soft drinks and prescription discounts

[Dry-Pack-Babe]

I am sitting here desperately wanting a Pepsi. And as my fellow dialysis haters are aware, Pepsi is a taboo beverage for us. It is high in phosphorous and we have to watch out phosphorous levels. I enjoy Pepsi for the taste and the caffeine. "Try Mountain Dew," someone suggested to me.

I did and I hated it. "You've got to get used to it," I was told. But I never did.

Ugh.

Eww.

Gross is my opinion of regular Mountain Dew. However, I love the Mountain Dew White Out, which is loaded with caffeine, by the by.

So, today, I had a bottle of that instead of Pepsi. But by this hour, I've had a Pepsi and since I haven't downed a glass, I truly feel that something fundamental is missing from my life. Pepsi is in the fridge, but I will not pour a glass. I won't do it. I won't. Besides, tomorrow, they're doing labs. I'm a TTS patient. 

On to the next topic. Is everyone familiar with the prescription discount programs? I've got a discount card for Sensipar and Renvela. With my insurance, the high-priced Sensipar cost me $35, but with the card, I get it for five bucks. Great deal, eh?

I usually pay $20 for Renvela, but with my discount card, I get it for $5. I use meds for high blood pressure and I've asked the social worker if there were discounts available for any of the stuff I use. She said no. Sigh.   

Well, I hope everyone has a great evening.

[WishIKnew]

I hear you!  Diet Coke is my drug of choice - and even on dialysis - I indulge more often than I should.....

Have strength dear Pepsi lover!

[FindingNeverland]

I was a Coke Zero drinker, most people say they drink it for the caffeine and what not but I actually enjoyed the taste and I love how the carbonation makes you feel all fizzy, lol. When I was hospitalized I wasn't allowed to have it so I drank Ginger Ale which made it hard to go back to Coke because it made it taste funny from drinking something different. I then swapped Ginger Ale for diet orange soda and now I'm addicted to Diet Sunkist. I tried Diet Mountain Dew for a while but it just didn't fulfill my taste buds, I like the new White Out flavor too but since it doesn't come in diet form I can't drink it so often. 

[woodsman]

Try the old time soda, Birch beer... or rootbeer  no P.

[paris]

Fanta orange soda has no caffeine in it.  Sunkist does have caffeine.  I am a second generation Pepsi addict. But, when this disease came along, root beer and orange have been  a decent substitute.   I don't drink coffee, Pepsi has always been my vice.    Now, it is a special treat and a small glass.   It is hard breaking old habits and replacing them with good choices!   

[RichardMEL]

Caffeine has a taste?

Have you tried Pepsi Raw? I believe that has no PO4 either.

I used to drink the odd coke myself, and I would just take a binder with it and my labs used to wind up pretty much OK. I think a little bit of something you enjoy every so often like that is not a bad thing.

I was always about moderation in such things rather than a blanket "NO! You can't have THAT!" - because I think being so restrictive takes the joy out of life, and if we can't even enjoy something as simple as a cola drink, what's the freakin' point. So, the odd coke, with a binder... I don't think it was going to be a major thing.

The other strategy to take is to include your Pepsi in with your daily diet. What I mean is you figure your pepsi as a high-PO4 food, so you balance that out by eating low-phos foods (so no cheese etc) during the rest of the day, and of course include a binder. That should counter things and balance the days intake out.

Well, that's the sort of thing I did anyway.

[rocker]

The bad thing about soda is right there on the label, "phosphoric acid".  That's where the phosphorus comes from.  Whole Foods Market (in the US) carries a line of sodas, including colas, that don't contain phosphoric acid.

[Poppylicious]

Blokey was a BIG Coke Zero drinker.  He now allows himself a can or two a week as a treat.  As Richard says, as long as you balance it out (and have willpower!) then a little bit of what you fancy shouldn't do you any harm. 

And as an aside, I really really REALLY love diet Mountain Dew.  Unfortunately we can't get it over here and the import stores have been told that under no circumstances are they allowed to import it any more because it has an ingredient which is banned over here.  *sigh*

Thankfully they can still import Cherry Diet Dr Pepper (yay!) which I also really really REALLY love (and which we also can't get over here)!

 

[brandi1leigh]

My grandfather worked for the Coca-Cola company for 36 years. When I was growing up my grandparents had an old fashioned soda fountain in their house. While it is frowned upon these days, my grandmother used to put coke in my bottle when I was a baby. So when I was told no dark sodas it was a dark day indeed for me. I've made a deal with my self. I have one real coke a month. We do our labs on Wednesdays. So after the labs are taken, I stop at a convenience store and buy one Coke on that Wednesday night. I take binders with it.

[RichardMEL]

My grandfather worked for the Coca-Cola company for 36 years. When I was growing up my grandparents had an old fashioned soda fountain in their house. While it is frowned upon these days, my grandmother used to put coke in my bottle when I was a baby. So when I was told no dark sodas it was a dark day indeed for me. I've made a deal with my self. I have one real coke a month. We do our labs on Wednesdays. So after the labs are taken, I stop at a convenience store and buy one Coke on that Wednesday night. I take binders with it.

heh. Yes, that's the other trick. Do labs then go crazy - nobody will know but your own guilt! 

(just kidding. one a month won't do anything bad).

The key I feel is management and willpower. You can have too much of anything and it can cause you issues - even something like Broccoli!

[willowtreewren]

You can have too much of anything and it can cause you issues - even something like Broccoli!

Which reminds me.....what is the difference between boogers and broccoli?


 


Kids won't eat broccoli! 

Sorry, I've been around too many kids this week!

 

Aleta

[billmoria]

Strange as I just had my first diet coke no caffeine tonight. I just don't drink any soda anymore even though at one time I was a heavy user of coke and other soda's. It was good to have one tonight but I won't do that again for a long time.

[noahvale]

**

[greg10]

I am not sure about the addictive attraction of coca cola unless they are using the original recipe 

Here's the recipe, from Time via "This American LIfe:"

Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
Citric acid: 3 ounces
Caffeine: 1 ounce
Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)
Water: 2.5 gallons
Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 ounce
Caramel: 1.5 ounces or more for color

[noahvale]

**

[greg10]

Sorry, Coke's true recipe sits in a bank vault in Atlanta.  What you have shown is maybe the ingredients from the 1880s (less the cocaine).  (-:

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/cokes-secret-sits-in-853459.html

Yes, but has Mr. Allen tasted the 1880 formulation?  Once he has done so, we can talk about it. 

A cola recipe from an 1880s’ codex is a far cry from the 1919 formula in the blue envelope in the bank vault. Get hold of that blue envelope — and then we’ll have a secret we can talk about.

Frederick Allen, a former columnist for The Atlanta Constitution and commentator with CNN, is the author of “Secret Formula.”

[MooseMom]

I don't need to use willpower to keep me away from Coke...I use pure unadulterated terror.  I look at sites like Renal Web which is a sort of clearinghouse for all sorts of articles and news about renal stuff.    It's a great site, but do not go there if you scare easily!!!!  Recently, there were some reports about what phosphates actually do to your cardiovascular system, especially the aorta, and once you've seen a pic of a calcified aorta, Coke don't look so good, folks.

I now will drink Coke in only two situations...one, if I am on an airplane.  I have to take Dramamine when I fly or else I will barf on everyone, and that stuff makes my mouth really dry, and nothing but a small glass of Coke will comfort me.  The only other time I will drink Coke (which used to be my second beverage of choice behind milk, now also taboo) is when I have a cold because it seems that phosphoric acid cuts right through the boogers.

I pretty much drink only iced tea that I brew myself.