Dear toler48- About the vitamins: I live in Canada but I'm pretty sure that you have costco in the USA, right? My bariatric clinic steers us to Costco to get Wellesse brand liquid Calcium with vit. D in it... because you have to take quite a bit of it and those pills are really big!... they also tell us that we must take prenatal Vitamins for the rest of our lives....I get those at Costco too.... these are big , and need to be split, as we're not to swallow hard pills that are bigger than a " Smartie"... I just cut mine in half with a knife. Also Vitamin B12, but that pill is manageable and we only need one per day. You may need a stool softener after the first couple of weeks, but those seem to come in smallish, gel capsule pills...easy to swallow. It may sound daunting at first , but after a few weeks, ( and using a " pill minder box" ) it all becomes routine and familiar and is no trouble. Good luck! You're going to feel so much better, more alive , it's worth the brave decision and work up front.