Jules and I walked the lake last night. I'm so lucky to have all these girls (Erin, Meagan, Meghan & Jules) that take different shifts to help keep me in the game :)
Today, I'm headed to a new internist appointment, trying to find a better go-to doctor for all over health. Then, this afternoon, I'm headed for my first high dose IV of vitamin C! Lets hope they can find my vein easily!!! I'm excited and nervous. I'm seriously traversing the metro today...can't wait for my new adventures.
As for the vitamin C, if you try and ingest it, your body excretes most of it, to get the massive levels, you have to get it injected. By injecting it, you bypass the stomach, the lower intestine, and liver, and the vitamin goes directly into your blood stream allowing it to travel all throughout your body. So, the IV helps bioavailability. This whole treatment is amazing. It's a great addition to any radiation, or chemotherapy. Vitamin C is a molecule off of glucose, which is what cancer and tumors live off. So, the tumors suck up the vitamin C, thinking it's delicious sugar, but in truth it's an antioxidant. In the high doses, vitamin C generates large amounts of hydrogen peroxide which is a potent free radical. A normal cell has catalase to neutralize the free radicals and protect them, but cancers DON'T. So, the high levels of vitamin C weaken the cancer cells. Also, the hydrogen peroxide aids in the artemisinin. That's why I'm supposed to walk for two hours before I take my pills every night, exercise and deep breathing help oxygenate my brain generating more hydrogen peroxide. So, literally, today with my IV, and my walking, and then the artemisinin, poor little Hermie is going to get quite a beating. It's exciting, and yet somehow I feel a little bad for him. He's done so much for me, allowed me to learn so much, but I guess I can just remember him fondly and take his lessons with me wherever I go. I guess, that's a nice compromise.
Hope all that vitamin C stuff makes sense, I'm in a bit of a hurry. If it's confusing, I can explain more later!
