Exhausted. Stopped taking vitamins , now I'm scared.
 

Ok, I'm 4 months post op-gastric bypass. the past 1-2 months have been crazy. We moved from PA to MD and now VA. We are military. I have just been so preoccupied that I stopped taking all vitamins and now I'm starting to feel the effects. I'm exhausted. I've slept almost all day on top of getting my normal 8 hour night.
I realize I messed up and I need to start taking vitamins again like yesterday. My concerns are,

How long will it take to make me feel better:normal?
Should I be concerned ?
I'm assuming I'm anemic (sp) ?, should I go see my dr like Monday? Maybe get an iv? Is that dramatic?
We just moved so I haven't had a chance to see a new dr. We moved onto a military base so ill have to go to "medical".

I just feel so sluggish. Zero energy. Like I'm moving in slow motion. Is there something I could take to help me in the moment while the vitamins build back up?

take a deep breath. what vitamins are you taking? my doc told me to take 1 regular multivitamin a day, plus calcium and b complex. i found that i felt better taking TWO multivitamins a day.

and you can do that, too. it shouldn't take long to start perking up - honest! but you're right - you DO have to find a doc. you'll need a checkup in a month or two and with doc schedules, you should be calling someone soon to set up the appointment. and make sure they do blood work. it's always possible that you're starting to become anemic. DON'T PANIC just because i said that.

just take your vits. keep with it. make the doc appt. honest!

I am one month post op-gastric bypass. Right now I take two multi complete vitamins chewable(they have iron and B12) and 3 times a day I take 500 calcium. I don't know how soon before they would help your body to feel more energy. I would start taking your vitamins and calcium again and see a doctor as soon as the military docs have an opening. Like jiffypop said ask that they do blood work to check your levels of iron and b12. Did the military do the surgery or did a civi doc do it? If you are becoming anemic they may do a iron iv. I have a girlfriend who has to have that done every few months along with b12 shots. She doesn't take vitamins or calcium.

I take celebrate vitamins and calcium right now, thats what my wls center offers. See if there is a weight loss surgery center near you. Call and see if they sell any vitamins and calcium there. Since you are 4 months post op maybe their nutritionist or even the receptionist can give you advice on what choices there are.

Well, my advice is to:

1. Schedule an appointment to get labs drawn. They can't determine what you need until you know where you are deficient.

2. Follow the ASMBS schedule for postop vitamins, found here (table 5):
http://asmbs.org/2012/06/asmbs-integ...-loss-patient/

Your exhaustion could be iron, B12, Vitamin D, or other deficiencies. In essence, if you have had RNY, the ASMBS recommends:

2 multivitamins a day (not a children's or gummy formula)
Calcium CITRATE (not carbonate): 1500-2000mg/day
Vitamin D (preferably D3 in the dry form): most postops take 5000-10000 iu a day to maintain levels
B12 (sub-lingual) 500 mg/day
Iron: 18-27mg/day
(Vitamin C helps with iron absorption, so taking 500mg with your iron helps)

Some additional advice:
You can only process 500mg of calcium at a time, so you need at least 3 doses of calcium, spread apart by 2 hour intervals, during the day.

Iron is not absorbed if taken with calcium. Make sure you take your iron at least two hours after taking calcium

If they find you are severely anemic, they can give you iron via IV. I'd be more concerned with a B12 deficiency, as the effects of being low on that can be permanent and can include nerve damage.

3. Should you be concerned? Yes. When you decided on WLS, taking vitamins is not negotiable. Believe me, I understand the desire to not want to take them (esp all the calcium doses), but it is part of the deal you made when you underwent surgery. I hope you find that just 2 months without did not do much damage. Good luck!

I am just wondering if sublingual vitamins work better or faster than tablets.

Just an updat, I started taking my vitamins and started feeling better within a week.
Thanks for all your help :)