A Mom's Niacin Ephiphany

So many lessons over the weekend.  Too many to count and I'm sure I'll remember others as time goes on.  I'm slow like that.

One that really sticks out is about Niacin.  Yes I know that Niacin is not a proper noun.  You can read my explanation about that here.

Yes, I have been giving it to J for quite some time.  We worked up to 1500mg a day (NON-FLUSHING)because she's the one who needs it.  Riiiiiiiiggggghhhhttt.  I wasn't taking it because I was trying to save money or at least that's how I rationalized it.  Big mistake. Huge.

A couple of weeks ago I just happened to watch a commercial on N i a span.  In the fine print on the commercial it said Niacin.  Hmmm....  So of course I googled it.  This revealed it's a prescription version of Niacin for high cholesterol.  I have off the charts cholesterol numbers.  Scary numbers.  So I decided that I would start taking it to reduce the cholesterol.  Uh huh.  I doled mine out with J's every morning about two weeks ago.  I just called the pharmacy to see how much it would be for a prescription of N i a span.  A month's worth for the lowest dosage (500mg) would be around $90.  My numbers are so high they said I would probably need 1500mg a day and it would be triple that amount. We get our Niacin from S a m's and 200 capsules runs about $15.00 for 500mg.

Sidenote: There has been a major upheaval in something that's going on in my personal life that has nothing to do with J. (My roommates were privy to this info but it's nothing I want to discuss on my blog.)  I have been dealing with the situation in anger and pissyness rather than the sadness that would be more appropriate. 

Fast forward to last Tuesday.  I cried about the situation.  (The ugly cry cause I don't do pretty crying. I fight it because I always have the Cry Hangover with swollen eyes and stuffy nose.) No anger or bitterness involved.  Just appropriate grief.

Wednesday I cried briefly some more.  Then I was really able to handle the situation appropriately. 

Now fast forward again to last Friday night, sitting around the table and surrounded by greatness.  We were discussing Niacin.  Ding! Ding! Ding!  Light bulb moment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Niacin = all my appropriate feelings.  HELLOOOOO!!!!!!  That's why it's helped J so much.  Insert duh moment.  Peeling the layers of the onion.  Yep.  It works.  Cholesterol lowering is just an added bonus.  I have found that I am much better at handling many other things during this Niacin period.  The person (not J)that is very adept at pushing my buttons is finding it is no longer working.  Wowza.  Another plus for J on the days that she does like to push.  I can be a more regulated mother for her when she finds it necessary to poke me.

Christine wrote more about it here.  She's written about it many other places on her blog too.  She also wrote in the first post about helping cholesterol.  I conveniently missed that part the first time around.  Imagine that!

This household will NEVER run out of Niacin again.