Saved by C! So far.

This blog posting is a tad long and a definite TMI post, but it’s got some great information in it for women that may be thinking about a hysterectomy at some point. 

  

Wow. A day in the life of Tara is never normal, let alone a week or two.  My head is JUST fine *knock-wood* but so much has happened on the “other” front since I had last written here that I felt compelled to write again.  I’m not doing so to explain myself or my decision, but rather to let my female friends know that there seems to be some truth to folklore medicine out there, at least in my case, and if you can avoid major surgery at all costs, I say do it. So now you’ve probably guessed that my hysterectomy is off the table. At least for now. Why, you may ask? After months of literally bleeding like a pig? Well, since this whole thing started, I’ve been a research fiend, more so than usual. It’s how I learned about hormones affecting my specific brain tumour.  Well, I also read about Vitamin C playing a huge part in women’s health, especially menstruation, and I figured, what do I have to lose? If a vitamin can make my life better, or at least bearable, I’m willing to give it a go. So I read up on our friend Vitamin C. It’s a powerful little thing. Some things to note about this guy.

You shouldn’t take high doses of it if you’ve had or are prone to kidney disease, kidney stones, or breast cancer. It can also interfere with blood thinners and hormonal birth controls, as it induces the production of estrogen while suppressing the production of progesterone. You should also note that taking pure vitamin C (which I take and which is recommended) can be harmful if you are pregnant and can induce abortion if taken in high doses such as 6000mg a day. 

Now that I’ve given you a little information on our friend Vit C, let me tell you that I started by toying with Vitamin C back at the end of July by only taking supplements of 1000mg a day, and  I noted a change in how heavy I was bleeding and I was actually having a day or two of not bleeding pop up. After bleeding constantly since January, I wondered if there was any truth to this folklore. No more insane heavy bleeds and a day off some times? It seemed like a dream. Then I’d miss a day or two of taking my Vitamin C due to having so many Dr’s appointments to attend and just forgetting to take my pills, and guess what would happen? Each time I ended up bleeding heavy for about a week to 10 days. And I’ve kept a daily bleeding log since January, so I know. You can call it coincidence, but after about the 3^rd time I learned my lesson to not miss a dose of Vitamin C again. I’ve since increased my Vitamin C intake to 1500mg daily and I DO NOT miss a dose. The outcome? I’m happy to report that I’m sitting at the 13^th day straight of no bleeding, having come off of 8 days straight of bleeding. And prior to that I went 18 days straight of no bleeding. So I think I may be returning to some semblance of a normal menstrual cycle. And I think I owe it all to my little friend Vitamin C. But what bothers me is that no one, not one Dr had ever mentioned that maybe I had a vitamin deficiency or imbalance that could be contributing to this erratic body behaviour. Instead they either wanted to shove hormones at me or put me under a knife. 

 

Now, I know I’m not a Dr, I don’t even play one on TV, so my surgeon’s office is on speed dial and has allowed me to keep her there in case I do need to have the procedure done at any point within the next year or shortly after. I guess that’s good. At least I have someone that is willing to take care of me should I need it. But I am wanting to avoid major surgery at all costs, and I think, at least my body is telling me, that I’m on to something here.

~Tara