They are usually not taking vitamins and are often admitted to the hospital for treatment of dehydration, but vitamins are not ordered in the intravenous fluids and they are sent home without vitamins. Times have changed. Vitamins are no longer considered as a routine. They are taken in excessive doses by people who frequent the health food stores. In fact, vitamins are necessary nutrients that should be ordered routinely for any patient who has restricted intake and especially if vomiting leads to hospitalization.
Hydration is important, but so is replenishment of vitamin stores.
Even if no cause for vomiting can be found, vitamins should still be ordered. There can be permanent damage from vitamin deficiency before it is apparent that the patient is deficient. Vitamins are cheap insurance for patients with or without an operation if there is any abnormality in their food intake. Surgery for obesity is designed to improve nutrition by decreasing the assimilation of empty calories. It is the nature of the problem that our operations must remove nearly all the margin of safety in order to be successful.