Question:
Are you able to swallow pills post-op?
I take about 20 medicines, vitamins and supplements everyday. Will I be able to swallow them as some are pretty large? — loretta S. (posted on July 1, 2002)
June 30, 2002
It was three months before I could swallow pills but everyone is different.
So I did'nt get my much needed pills. As far as spliting big pills in two
that only makes one side sharp and easier to get stuck! I just went without
my anti depressants, vitamins and all that stuff I REALLY NEEDED to take.
Not a good thing to do, but I could'nt do anything else. Just as soon as I
swallowed a pill, air would come up from my stomach and push the pill up to
my Adams Apple and there it stayed for at least 20 minutes. This was
painful, and it was only ONE pill! I would have had to gone through this
for some 8 or 10 pills and a couple times a day! No way! But you may not
have this trouble... we are all different.
— Danmark
June 30, 2002
Daniel is right everyone is different. I was able to take pills right away.
In fact they gave me meds in pill form in the hospital. I'm even able to
take a farily large capsule they gave me for the gallbladder.
Unfortunately, you may have to wait until after surgery to find out about
yourself.
— Cheryl S.
June 30, 2002
I couldn't swallow whole pills until I was 6 months out. I wanted to
celebrate I was so excited!! I had been stuck on even 1/4 of some of those
horse pills. Now I can take them whole. You may have to buy yourself a
pill-splitter, and may even have to crush until powder. But then again,
you may be one of the lucky few who can swallow right off the bat. Talk to
your surgeon about alternatives that they may have in liquid or chewable
form.
— Cheri M.
June 30, 2002
Hi...my surgeon has a general rule - nothing bigger than an M&M for
round, and I don't have problems with my iron capsules (have to take
150mg/day). I sometimes have problems with my calcium citrate capsule, but
I try to take it with hot liquids to try and melt the shell quickly. A
word of caution also, before you split your pills, find out from your
doctor which ones can be split. Time released medicines can't be split or
they can cause your problems...good luck!
— lily1968
June 30, 2002
I am 2 and 1/2 weeks post op and I can swallow pills no problem. I don't
however take more than one at a time. I wait at least 20 minutes in
between pills because sometimes they feel heavy in my stomach.
— emilyfink
July 1, 2002
When I had my surgery, my surgeon had us crush our pills for the first 6
weeks and mix them with unsweetned applesauce or sf pudding, the cup that
crystal light comes in is just the right size for this, I bought a pill
crusher and crushed everything, my time release anti-depressants I opened
up and poured that into the mix as well, I did check with the pharmacist
before doing this as well as my surgeon and my pcp and all told me that it
was fine to open the time release capsules. It didn't always taste very
good but it made taking my pills easier and I only missed one day and that
was the day of surgery taking my anti-depressants. I found that having the
applesauce very cold was the best and I used the little individual cups
that way it was easier to keep. Hope this helps
— Jennie D.
July 1, 2002
I split everythign for 30 days, because I was afraid! But never had had
problems with pills, no matter how large. I take LOTS of pills, vites,
whatever will help calcium absorb and a few Rx (I'm old, but my comorbs are
gone!). The nice thing is your 20 meds will gradually fade down, even if
they are replaced with vites. But the illnesses will begin to fade. Neat,
huh?
— vitalady
July 1, 2002
My DR. said no pill bigger then a M&M. I Cut up the big ones
— charanewme
July 1, 2002
I can take all the pills I have tried & my vitamins & calcium are
fairly large. I space them out & use a lot of water & haven't had
trouble.
— Kathy W.
July 1, 2002
The day after my surgery in my hospital they gave me my three medications
in pill form and expected me to swallow them w/o cutting them. i did w/ no
problem, and have swallowed horse pills since then, I am 4 weeks post-op. I
have been on many medications for things and people are always amazed at
how many pills I can swallow, so everyone is different, plus I think I have
a strong stomach, I consider myself lucky! :) goodluck to you!
— Lezlie Y.
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