Gastric Bypass Supplementation

Posted by: "Shirley Marie Aldrich"
I am a nurse and over the past couple of years, have worked with several people who
have had gastric bypass surgery. There are several different types of this surgery, some
being much better than others, the post op recommendations are mostly the same.
With the limited amounts of food gastric bypass patients are taking in post surgery, it is
imparitive that they have an exceptional & easily absorbed vitamin & mineral supplement
as well as a protein supplement.

Physicians agree & highly recommended vitamins, protein, & rehydration products to
their patients, but would you believe that most recommend the following???

Flintstones Vitamins, Ensure & Gatorade - SIGH!

As a result those I have worked with had serious deficiencies and ended up back in the
hospital on multiple occasions.

For the first few months after surgery - Taking Vita Lea & 2-3 times per day along with
the Shaklee Whey Cinch Shake is an excellent solution for them to have the essential
nutrients they need to stay healthy - while losing the weight. After they have had some
time to both mentally & physically adjust, say two to three months, I would then
recommend moving forward from Vita Lea to the Shaklee Vitalizer.
With having such a small stomach, it is also easy to become very dehydrated. The
person is only able to only take in very small amounts of liquids at one time. So, please
also suggest performance. Have them sip on this all day long. It will make a such a
difference in how they feel. Gatorade has sugar - which can cause something called
"dumping" syndrome.
Due to decreased food intake, many patients will start to loose their hair. Following these
nutritional suggestions along with using the Prosante system (shampoos & hair serum
DAILY) can also prevent this from happening.

Shirley Aldrich

The Shaklee Difference - The principle of “Products in Harmony with Nature and Good Health”
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Here are some Question and Answers:


First of all, my husband and I began our Shaklee business in 1998 as extremely obese
newlyweds. How we were successful in the nutrition business while being the size we
were continues to amaze me. I know that enthusiasm gets you sales, and we must have
been dynamites at that because looking at us (as healthy folks) certainly didn't. We
never did meetings or one-on-ones for these obvious reasons. The majority of our
business was (and is) web-based with lots of follow up phone calls and hand-written
thank you notes.

Question: What products did you start with and what has been your experience?

Response: I never took the prescription iron, protein or multi-vitamins that I was issued
(although I had to sign an agreement before surgery saying I would). I came home from
the hospital on my fourth day, and began to take Vita Lea w/iron and soy protein the next
day.
Vitamins scared me, but then everything scares you when you start this new life. Thank
God I already had the Shaklee belief, and knew to trust anything they produced. I would
break VL/iron into small pieces (maybe fourths) and take a small chunk with 2 swallows
of water, then wait 30-45 minutes to make sure everything was okay. It always was!
From this first full day at home on, I took a total of 2 VL/iron and 1 Iron Complex (broken
in half) every day for the first month. After the first few days, I got more confident about
taking VL, and only broke them in half for the next month or so to take them.
At week 2 I added a B, at week 3 I added a calcium, and each week I was feeling more
and more confident about taking them whole. By bedtime, they were all consumed and I
never had any adverse effects with any Shaklee product. Thank God for Shaklee!!
For the first month, you can't eat anything much, and Cinch wasn't out at that time, so I
drank chocolate soy and slim plan in water for about a week, then switched to skim milk
after that. Id mix up a 2 scoops of soy and 1 scoop of slim plan in about 20 oz and keep
it in the fridge with a straw in it, both for stirring and sipping every time I went into the
kitchen.
2 swallows always was a safe amount, then I'd wait for awhile, then 2 more. I always had
some of this drink mixed up and ready for me. In addition, for the first month, I had
sugar-free jello and chicken boullion daily.

In month 2, I began adding a few bites of things. I learned quickly that a plain baked
potato was my friend, it never caused any problem even when other foods were a
challenge. Veggies (especially salads) were very easy to eat also. I continued adding
more supplements weekly and kept a log of foods that seemed to be problematic. I'd
wait a few weeks, then try a bite of them
again, just to see how my healing was progressing. Often, it had improved when trying
the food again.

Question: I hear that some people need to take the ez-gest with everything because of
the difficulty digesting now.

Response: I take 1 ez-gest with each meal. I didn't used to, but after I read last year
about how it helps you to metabolize food, I decided to use it from then on. Bypass folks
have such small stomachs that there is reduced stomach acid so I figured we need all
the help we can get with absorption. I feel healthier than ever, and my lab test results
continue to stun to my doctors.

Question: Do you have a problem with the supplements?

Response: Only 2, but I'm not sure they have anything to do with the surgery. Corenergy
gave me immediate heartburn whether taking it with or without food. I am not a garlic fan
in general, and although I still take 3 Garlic Complex daily, I always take them with the
ez-gest which makes it easier.

Question: Which are you on?

Response: I really do take the Shaklee Shelf. I divide my supplements into AM, Day and
PM in large 7-day pill pack boxes once a week. Since I still work a day job in addition to
Shaklee in my home office, I set a 30 minute reminder in outlook and every time it pings,
I take a few supplements.
This way they are spread out and I give my system the best chance to absorb them
without getting it overwhelmed. I take the Optiflora pearl 3 times per week. I used to take
the powder daily, but Cinch includes it instead.

Question: Do you have people in your group that have had similar
experiences?

Response: 2 or 3 that I can think of. They mostly take vl, calcium, b, iron, and nutriferon
plus Cinch drinks and bars.

Question: What have been your challenges after surgery? Was it iron and protein?

Response: Iron would have been a problem if I had to drink the nasty prescription form.
Shaklee is not ground up minerals (rocks) and has NEVER been any issue for me. I take
one daily. I was borderline anemic before surgery, but all lab tests are perfect now.
Protein was not an issue. I sipped protein all day long, sipped water all day long, and
continue to do so now. The key at the beginning was to only have 2 swallows at a time
while my stomach healed and I got stronger.
By the way, this is major surgery and I had scheduled 6 weeks to be off work. However,
after only 3 weeks, I went back to work 4 hours per day for a week, and back to full time
in my fourth week I felt this good!!!
Now, 4+ years later, the only problem I have in digesting food is dry meat. Chicken
breast, pork chop, steak…any of these without some kind of sauce is way off limits still.
(Dark meat, fish, eggs, potatoes, bread, veggies,beans and most fruit are fine). Pretty
much any small piece of candy is fine, as long as I stop at one piece. Fat took about a
year to adjust to eating very much. For example, I could eat maybe 3 or 4 potato chips
and really, really enjoy them, but if I ate one more, I would regret it.
It is difficult to describe I would regret it to anyone not having the surgery, but easy to
explain to anyone who has. You get a scary feeling of fullness that is totally different
from normal people feeling full after a meal. You just know to stop and not eat even one
more bite for awhile (sometime 5 minutes, sometimes an hour). I relate this example
sometimes think of your stomach as being able to hold 11 oz of liquid then if you try to
put 12 oz in it, it has nowhere else to go but back up (until some of it empties down
normally into your system).

Question: Did you start with liquid vits and then gradually move to the regular?

Response: I never went tried LiquiLea. Since I had Vita Lea w/iron opened, I started with
them, figuring to use the liquid only if the tablets didn't work out. But I had great results
immediately by just taking small chunks slowly at first.

SUMMARY: One thing I know for sure your gastric folks will all tolerate
food/supplements/drinks differently after their surgeries. My husband had issues with
lactose after surgery, but not beforehand. He could eat a piece of candy with no issue,
but could not even eat 1 spoonful of ice cream without feeling ill for a few minutes. This
never got better for him, and it was his #1 irritant with the surgery! I had no problem with
lactose, but had more issues with digesting fat than he did. I have come a long way with
my food relationship and my Shaklee business. I am happy to share any info with you at
any time!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.


If you know anyone who may have some of these issues Please foward or let them know of the website.

Tim