraged about the vitamins. I'm still trying to figure mine out. In fact I'm going to post on a separate thread about that next.

Keep at it one day at a time!!! We are all here to help even us newbies like me.

 

[JackieOnLine]

The weight loss has also messed with my head when it comes to sizes.

this sort of thing is just a matter of time. your brain will catch up with the reality of your body, but it takes time.

I'm so glad you are doing so well!

 

[hilary1617]

I have hit all my goals. Crossing my legs, tying my shoes without it being a chore, wearing boots, owning sweaters, going up and down stairs alternating feet instead of dragging a leg by stepping each step with the same foot where it looks like your dragging a bad leg behind you, riding Rollercoasters again. The only goal I have not met is I want to go sky diving and now I am under the weight to be able to jump tandem.

Great goals and well done! That said, the indoor variety of simulated skydiving is about as close as you will ever find this cautious lady to jumping out of a plane that isn't on fire - you must have nerves of steel to have such ambitions!

 

[southernlady]

Proton pump inhibitors taken away from food. I take mine when I first wake up, and at least 30 min before dinner (I have reflux if I don’t).

I’ve use to wait til I was up for the day, now I take it probably around 3or4 when I wake to pee. That way, no waiting in the morning.

 

[JackieOnLine]

I’ve use to wait til I was up for the day, now I take it probably around 3or4 when I wake to pee. That way, no waiting in the morning.

wait a minute...I never time mine. did I miss this entirely or just forget?

I need a new brain.