E is for Effexor/Estrogen/Emergen-C

 A to Z(ed) Blogging Challenge - (my) Life in the time of CoVid-19

E is for Effexor/Estrogen/Emergen-C

This post might fall under the TMI category, but f&%k it, it's my post.

Leafing through the logbook I found these entries scattered over many pages:

Estrogen Cream - Be more consistent
2X Emergen-C before and after walk
Effexor
1 pkg Emergen-C (11am)
1 pkg Emergen-C (3pm)
Emergen-C - 2 a day in mid of day
Effexor renewal

I wish these were the only references to medications/vitamins in my logbook, but that is not so.  However, I was looking for an E for this post so this is what I have to work with.  

The references to Estrogen and Effexor were regarding renewals I needed through the past year.  There was some talk about increasing the Effexor, which I take for depression/anxiety, last September, but I was convinced it was the beta blocker sending me into a tail spin, and after I got that through to both my GP and the Cardiologist my mood righted itself once I stopped taking the prescription.  

The Emergen-C came up again and again as I worked with my Naturopath to gain some equilibrium through the fall and winter.  I was able to get it via Amazon Prime because I do not want to go into any on the stores where I normally would purchase it.  In fact almost all the supplements I take I can get delivered online.  So there is that blessing. 

Back to the Emergen-C.  I don't mind adding the pink powder to my water.  My husband can't stand the smell of it, so I have to drink it away from his nose!  (As a side note the brand I use is Ener-C, but whenever I referred to it in my logbook I used the name of the product I started with years and years ago.)

Along with too many other vitamins/supplements to mention I take between three and five thousand units of Vitamin C a day.  The Emergen-C also contains other minerals and vitamin B.  I have to be careful not to take it any later than mid-afternoon or it can affect my ability to fall asleep. 

chart I made to get into rhythm of when to take what and when

I know that people may have opinions about Naturopaths and taking supplements.  Once when I showed my list of supplements to my doctor his only response was - "That must cost a lot of money".   Sigh. 

At that time I had just been diagnosed with chronic leukemia (CLL).  My white counts was about 17,000.  After seeing a naturopath and taking their recommended supplements my white count was back to normal and has stayed that way for many, many years.  When the hemotologist commented on how unusual it was for the white count to drop like that I asked him if he wanted to know what I was doing.  

His reply?

No.

Do my supplements cost a lot of money?  

Yes. 

Are they worth it?

Yes. 

Oh, and the comment about being more consistent with the Estrogen cream? 

I know, I know.....too much information.