TMI

Thank heavens for the internet!  What did we ever do before we had practically all the information of the world at our fingertips?  If there is a day that goes by that I don't use Google, it's a day that I didn't use my computer.  And those days are few and far between.

I'm always surprised when one of my kids calls me to ask how to do something -- get ballpoint pen out of a shirt, make kolacky, or conjugate some obscure irregular French verb.  Seriously, what are you calling me for?  That's why those two kids (now billionaires) created Google.

Actually I'm almost always flattered that my children think I am a repository of valuable information.  But surely they know that half the time I use Google to answer their questions.

So naturally when I recently was faced with a delicate situation that required an answer, I turned to Google.

Based on something I read while meandering along a rabbit hole on the internet, I decided that I needed to start taking a B complex vitamin.  Surprisingly when I was at Target a few days later, I actually remembered to check out their vitamin and supplement display.

Wow!  Vitamins are expensive!  I almost walked away, but I decided I needed to look at this purchase as an investment in my health . . . a $12.09 investment.  But that was for 250 275 tablets -- I bought the bottle that boasted that I was getting a "BONUS 10% More Free."

Now that I had made the effort to buy the vitamins, the challenge would be to actually take them.  Let's just say there have been more than one or two times when I have purchased something, only to let it languish in the cupboard, closet, etc., unused.  This time would be different.

Monday dawned and I dutifully took my vitamin with a meal -- breakfast (really more like brunch/lunch since I am definitely not an early riser).  The tablets are fairly large, but I managed to swallow one without gagging.  I was feeling pretty pleased with myself.  One vitamin down, only 274 more to go.  : )  

Now here's the TMI part.  A few hours later I needed to go to the bathroom.  I am not one of those people who need to examine every deposit they make, but there was no missing this.  The urine in the toilet was bright neon lemon-lime yellow -- brighter than Mountain Dew.

I took a mental inventory of everything that I had eaten in the past twenty-four hours, but I couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary.  The water in my toilet bowl looked like it could be used to dye tennis balls and I had no idea why.

After more thought I realized the only thing new in my routine was the B complex.  Could it be the culprit?   

What do I do when faced with a question I can't answer?  Google to the rescue!  I typed in Vitamin B complex side effects and instantly I had dozens of hits that told me that bright yellow urine was a common, and thankfully harmless, side effect of taking B complex supplements.

Phew.   Thank you Google.