this is really my only serious choice, if i want to keep the salt down:
- 25% a
- 40% thiamin
- 35% riboflavin
- 40% niacin
- 35% b6
- 7% sodium [170 mg]
it would be nice to find something with less salt. further, i want something with some b5, too. and, i'm taken aback by the racist packaging.
i can't find it now, but they had these no name (not really) "instant meal packets" at the store that basically overpowered the cream of wheat entirely and, while a bit higher on sugar, had almost no salt. salt is more dangerous than sugar (which is what we turn everything into, anyways). i initially didn't like that idea, but i think i'm coming around to it. those packages were more like 30% a, 50% bs and cost about $0.20 each; it was $7.50 for 40 of them.
i need to be clear - i don't want to take these as a meal replacement, even if they're branded that way. rather, i'm essentially aiming to super-fortify my soy milk, because i want a vitamin surge. what i really want is a soy-like mixture that will give me 150% of all of the bs per cup. i'm then adding bananas, kiwis & ice cream to fill it out. i'm not looking to eat less food, but pre-formed vitamin a is pretty scarce in a diet that seeks to minimize it's harm on living, thinking animals while minimizing mercury. my options are really margarine (maxed out), cheese (maxed out), ice cream or fortified breakfast concoctions (which i'm working on).
for vitamin a, they even fortify the cow's milk you buy in the store.
do you know how our ancestors got pre-formed a? they got it by eating organs - liver, heart, brains. eyes. that's reality - it's the only way you really get this vitamin. and, who wants to do that?
it would be easiest if they put it in pasta, bread and/or soy in higher amounts, although the soy is a step there. you'd think they'd realize, though, that most soy consumers eat almost no meat, and fortify it at the same levels they fortify b12. if they put 30% a in the soy, that would resolve the problem. that's basically what i'm fixing by putting it in there myself...
i'd rather get some highly fortified cereal, but it doesn't seem to be a choice. for less than a quarter per packet, this is likely the best way to boost the a just over the 100% mark. and, it helps with the rest, too.
so, i've pretty much decided on that.
now, that doesn't mean actual cereal is off the table. i'm still coming in low on b5 and am trying very specifically to cut out the salami. crickets are great for b12, but aren't going to help me with niacin.
but, if i really want to do this right, i need to give my soy milk a boost. and, i'm going to get more vitamins per dollar by just buying the fortified vitamins and topping them up than i am by doubling the soy or tripling the soy.
i can't add the precise data because i don't have it, and i likely won't get out again until the end of the month. i'll put something in...
the switch to flax bread, however, is decided upon, and i can add that to the pile. that's also going to hurt me a little on niacin, but it should also help to suppress the testosterone.
so, there's an update post coming....
my doctor gave me a referral to a urologist in toronto, which is of minimal use to me until the greyhound starts running again. i have no way to get there, besides hitching; i can't hitch back. there are still some options in leamington that i can try that may get me there and back on public transit.
what i really need is to contact an endocrinologist. the guidelines the doctor is following are arbitrary, and it's disappointing that he won't budge, but he claims he's legally restricted from boosting the dose. the initial doctor that i saw and gave me what i'm on was an endocrinologist. so, these little legal trivialities are kind of clarifying themselves; there's not any good reason i can't have what i want, but the guidelines are...
the guidelines don't say "this is the maximum dosage". rather, what they say is "this is the clinical recommendation". but, you're not supposed to be on t-blockers for the rest of your life, you're supposed to be on them for a few years, until you get the surgical removal. i initially made steps to do this in 2016, but it's consistently fallen through. now, i need to exceed the clinical recommendation because i've been on them past the expected time frame, and i'm looking at dosages that are still only 60% of the maximum amount on the safety data sheet. really, i'm absolutely right and the clinical recommendation needs to be updated. but, i'm clearly not going to win that argument. the doctors are all concerned about liability, even though there's more of a threat that i'm going to harm myself if i have to detransition.
so, i'm going to reach out to the endocrinologist directly, explain the situation and see if he's even willing to talk to me at all. if he is, maybe he'll just boost the dosage without having to go in to talk.
so, that's my update for today - disappointment all around, but also developing clarity, all around. and, i'm going to post an update with some estimates that may clarify themselves at the start of the month....