MTHFR GENE mutation(not a cuss word), lab results and hot flashes

So I have been seeing an amazing OB/GYN.  I went in for a 2 month followup on February 2nd to discuss my lab results in detail from last December.  My cholesterol was extremely high at 283.  My vitamin D levels were on the low end of normal and everything else was in check.  I immediately started on a higher dose of Vitamin D and two different supplements per this doctor's recommendation.  I started on Red Yeast Rice (Yeah, I have never heard of it before either).  Anyway it is a natural statin that can help reduce cholesterol.  I also started on another supplement called COQ10 (just Google it for more information).  At this followup appointment we decided to retest everything as well as did the genetic test MTHFR.  Dr. Knowles said that she has a 90% accuracy rate of guessing that a person probably has one of these mutations.  She guessed me to possibly have this mutation due to breast cancer at an early age as well as high cholesterol for most of my life.  This test is not covered by insurance and I will have to pay out of pocket for it but it should be less than $1000.  It was important to me to find out if I had this mutation because there are supplements you can take to help with it.

Yesterday, I got the results in the mail and my total cholesterol is down 66 points in two months.  I am beyond excited!  My cholesterol has been high since I first had it tested in my early 20's.  I will continue taking the Red Yeast Rice since it is natural and it appears to be helping my cholesterol come down.  She said that statin's can cause brain fog and I already have enough of that since chemo, I really didn't want to add to that.  Plus if I can lower my cholesterol the natural way then there is no need for a statin.  My vitamin D levels came up a bit too but are still within the normal range and not even close to the verge of over dosing.  We didn't know if taking 10,000ui a day might  be too much but it appears to be what I need to take right now.  It is important for me to keep my bones healthy and strong now that I am in menopause.  

On top of that I have both of the two critical gene mutations.  What this means is this can cause pulmonary embolisms, addictions, fibromyalgia, miscarriages, schizophrenia, severe depression, heart disease and cancer to name a few.  There are a lot of health problems associated with these mutations.  My doctor may be on to something, this could be the very reason I had breast  cancer at an early age as well as high cholesterol.  So now I am taking this information and I will supplement with a methyl form of B6, B12 and folate which will help my liver to flush out the toxins.  I am hoping that when I go back in May my cholesterol has dropped even more and that I am within the normal range on all levels.  I also hope that with the vitamin B supplements that I will have more energy as this can be part of the problem with this mutation also.  These mutations rarely have any physical symptoms but just knowing that I am giving my body what it needs so that my liver can perform its function properly is worth the peace of mind.  I still know however, that God is in control of my life and my destiny but knowing that I am striving to be healthy and doing this the holistic way makes me feel like I am doing all that I can. 

I also started on Gabapentin back on December 2nd to see if it could help control my hot flashes.  The major side effect of this drug is tiredness so you have to take it at night before bed.  It is primarily used to treat seizures, but some women have success in treating their hot flashes as well.  I feel like since I started on this medicine that my hot flashes were not as severe or intense.  I also can go longer without having one.  At night I am able to go about 2 to 2-1/2 hours in between hot flashes rather than at least one every hour so I am getting better quality of sleep.  During the day is different because of my stress levels, excitement, etc. when I am awake.  The littlest of things can trigger a hot flash.  Usually if I am relaxed and don't have any distractions or physical activity I can go longer without having one.  Anyway since I had also started on this drug at the same time as the Red Yeast Rice and COQ10.  I didn't know if it was really helping or not.  I did have some relief so I knew it was either this or the COQ10 or the combination of both.  I ran out of the COQ10 in early January for about a week and I felt like my hot flashes were getting worse.  I started back up on it and then I thought maybe it is the COQ10 that is helping my hot flashes and not the Gabapentin.  Since the COQ10 is a natural supplement I didn't mind taking it.  I hate taking any unnecessary medications so I decided to go off of the Gabapentin and see what happens.  I went off it gradually for the first week of February and then went off completely the 2nd week.  Towards the end of last week my hot flashes were back full force.  Every hot flash I had produced sweat and they were very intense.  A couple of days of that was all it took for me to start back up on the Gabapentin.  While I don't like taking this drug because it makes it so hard for me to get out of bed in the morning it is worth it to me to not be such a sweaty mess during the day.  I have very curly hair that I flat iron the heck out of each morning and if my hot flashes produce a lot of sweat then by the end of the day I have my curly hair old lady look.  I hate that the hot flashes make my head, face and neck just drip with sweat.  Since I have been on Gabapentin I might only have one of two hot flashes a day that produce sweat so most days I can go home with the same hair style that I created that morning.  It isn't all about the hair as much as it is about being uncomfortable during each hot flash.  I never new how debilitating they can be. I guess now I can say that the combination of COQ10 and Gabapentin are helping me quite a bit with my hot flashes.  It is so nice to have a hot flash and while it is still uncomfortable it doesn't last as long and most of them do not produce sweat.  I don't know how long they will stick around and I keep hoping that they will start to fade out but I don't think that will happen anytime soon since the Tamoxifen that I am on creates them as well as just plain being in menopause.