4-23-10 Friday (Let’s Get Physical, Then Animal)

Tomorrow my mom flies into Raleigh.  I have a 2.5 hour drive each way to pick her up.  

I finished off some grocery shopping at Walmart.  I also consulted with the pharmacist about some other medicine options for my cholesterol.  I didn’t realize that my new meds are going to cost $125 a month and go up in price as the doctor increases my dosage.  I thought we had some sort of prescription plan that we just paid a co-pay or something.  The expensive pills in question are Niaspan.  The web says an over the counter supplement version is call Niacin.  The pharmacist mentioned that, Omega-3 (which I already take) and Flaxseed oil.   I put a call into the doctor explaining that I’m not working blah blah, and that I consulted with a pharmacist and would it be OK if I made the switch?  (As of almost 4 pm I haven’t heard back yet).

Here’s some figures:

• Niaspan 500mg 30 day supply = $125.00
• Niacin    500mg 120 day supply = $9.00

Maybe I’m missing something?  Niaspan’s website says it’s not the same.  They say:

When treating a medical problem like cholesterol, getting the same amount (dose) of drug every time is important. Dietary supplement niacin—the kind you buy in the over-the-counter section of pharmacies—is intended to address nutritional deficiencies.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), dietary supplement niacin may "contain widely variable amounts of niacin—from none to much more than the label states." AHA states that "Dietary supplement niacin should not be used as a substitute for prescription niacin. It should not be used for lowering cholesterol."

We’ll see what happens.

I’m still struggling on Atkins.  I just can’t figure it out.  Since I started this diet on March 22nd, 30 days in and I’ve lost 5 pounds.  It doesn’t seem like enough?  What do you think?  The last thing I changed was not having large sums of broccoli at dinner time and instead have substituted a side salad (lower in carbs).  The only time I “cheated” was wine the other night, and a Bic lighter-sized piece of breaded fish.  Maybe my portions are too big?  Today I bought Ketosticks to see if I’m in Ketosis.  Nope – according to the stick.  Cut out salad for a while maybe and see what happens? 

Just after 5 pm, and the doctor’s office called.  The doctor approved Slo-Niacin.  Starting at 500mg, add 500mg more each month with a final dosage of 2,000mg.  Yay!  According to slo-niacin.com it’s available at Walmart and the website even had a $2 off coupon.  I hope it’s cheap.

So speaking of dieting, and health – I received a typical BJ’s newsletter/coupon/ad in my email.  Common.  The strange part, this ad:

Let’s the the picture up close:

Are they kidding me?  My dog would run away.  What’s next bow-wow-flex?   

Just a year ago we passed through a town mentioned in an Eagle’s song.  Ann, Jim and I toured the Petrified Forrest and the Painted Desert.  It was quite a busy day.  Lastly we saw Meteor Crater.  Check it all out here.