Polycythemia Vera

@Erica

Much appreciated as always… :slight_smile:

Hello,
I’m Turan from Turkey, I’m new to this forum and wanted to share my experiences with you. I caught this disease 16 years ago. During this period, blood analysis CBC and INR were performed in 2-month periods. He adjusted the dosage of the drugs I used accordingly. During this time, I used and continue to use coumadin, Hydrea, coraspin and vitamin B-12. I must state that it is beneficial for you to be very careful about what you eat for this disease. You should drink 2 cups of rosehip tea every day and stay away from green vegetables. If you have any questions, I can share as much as I know.

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Hi @turan.simsek a great big welcome to our forum in the UK. I mention we are in the UK as some treatments and current thinking’s and their availability might be different to that in Turkey.
It sounds as if you have had good monitoring and treatment in Turkey.
Yes, we all share our experiences on here.
Personally, I have not heard coumadin, Hydrea, coraspin and vitamin B-12 or the use of 2 cups of rosehip tea every day and staying away from green vegetables advised, but others might correct me. However. a healthy UK diet is often suggested and suitable exercise.
I look forward to hearing more about you and look after yourself

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Hi @Erica, nice to meet you.I had been to the UK for a while, I loved it. My only goal is that I have been living with this disease for 16 years, my quality of life is quite high. I want to help other people who have the same disease as me in this regard. I got this disease when I was 18 years old. It was a process that started with abdominal pain. My platelet ratio was around 1500. Having such high platelet counts, I was diagnosed with Budd-Chiari and polycythemia vera. I had a liver angiography.
After this operation, I continue my controls in the gastroenterology and hematology department. In this process, INR and CBC values are kept under control in 2-month periods and the dose of the drug is adjusted. In this process, when I got out of the shower, I experienced itching, it stopped for the last 2 years :slight_smile: I had redness in some parts of my body. I did not experience any other side effects. I don’t drink alcohol, I smoke occasionally. I absolutely do not consume green vegetables and drink 2 cups of rosehip tea a day (alternative medicine is quite common in my country).My platelet count is currently 450-500, Prothrombin time (INR) is 2.0.

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Hi @turan.simsek welcome to the forum. Thank you for sharing some of your experiences with Polycythaemia vera (PV), it’s good to hear you have a good quality of life. I imagine it may have been a shock to receive your diagnosis at 18.
It’s important to remember that what works for one person may not work for others, so I just wanted to respond to your comment about green vegetables. Is this advice your treating team gave you? It’s really important people speak to their treating teams so they can get the right information for their individual circumstances. In general for people with blood cancer, green vegetables are absolutely fine to eat! Though it’s worth noting that for those on blood thinners, the NHS has this information - Anticoagulant medicines - Considerations - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

It’s important to have a healthy, balanced diet that includes lots of fruit and vegetables if you’re taking anticoagulants.
But you should avoid making frequent changes to the amount of green vegetables you eat if you’re taking warfarin.
Foods with a lot of vitamin K, such as leafy green vegetables, chickpeas and liver, can interfere with how warfarin works.
You can still include these in your diet while taking warfarin, as the clinic will adjust your dose accordingly, but it’s important to be consistent in the amount you eat.

… also like any vegetables, washing them before eating is encouraged!
On the subject of Rosehip tea, there may be some anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties but there is no evidence to say that drinking rose-hip tea can help to treat or manage blood cancer. As with anything to do with your health, consulting your clinical nurse specialist, consultant or dietitian is always recommended, in order to receive the advice in the context of your own individual circumstances. Also if anyone is worried about any contraindications with their treatments, they can contact their pharmacy information team for information.

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Hi @Alice_BloodCancerUK nice to meet you. I totally agree with what you said, I am being followed by Professor Ibrahim Haznedaroglu and Professor Halis Simsek, who I am under control here. They told me that I shouldn’t consume peas and pistachios, as this would increase the platelet count. I did not consume any during this period. Stay well.

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Hello, I hope you see this message. I’m wondering how rosehip tea helps? Thanks.

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Hi @jenefa a great big welcome to our forum and posting.
I think that @Alice_BloodCancerUK has answered your question on rosehip tea for you.
I am a ordinary balanced meat/fish and 3 veg diet kinda of a girl with the odd treat.
I really look forward to hearing about your blood cancer experience and how you are doing, please do keep posting.
The main thing I find is to look after myself, I am a walker and Pilates girl.

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