Notes to self.

[baratron]

1) You are chronically short of calcium. When assailed by a random pain, consider calcium deficiency before assuming you're about to drop dead.

Since I've been lactose intolerant, I've been running on a permanent calcium shortage. Which is a bad thing, especially with me (a) being female and (b) having a family history of osteoporosis. I've been trying to take a daily calcium supplement, but I do sometimes forget. I've had a pain in my lowest left rib all day and couldn't work out why until I also got a pain in my right hip, which is my usual indicator of "gah! forgot the damned calcium again!". So I've taken two calcium tablets and washed them down with chocolate So Good, which is the one soya milk I can actually bear to drink, and which coincidentally contains more calcium than cows' milk!

2) When you are heating milk, do not allow yourself to get distracted by livejournal. This inevitably leads to mess.

As I'd just made chocolate soya milk for myself, I made a hot chocolate for Alexa too. Unfortunately, while it was heating, I came back into the computer room to check on her java download and got distracted by all the Words on my screen. Five minutes later I wandered back in to talk to her, heard the microwave still whirring and ... ack! boiling chocolate milk all over the inside of the microwave!

Comments

[hoopycat.livejournal.com]

When I got out of the hospital, my roommate started stocking calcium-enriched orange juice. I don't remember exactly how much calcium is in it, but it's something noticable, and slightly more efficient than milk. So, if you like orange juice, keep an eye out for it in your handy orange juice aisle. :-) -rt

[geminigirl]

I just chew tums. Four a day seem to do it. Some of my girlfriends swear by Viactiv though-and it even comes in chocolate and caramel flavors.

[baratron.livejournal.com]

Annoyingly, the calcium-enriched Tropicana only comes in smooth style, which I hate. I like all the bits! Weirdly, when I have a sore throat, orange juice with bits in makes me cough a lot less than smooth style does - go figure.

More seriously, a lot of things which are calcium-enriched contain calcium lactate. Now, my knowledge of organic chemistry suggests this is the salt of calcium with lactic acid, which is produced when lactose decomposes most thoroughly - and that therefore this should not upset my stomach at all, but I'm wary of anything that's come from milk, and for good reason. The awful diarrhoea that lactose gives me is enough to make me think twice about dairy products in all but extreme cases.

[hoopycat.livejournal.com]

I am as well unhappy about the smoothness... but, oddly, there's now lots-of-pulp calcium enriched. Freaky. I'd get you more info, but it's downstairs and I'm upstairs :-)

And I have no idea what's in calcium-enriched orange juice... -rt

[inquis.livejournal.com]

Eeek, I like soya milk, but I'm horribly allergic to it these days.

BTW, I'm crap, and have been totally slack in posting your stuff to you. I haven't forgotten, I just keep forgetting when I can actually do something about it....