Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The Red Pill

Neo took one (think Matrix). And it changed his life.

I'm taking one too. (Actually, bottles of it). And I'm hoping it's going to change my life.

So what's my mysterious Red Pill about?

This is my secret battle against Ms.Nasty and all the menacing adhesions growing in my ute.

This is Fibrovan...

The endo busting, fibroid killing enzyme packed in a red capsule.

Taken in doses of 2 capsules, twice daily.


A lot of health care professionals will probably tell me that I'm an idiot and NUTS for trying this and that I should stay away from it because:

1) I found it on the internet! We all know the internet is full of scams!

2) It is not endorsed by any doctor

3) It is not FDA approved, though it claims to have been manufactured following FDA guidelines

4) The principle on how it works in human bodies is probably all bullshit because it has not been proven scientifically

But an idiot I'll have to be because Dr.NeverGiveUp really left me in a lurch when he said that he wouldn't recommend surgery nor would he treat me for endo, adeno or fibroids.

My reaction: (in a silent scream...) What? 

But he's suppose to be my fertility knight in shining armour!

Instead, he told me that my problem was quite deeply and extensively rooted inside my ute and was impossible to fix with surgery. In fact it could cause even more damage. He also explained that he would not treat it with chinese medicine because he feels that it's very difficult and slow with TCM. I can't afford the time, he says. He sure doesn't beat around the bush! And you know how I feel about western drugs like Lupron. So, No medicine. No surgery.

I am left to deal with endo, adeno and Ms.Nasty on my own.

Armed with a mouse, a computer and immense desperation, I went into cyberspace to look for answers. And here's what I discovered:

  • The number of women suffering from endo or fibroids is staggering. 15% or 110 million women worldwide will suffer from endo, and up to 40% (some even say 80%) of women will experience at least one fibroid by the time they reach menopause
  • Many like me, are opting out of surgery and western drugs because they are too invasive, or have failed to help
  • There are claims that some have the knowledge to shrink fibroids the natural way but they want you to pay them if you want to know
  • There are medicinal products that claim they can shrink fibroids and endo
In the end Fibrovan looked like the most effective and "transparent" product on the market. The sheer number of women who claimed that it had made a tremendous difference in their lives was impressive. And I'm not talking about the testimonials of women on the product website who sad they were pain-free, or that their fibroids had disappeared or who finally managed to have their babies. These could all be hyped-up lies cooked up by the website. I went in search of ordinary women to see what they were saying in the forums, their blogs, women's health websites, twitter etc about their experiences. I found one or two who said they experienced no effect whatsoever and that it was a waste of money. But there were overwhelmingly more women who had positive experiences with it. And I have not heard of a single complaint about bad side-effects.

I decided to give it a try. I'm telling myself: If it fails, I would lose a few hundred bucks. So what? for years, I've already been spending a crazy fortune on health supplements for fertility. But if it works.... Wow! Considering the physical pain and infertility I am living with due to these diseases, it could be life-changing!

And how does this red capsule unleash its power? It's most active ingredient is an enzyme called Nattokinase derived from fermented soybeans called Natto, a common Japanese food and it was "discovered at the University of Chicago Medical School that safely and quickly disolves unhealthy clots and fibrin deposits in fibroids and endometriosis."  Then, your immune system will "excrete it as waste in the urine." 

I concluded that this is essentially like "enzyme therapy".  Nattokinase is also being used by people with blood clots who are at risk of having heart attacks and strokes. These patients have also stunned their doctors when blood clots up to a foot long have disappeared. But here's the main controversy I found in my research:

I have read that lab tests have shown that it dissolves fibrin, but doctors are having a fiery debate whether it can be assimilated into our bodies without our digestive system destroying its properties, hence rendering it useless. Therefore, many doctors giving enzyme therapy usually inject enzymes directly into the bloodstream. However, many people who have taken nattokinase orally have reported experiencing its benefits and believe it works. So who's right? I don't know. But I'm convinced that I will never ever come close to experiencing the relief and life-changing benefits that some women have experienced with Fibrovan if I never try.

I started Fibrovan right away when I got the package in the mail. I began with 2 capsules, twice a day in May, which I will call Phase 1. And here's my experience:

Phase 1 (24 days):
- Had no bad side-effects
- Since I wasn't in pain to begin with, I didn't notice anything different.
- Ms.Nasty measured 48mm

Break: Stopped Fibrovan when I was ovulating because the safety of this product for pregnancy has not been tested.

Phase 2 (16 days to date and counting):
- Resumed Fibrovan when AF arrived after an 11-day break
- On Day 1 of Phase 2, Ms.Nasty still measured no change on u/s scan.
- AF pain had not decreased
- AF flow not as heavy as before
- Surprisingly no clots during AF
- Rectum pain (on CD10) lasted shorter than usual
- On Day 11 of Phase 2, Ms.Nasty has shrunk by10mm and measured 38mm!
- First sex after AF not as painful as usual
- Had no bad side-effects

In short, Fibrovan hasn't done much for my pain so far. But Ms.Nasty has shrunk! Is this the work of Fibrovan? I really don't know. It's probably too soon to tell. But am I gonna keep taking it? Hell yeah! Will I tell Dr.NeverGiveUp I'm taking it? Hell no! At least not until Ms.Nasty's shrunk significantly.

Fibrovan is being marketed for fibroids. If you want to know more about this product, you can go here. This company also makes another product marketed for endometriosis which is essentially the same product with added Vitex (Chasteberry), a natural herb to help regulate your hormones. Since Dr.NeverGiveUp is already giving me TCM herbs for my hormones, I didn't want to interfere with it by taking vitex. So I chose Fibrovan instead to try. I will continue to share my findings here. The company claims that these products can be taken for prevention once these diseases are under control. It's not a cure because the root problem of what causes these diseases is still not addressed. But it will keep dissolving the growth of endo and fibroids before they become too big of a problem. 

And just for the record, I am not associated in anyway with the company that makes this product, have not been paid by anybody to write about these products or am I endorsing the product. I am just sharing my personal opinions and experience with you because I am sure a lot of women out there would like to know if this product is a scam. Because it sounds too damn good to be true!   

Quietly, desperately, I am hoping that this is the solution I asked god for. 



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

zengirl,

Your discovery of Fibrovan sounds a lot like my discovery of Vitex. It is amazing what Dr. Google will produce for you and what mainstream medicine does not tell you about.

I read in your bio that your DH has sperm issues as well. My husband and I both had fertility issues. I bought him "Fertility Blend for Men" vitamins. His SA went from 1.2 million sperm to 15 million sperm in 6 months. Vitex took me from 3-4 month cycles with no ovulation to 50 day cycles ovulating every time.

They gave us a 1% chance of conceiving naturally. They tried to convince us that IVF with ICSI was the only choice and IUI was not going to be successful. We conceived DD NATURALLY in December. She is due in September.

I was so happy when we were successful in getting both of our problems under control. But, I was also resentful that no doctor mentioned that buying my husband a bottle of vitamins that cost less than $30 a month or Vitex (which is even cheaper) could have ended our pain of not having a child faster.

I support your alternative medicine 100%. I will pray for you and your husband.

(I also am not associated with any product or anything... I am just a success story)

I will be forever grateful to women like you who post their stories filled with hope. It was the only thing that got me through the pain.
-Melissa

zengirl said...

Thank you Melissa for taking the time to share your thoughts here.

Through my years of battling with my IF and uterine diseases, I've become increasingly skeptical and angry towards mainstream doctors who continue to offer ineffective treatments, and for giving us ultimatums. I know that given my circumstances, they would have told me that I would never be able to get pregnant.

Yet there are women, like you, who defy those odds and become pregnant. Even naturally! I am so inspired by your story and I thank you so much for sharing it here. I think your courage to look for your own solutions amidst what the doctors are telling you is completely admirable. I would love to know more about your journey, so if you have blogged about it, please send me a link.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers! I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well and that you'll have a beautiful, perfectly healthy baby in your arms come September!

spa-2008 said...

Zengirl, how's it going with Fibrovan? In the year since you started it, are you having continued success in shrinking the fibroids?

Unknown said...

I went to my obgyn 12/30/13....for two months I had irregular periods...im 41 ..shine I was 16 never experienced that...Doc.say it feel like fibroids I want you to come back in next week for a ultrasound.....I am the herb gal..anyways on a natural supplement....mind you I will be free from bleeding then out of nowhere...after sex..so embarrassing....I ordered Fibrovan....its only been 5 days and I have not had any signs of bleeding...I did take 3 pills a day starting..that's how bad o was feeling but I will take two now on.....I have been experiencing dry skin and some itching but my body is very sensitive...I will go to my Doc after I finish the bottle...they will never recommend natural but I keel reading people say the fibroids can come back...so natural is my way...