AuburnChick's Adventures

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned feeling a little ill during Thanksgiving preparations.

Well, here’s the story as to WHY I was sick.

For the last few weeks, I’ve suffered some aches and pains in my hips.  When I mentioned them on a Facebook update, one of my friends advised that I go to my health food store and purchase Celadrin and glucosamine synergy.

After Chicky and I finished shopping for her ring, we decided to go ahead and look at the supplements my friend had recommended.

The owner of the store has become a friend over the years.  His advice has always been sound.

He explained that the Celadrin would lubricate my joints, and that the glucosamine would reduce inflammation.

Still, I struggled with what to purchase.  Because I’d just purchased Chicky’s ring, I knew my bank account had been nearly depleted.

Chicky and I discussed my options.  I decided to purchase one bottle right away and return next week for the other bottle.

The store owner overheard us and told me to take the second bottle home and to return next week after I got paid to take care of the rest of my bill.

Such a nice guy and one of the benefits of living in Podunk, USA.

He instructed me to take three pills from each bottle…daily.

He also cautioned me to stay away from sugar, meat, and other things that make inflammation bad.  Chicky laughed and assured him that those things haven’t been part of my diet in quite some time.

Chicky and I went home, and I took my first dosage.

Then, I ate dinner with my family…spaghetti with vegan-friendly sauce.

It wasn’t an hour later, right when the Dancing With the Stars finale began, when I started feeling sick.

Oh, but it wasn’t just your average sick.

It was the kind in which you get up and run to the porcelain throne every fifteen minutes.

I tried to time my trips with the commercials.

This proved very difficult.

I was determined, however, to be tough so I wouldn’t miss THE MOMENT when the winner would be crowned.

He was…GO J.R.!

And I continued to suffer.

I finally called it a night around 11pm…three hours after my sickness had begun.

My stomach was hurting, and I was nauseous.

I woke up on Wednesday still in a bit of pain but otherwise okay.

I got up and looked at the bottles of pills…determined to get down to the bottom (no pun intended) of what had ailed me the night before.

And that is when I saw it…

The ingredients in the glucosamine pills…

Bovine heart…bovine liver…bovine kidneys…

The list went on and on.

Just about every animal part you can image was on that list.

And there I was…a vegan of nearly a year…wanting to throw up again.

I had ingested three of these animal-infused supplements.

What was especially ironic was that the store’s owner had TOLD me to stay away from meat, yet the product he sold me had animal stuff in it!

And I still owed money for the bottle…

$30 stupid dollars.

I decided to take the bottle back to the store and explain how sick I’d gotten.

I put the bottle in my purse.

Before I could run to the store, I had to take Molly for her yearly shots.

As I was getting her into the car, I heard something hit the concrete driveway.

I looked down in horror and saw the bottle of pills…broken with most of the supplements scattered.

Great.

Now I was stuck with a bottle of poop-inducing, animal-infused supplements that I had yet to pay for.

Crap.

Pun intended.

I carefully picked through the pieces of glass and gathered up the pills, putting them back into what remained of the bottle…

I took Molly to her appointment, got her back home, and sucked in my breath.

I was about to go to the store.

Should I do it, I wondered?

I called Super Sis.  She’s a bit wimpy about such things and told me she’d probably just let it go, pay for the pills, and call it a lesson learned.

I’m cheap, though.

I went for it.

As I carried the bottle from the parking lot to the store, the owner was outside sweeping an area rug.

He said, “Whatcha got there?”

Oh, what a can of worms he opened with that simple question.

After explaining my dilemma, to which he laughed (we both did because it was quite comical), he grabbed the bottle from me and threw it away, telling me not to worry about it.

He also told me he would have to think about some other supplement that would meet my vegan needs.

I was happy, though.  I no longer owed $30 + tax for something I couldn’t and wouldn’t be taking.

It was an embarrassing lesson, though.

I’ll make sure I always read every word of the labels on the products I buy…even if I won’t always understand what I’m reading.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: glucosamine synergy, health, supplements |