Vitamin C

Wanted to share this in case it helps someone else. I had my platelets checked 13 days ago and they were low, then today I had them rechecked and I gained 22k platelets.  My doctor referred to it as a slight increase but to me every platelet counts!!!  Over the two week period, I put myself on a raw vitamin c diet that I ate every 24 hours.  Vitamin C doesn't hang around so you do have to do it daily.  I ate two cuties which are mandarin oranges and 1 cup cantelope. I added tomato slices to my sandwich and I don't even like them. I ate 1/2 of a yellow or orange bell pepper raw with dip while preparing dinner.  I have always eaten cooked broccoli and white potatoes to try to get vitamin c but I think I cooked them too much and may have lowered the amount of c.  After doing this for two days, I felt an undeniable shift in fatigue.  I'm going to continue with this for 2-3 months to see if I continue to climb.  If I plateau, I may consider supplementing some c.  My understanding is the body can only take and use so much so large amounts may not be beneficial so I decided I would stick with around 100mg which is what is contained in a multivitamin label.  Hope this helps, I'm enjoying my new found energy and my slight bump up in platelets!  I do not freeze the fresh fruit as doing so may alter the c level as well.  I noticed my bruises on my arms went away faster with fresh fruit.  The navy supplies two cups of fresh fruit everyday just as a reference.  I did not present with anemia but do have ridges in my thumb nails and I was breaking blood vessels in shin area without exertion. I also have many food allergies and I'm gluten free.  Avoiding all of my food allergies did not raise my platelets the way I hoped.

Hi Joanne,

How is this going for you? I take emergency vitamin C packets everyday and when I am consistent with taking them everyday, I notice that my flares are less frequent.

I can't say the vit c increases platelet numbers but it does tackle fatigue, I stopped breaking blood vessels in my legs without injury, and it is known to help you make use of iron.  My dad was anemic so I want to avoid this.  I went to two board cert allergist due to symptoms and one told me I'm allergic to all food except proteins and the other one said I wasn't so keep eating everything.  Wanting to go out to eat with friends and family I chose the guy who said didn't exist.  My numbers went from 86k to 50k so I am back on the gluten free dairy free diet.  I'm also at the age where hormones are changing so I am not sure if this impacts platelet counts.  I treated my thyroid for graves and I could not stop having bleeding problems.  I noticed once I ate the gluten my tooth started bleeding after flossing and wouldn't stop for hours. I ate two slices of doughy pizza and woke up with one nostril bleeding and fresh blood all over my tongue.  I also felt sick for two days so I think I have my answer.  Luckily I've been cooking gluten free for some time and know how to make good dinners. My father got C o p d from gluten and dairy and could not hold a conversation without coughing I got him off everything and cried after having a conversation without having to wait so long to hear what he was trying to tell me.  Your body decides how its going to respond to what it doesn't like.  My immune sys is a bugger.  I was the only kid covered in poison ivy despite my family members walking on the same paths and started my relationship with pred at a young age. The vit c keeps me energized so I can cook all these meals so whether it's absorbic acid or fresh c I will keep doing it just not late in day as it can act like a stimulant.

Joanne I wasn't sure if one could get COPD from gluten and dairy so searched it and found this:
"Consuming dairy or gluten is not a cause of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). However, these foods can potentially worsen symptoms for some individuals who already have COPD." (sorry, can't find where I put the link to this quote)

From Johns Hopkins:
" A gluten-free diet is for people with celiac disease or other health conditions that make it hard for their bodies to process gluten."

I love Cuties and eat way too many of them - they no longer are in season, any in the grocery store now I was told by the produce manager is from South America, I tried them and they were awful!!

Good luck to you and your Dad!