Chew...Chew... Chew - ThinnerTimes

swt_tease · 06-21-2008, 01:52 PM

I started a thread last night about taking one of my chewable vitamins and it getting stuck.

I can't encourage everyone enough to chew, chew, chew.

After continually vomiting and being unable to keep even water down, I ended up in the ER this morning, resulting in an endoscopy. The vitamin wasn't actually stuck, but the opening from the esophagus to the pouch was swollen and narrowed. The doc chose not to dilate it for fear it would perforate it. He wants me to hold off on the vitamins for a few days, 'til my followup on Wednesday.

So... fellow June staplers and ALL staplers, chew..chew...chew

Sue0609 · 06-21-2008, 04:58 PM

Oh, how awful! I hope you are ok. Do they think the vitamin WAS stuck and it caused the swelling, but then dissolved?

katzz87 · 06-21-2008, 07:04 PM

My doctor said that anything "sharp" early out (could be food that isn't pureed enough) can cause irritation leading to swellling in the ol' pouch.

Glad you've learned your lesson! LOL It's a hard way to learn though...

swt_tease · 06-22-2008, 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue0609

Oh, how awful! I hope you are ok. Do they think the vitamin WAS stuck and it caused the swelling, but then dissolved?

He said it probably was stuck to begin with. By the time he saw me, 12 hours has passed since I had taken it. He said my body heat should have dissolved it by then. He actually saw bits of the vitamin in the stomach so it did pass.

Katzz - You're not kidding! I did learn my lesson the hard way. The hospital staff told me it wan't uncommon for GB patients to come in with something stuck, but it was usually men with a big piece of steak or chicken ... and there sat me with me lil' ole Flinstone vitamin. I felt like such a wimp! Ha!

The doc who did my endoscopy said that in all the times he'd done it, he'd actually only found something stuck one time and it was a piece of pineapple. Eek!

Marella · 06-22-2008, 12:08 PM

Was Flintstone vitamins recommended by your Doc or NUT?

How many Flintstones do you have to take a day for your recommended vitamin dose?

I'm asking because I take 2 chewable vitamins/day and 4 chewable calcium/day (both recommended by my NUT and made by Building Blocks, specially designed for bariatric patients)... although they dissolve in my mouth pretty well, I'm going to make sure that I always chew chew chew them extra long thanks to you.

Sorry you had that experience... glad it all went OK.

AND

when food is stuck, and you're in ER, what exactly do they do for it?

swt_tease · 06-22-2008, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marella

Was Flintstone vitamins recommended by your Doc or NUT?

How many Flintstones do you have to take a day for your recommended vitamin dose?

I'm asking because I take 2 chewable vitamins/day and 4 chewable calcium/day (both recommended by my NUT and made by Building Blocks, specially designed for bariatric patients)... although they dissolve in my mouth pretty well, I'm going to make sure that I always chew chew chew them extra long thanks to you.

Sorry you had that experience... glad it all went OK.

AND

when food is stuck, and you're in ER, what exactly do they do for it?

My doc recommended a flinstones vitamin twice a day & centrate chewable calcium twice a day.

At the ER, they first did an EKG to rule out heart problems because the pain when it's stuck is in your chest. Then they sedated me (conscious sedation) and did an endoscopy to look down the esophagus and into the stomach. If something is still stuck, they told me that they'd retrieve it with a tiny basket. Weird, eh?

I felt very foolish, but I'm glad it turned out well. All that hullabaloo over a vitamin.

Marella · 06-22-2008, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swt_tease

My doc recommended a flinstones vitamin twice a day & centrate chewable calcium twice a day.

Good to know... thanks! I'll ask my NUT if I can change.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swt_tease

At the ER, they first did an EKG to rule out heart problems because the pain when it's stuck is in your chest. Then they sedated me (conscious sedation) and did an endoscopy to look down the esophagus and into the stomach. If something is still stuck, they told me that they'd retrieve it with a tiny basket. Weird, eh?

I felt very foolish, but I'm glad it turned out well. All that hullabaloo over a vitamin.

Golly! Jeepers! But that's good to know also. This way anyone else who'd have this happen will know ahead of time... Thanks for sharing this.

boomer · 06-22-2008, 04:02 PM

My doc says Flintstones as well, and I'm pre-op - going in July 2nd. I think I'll start them this week and get that chewing thing down!

mistymee · 06-22-2008, 05:17 PM

I believe the surgeon is recommending them. I also know that your surgeon isn't going to be the one to suffer when you end up with severe medical problems in 10 years because you took a children's vitamin.

Its like when my PCP told me I didn't have diabetes. I could've just taken her word for it, based on a very decent A1C of 5.8. But I did my research and and didn't take her word as gospel. And when I presented her with several weeks worth of BG logs, there was no denying the fact that I was indeed diabetic.

Sorry, I just think you guys should really question your docs and do some research on the long term impact of vitamin deficiencies in gastric bypass patients. Corrine here has posted some wonderful information about vitamins and the potential problems when you take the wrong ones/wrong kind. Be your own advocates... your life is worth so much more than a children's vitamin!

Flintstones for an adult that has a risk of lifelong vitamin deficiencies drives me bat-shit crazy.

katzz87 · 06-22-2008, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mistymee

Flintstones for an adult that has a risk of lifelong vitamin deficiencies drives me bat-shit crazy.

Just had to laugh at that sentence!

My surgeon states to double the dose of the Flintstones vitamins...but they stained my teeth something fierce, so I decided to go to GNC and pick up some vitamins (Women's Ultra Mega). Usually you double the regular dosage, but my doctor said she might have me decrease to the normal amount due to the quality of the vitamins...depending upon my blood results.