I’m in the middle of attempting to shop for vitamins right now and I’m ready to punch a small child.* I’ve tried doing this multiple times and get too frustrated and give up. I’ve got my weight loss surgery binder on my lap right now, so I’m accurately able to list what is required from Swedish Weight Loss Services. This is what is recommended for the RNY. I’m paraphrasing in parts.
- Multivitamin – Bariatric specific multivitamin in liquid/chewable form for the first three months. If you opt to take a bariatric surgery specific multivitamin, choose a general adult multivitamin that contains 100% of daily value for at least 2/3 of nutrients and take double the dose.
- Calcium Citrate – 1500 mg daily
- Vitamin B12 – Sublingual or liquid drops. 1000 mcg daily
- Iron – I’m glad I’m reading this clearly now… I’m not positive exactly how much I need!
- Vitamin D3 – Unsure of this as well. There is recommended amounts, but both are dependent on labs. I was only told my labs looked good
- Prilosec/Protonix/Prevacid/Nexium – I’ve taken Prevacid for years. I have plenty
- B50/B50 Complex – Suggested. Depends on how much is in the multivitamin. Also dependent on labs
- Probiotics – Highly suggested
Okay, so this list doesn’t seem THAT hard, right? WRONG. Finding vegan vitamins on a fixed income is seriously not recommended. It will make you wanna jump off something tall. I am SO FRUSTRATED. I decided tonight to just power through and order stuff. I’ve had a lot of trouble finding a vegan multivitamin that meets the requirements given AND that I can afford. I don’t freaking care anymore, so I got on the Baritatric Advantage page. I started searching for coupon links and stuff and came across Bariatric Advantage® RECOVER®. According to the site, you work with your surgeon to apply for assistance in getting vitamins. It appears they only help 500-1000 people per year, and considering it’s mid-October now, I’m not sure if I’ll have any luck. I’ll call Swedish first thing in the morning and see if it’s an option. At this point, I’d rather something I can afford and just do everything else as plant-based as possible. I can handle three months of vitamins with potentially non-vegan ingredients. I can play the “ignorance is bliss” card for 90 days, right? I HATE THIS.
I need to get the vitamin/supplement situation figured out ASAP. I called Swedish to check in on my status and it sounds like I may have been submitted for insurance already! WHAT?! When I go in for my final pre-op appointment (sounds like it’ll be 2-3 weeks before surgery) I need to have my vitamins and proteins with me for them to check. Craaaaaaap!
(Also, I forget if I said – I was given a new CPAP machine. I went to get the info downloaded off my first one and nothing showed! The settings were changed for the new one and I’m not sure if this one is working correctly either, but I go back to LinCare on Friday to check in on that. So sick of this machine, I’m wearing it right now.)
*Done Being Big does not condone punching small children. Don’t be a moron.
done being big. 