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It depends upon the surgery. For RNY gastric bypass patients and Duodenal Switch patients taking vitamin supplements is an absolute must.

Some people absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients more optimally than others. Simply put, I need my supplements because I don't absorb them well from food. Due to hypothyroidism, I'm prone to multiple deficiencies (zinc, vitamins A, B12 and D, iron, etc). I've been deficient in thiamine (vitamin B1) 1 year post-op and required an injection, so I supplement with a vitamin B complex in addition to whatever else I take. I also had deficiencies in vitamins A and D prior to weight loss surgery, so I take those. I'm black. Vitamin D deficiency runs rampant in the black community. Our people need triple the sun exposure time to produce enough vitamin D naturally due to darker skin pigmentation, so I'll supplement with it for life. Blacks also have magnesium deficiency more often than those from other racial/ethnic backgrounds. The moral of the story is that some of us need supplements to avoid nutritional deficiencies.

I just got mine scheduled for November 8th! Thanks! Kyla Jo

I just wanted to say Hi to everyone. I am currently waiting for my surgery date impatiently!

I love that show, but I rather watch it recorded.. is to much drama about how the father died.. I guess they will keep us like that till the last season of that show...

Get the levels tested. Go for every 6 months, and then see what it is like after 3 years out. Until this year, I always had Vit A, E, some of the B's tested. I have known issues, those are the ones I keep on top of, but ones that have stayed consistently well within the normal range I don't have checked. I have several other GI issues that require the bloodwork and sometimes infusions, along with others I have certain vitamin shots, etc.

I don't consider myself a true veteran since I'm only 2.5 years out, but I'll respond since this website considers those with more than 1 year of bariatric surgery experience 'vets.' I maintain with the following phrases repeating themselves in the crevices of my brain: "Obesity isn't curable, ever. Obesity is incurable. Obesity can't be cured." Let me explain...while obesity can be placed into remission by achieving a normal weight, the formerly fat person's internal biochemistry will always favor fat storage. There's a reason so many bariatric surgery patients regain some or all of their lost weight: we can't ever eat like our naturally thin counterparts who can eat junk and stay at low body weights. The formerly fat person's body is in the weight-reduced state. A naturally thin woman who has been 130 lbs her entire adult life maintains far easier than a 130-lb woman who once weighed 300 lbs. The weight-reduced, formerly fat 130-lb woman's metabolic rate is slower than that of the naturally thin woman, burning on average 300 to 500 less calories daily even though both ladies have the same heights, weights, and body fat percentages. This is why formerly fat people are primed to regain. In essence, I'll always need to be vigilant. I exercise. I have no forbidden foods. I try to avoid the slippery slope of eating junk and crap because staying on track is easier than getting back on track. Good luck to everyone who fights the battle of the bulge. The battle is lifelong.

Congratulations I wish YOU nothing less than success Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I first joined this community to get support. Now, three years past surgery, I'm here to offer support to both the PRE & POST surgery forums. We see a lot of the same questions being asked: "HELP!" or "Is this normal?!" or "How do I do this?!" I just hope the people getting support stick around long enough to become veterans & offer support too!

The issue is that the doctors need to know everything about your current level of health before they operate on you. I had no co-morbidities at all, but I had to have several tests and a medical clearance from my PCP (with more tests) before everything was finalized. That is just part of the process when going through insurance. (And, frankly, it is just good practice even if you were paying out of pocket. After all, we are talking about paying for a major surgery, not a new appliance. And I know that last time I bought a new dishwasher, I asked the salesperson about 100 questions before I committed to it...)