Besides staying away from the keyboard and computers in general, I have taken many measures to help “speed-up” the recovery of my injured shoulder. Naturally, since the bone is fractured I went into a local pharmacy and got some calcium, came back home and googled the recommended dose and found it to be around 1,000 mg, overdose ranges are around 4,000 and 5,000 mgs.. which seemed quite far given each pill is 1,200mg.

Forgetting to count the calcium in the 1 Liter of Fat Free Laban I like to gulp in every night before bed… I overdosed on calcium..

Sadly.. it did not speed my recovery, but gave me irregular bowl movement, continuous headache and nausea, and endless hours of surfing the net for a justification for all of this that is happening to me!

One of the sides I experienced is a contentious feeling of thirst; I used to take in at least 2 liters of water everyday in the form of pure water for a good two days without much difference. I’d still wake up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth and an aching shoulder.

The other annoying side is that, no matter how much water you take in. It always tastes salty! Not sea water salty, just.. salty in an annoying way.. This my friends was the eye opener!

I wasn’t good at it; I haven’t nagged on my parents for a while now. Amazingly, buying my own water and bringing it to the house helped! Dad soon felt sorry for me (the shoulder probably helped) he called the company to change the filter in just about 3 days time! I stood there while the guy worked staring at him as he talked about the inflation and how changing a simple water filter will now cost me 6 BD when it used to cost only 3 dinars 2 months ago. Yea yea yea, I thought to myself, finish up and let me drink some real water and quench my thirst.

15 Minutes later, 6 BD poorer with a glass of water in my hands…
Nothing changed; the water STILL tastes the same!

It was then I realized that I was probably overdosing on calcium and linked it to all the other sides. It’s been a week now, all the other sides subsided and I still think our house water tastes funny! Even that I’ve seen the guy changing the water filter with my own eyes!

To cut a long story short, I soon remembered a filtered plastic pitcher I used to use back in the States (), it’s being shipped as I type this from Amazon. I am not sure if it will be of any help but.. I have really grown weary of…

Water filter companies are everywhere around the country, I don’t even know if they are regulated or inspected by the ministry of health! To what I know it’s just a water filter that is supposed to “filter to water to drinking standards”! Nobody knows what standards, nor are there any tests that are available for us to conduct and compare the purity of the water we are drinking!

Wait.. there is more to it! checking my own shower.. I have noticed calcification.. some white crusty deposits of what looks like the oxidation powder that forms up used car batteries..

I am not a chemist or anything, but seriously.. how much of this is REALLY being filtered away.. and how much of it is really left to our kidneys to take care of?

Bottled water isn’t necessary a better option, according the New York Times (Source)

In 1999 the NRDC tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of water. (This is the most recent major report on bottled water safety.) While noting that most bottled water is safe, the organization found that at least one sample of a third of the brands contained bacterial or chemical contaminants, including carcinogens, in levels exceeding state or industry standards. Since the report, no major regulatory changes have been made and bottlers haven’t drastically altered their procedures, so the risk is likely still there.

The NRDC found that samples of two brands were contaminated with phthalates, in one case exceeding Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for tap water. These chemicals, used to make plastic softer, are found in cosmetics and fragrances, shower curtains, even baby toys, and are under increasing scrutiny. They’re endocrine disrupters, which means they block or mimic hormones, affecting the body’s normal functions. And the effects of exposure to the widespread chemicals may add up.

That is the case in the United States, and personally speaking.. I wouldn’t think our standards are any better. Let alone the fact that bottled water is over priced, over 95% of cost is bottle, label, lid and transportation and the plastic it’s being sold in, that is if you overlook how bad those bottles are for the environment.

As a temporary measure, I got some natural sweeteners that I have been adding to my weird tasting filtered water till I get my pitcher.. which I hope will fix this whole taste thing…

In the US City water systems must issue annual “right to know” reports, telling consumers what is in their water. I still don’t know what’s in mine.. do you?