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Vitamin D Deficiency Just Found Out

Posted , 14 users are following.

penny62715
penny62715

Hi Guys,

I have been in pain for a while especially my shoulder blades, Knees,wrists,back, ankles and neck. Its mainly my joints like a sore burning achy feeling. when I have a shower water sprayed onto these areas feel relief but also sore and tender. I have had a bone scan all ok. My bloods came back all ok apart from my Vitamin D which was 4 apparently really low. I have been given D3 to take 2 tablets twice a day. Dosage 800 I U. My question is will this help with my pains? 

Thanks 

1 like, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • respecthealth
    respecthealth penny62715

    Posted

    Most probably will, but if not go back to see your doctor. However, it may take some time to see the effect. My level was low a few years back, but had no real pain apart from occasional knee pain. It did gradually disappear with vitamin D and now my vitamin D level is a normal 71. I cannot remember how much vitamin D I took, but the doctor has put me on 800IU/day now as I have a low bone density. 
    • penny62715
      penny62715 respecthealth

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply. I hope so. It's good to know it may help. Will speak to GP to find out. 

       

  • ptolemy
    ptolemy penny62715

    Posted

    I was found to be vitamin D deficient and managed to increase my blood count with supplements. It took around three months to get any sort of result though. I also spent as much time sitting in the sun as I could as it was May time I was diagnosed. I think that helped too.
    • Jacqui723
      Jacqui723 ptolemy

      Posted

      So how was it? What was the progression like in how you felt overall over the 3 month period? I'm curious, as I just started my D3 therapy.
  • Jaybelle
    Jaybelle penny62715

    Posted

    Hi Penny, 

    Have a look thorugh the vitamin D related discussions in this section. You will see that yes, the vitamin D will resolve the pain of osteomalacia (the bone softening caused by D deficiency), but it can take some time. 

    You may wish to look up the work of Professor Michael Holick on vitamin D. He has published lay books, has a website and several useful lectures on Youtube. He suggests that the time taken to recover from osteomalacia can be up to a year depending on how long the deficiency has been going on. In my case, it took seven months of high dose D to turn a corner, and now 11 months on I still have pain after active days on my feet. 

    There is anecdotal evidence that during the first weeks or months of vitamin D therapy the pain can get worse before getting better. I experienced this, and several other people you will see on the discussion boards here. However, I was glad that something seemed to be happening, and eventually things did improve. I'm still fighting the fatigue and weakness left behind, but can now work short hours.   

    Do you know why your doctor has put you on such a modest dose of D for such a serious deficiency? NHS guidelines in most commissioning groups suggest a 10 - 12 week course of 40,000 - 50,000IU/wk for deficiency, but your dose, if 800IU/day is a tenth of that, and if you meant 800IU twice a day, is still only 11,200IU/week. He/she may have a good reason for that, but it does seem a lot lower than the recommended dose to get blood levels of D3 up to a decent number in good time, and it might be worth asking why. 

    Take everything a day at a time and don't rush things. You can expect several steps back during the course of your recovery and you will have to be patient and take them in your stride. 

    All best wishes.

    :-)

    • Jacqui723
      Jacqui723 Jaybelle

      Posted

      Hello. Agreed. My doc prescribed a 50,000 dosage weekly. I opted to take 4,000 a day instead, possibly going to double up on the dosage, which is in cod liver oil. Must remember Vitamin D3 is the naturally occuring version of the supplement, and it is fat soulable. If you do not take it with some sort of fat, you will not absorb it as well and it will take longer for your serum levels to show significant improvement. I felt like 50,000 IU was a huge amount to take all at once, and D2 at that.

      So, speaking of having more pain before getting better, I will be looking into that. I've only been taking my supplement for 3 days and feel stiff every morning!

    • Ribeye_Sockeye
      Ribeye_Sockeye Jaybelle

      Posted

      I’ve printed out and kept prominent two of your comments regarding Vitamin D deficiency and osteomalacia, and I’m very thankful for your generosity in sharing your thorough research and understanding. (Unfortunately among Holick’s  videos, the ones I access have really bad punctuation and grammar in the graphics, bringing me to suspect the quality of all his research. But maybe he’s one of those brilliant people who don’t notice glaring, blaring mistakes in print!)

      Are you still feeling effects, and if so, which ones? I’d go nuts (even more so than usual, in this condition) to know of a clear progression, since some symptoms seem to disappear, only to rear their disturbing heads months afterward. And this deficiency takes such a long time to shake off. Until I fully recover, I won’t be certain that the Vitamin D deficiency is the only problem, while knowing that many, many people hae the same doubts in this struggle (I mean living heckfire). My weakness and fatigue are lifting, and my veins (from probable arterial stiffness from endothelial dysfunction) are not nearly as swollen. (These are just a few of the PLETHORA of extremely disturbing and seemingly unrelated other symptoms. It’s fascinating and telling that many Vitamin D-deficient people make long lists of symptoms in their attempt to describe and communicate - since the symptoms seem so unrelated, oddly specific, and feel so very W-R-O-N-G, in body and mind.)

      My brain is the most worrisome, since I still see some mild hallucinations especially at night - the moving lights that seem linked to bodily sensations and movements. Veins still stick out on my forehead that never showed before this, and seeming head blood pressure is still strong esp. at night - sometimes squirting forcefully and rhythmically when first lying down. Many other strange effects are not nearly as strong as the amazing vertigo and drugged fatigue, depression, and impermeable anxiety (that I’d never experienced before, after 5 decades of directing this bod). Slack muscles are getting stonger and tauter. Stomach problems have almost completely disappeared (all after a year of way-too-conservative supplementation). Shooting pains through head and eye have mostly disappeared. Ear fullness is less, while still present. Heart doesn’t flop or seem to start or stop as much. The strong, hard, continuous fast beating has almost subsided. Of course we all want the sudden rides on elevators and boats to stop - and mine, while still happening, are greatly decreased in speed and intensity.

      I hope you can reply to tell us all how you are doing. Thank you again for your work adn generosity!

    • Jaybelle
      Jaybelle Ribeye_Sockeye

      Posted

      Hi. 

      Prof Holick is a well respected academic and clinician whose research has been regularly published in peer reviewed journals; this you can check for yourself with a cursory search of Google Scholar. It is quite likely that assistants and graduate students get the job of preparing his presentations.

      My symptoms almost completely resolved after 14 months. By two years I was my old self. I still have some unexplained tissue and fascia pain that may have been triggered by the D deficiency or be unrelated, I don't know. In all other respects, apart from a mild autoimmune condition, I am completely - and gratefully - well. 

      All best wishes to you as you make your journey to recovery or better diagnosis. 

    • Ribeye_Sockeye
      Ribeye_Sockeye Jaybelle

      Posted

      I hope you could tell I really meant the thumbs-up! Back then, it was wonderful and inspiring to hear you got your "old self" back! I looked more into Dr. Holick's work and it helped very much. Last checked Vitamin D3 level was 48!

      At the very beginning of discovering the Vitamin D deficiency (or "insufficiency, with my level being 26 mg/dL), my doctor said to supplement daily with 800 IU of Vitamin D3, along with 1200 calcium, and within 5 weeks my D3 level rose from 26 to 35. One year later my D3 level was 40. Still felt quite disabled and amazingly horrible every hour. I got a book by Sarfraz Ziedi, M.D. entitled 'Power of Vitamin D: A Vitamin D Book That Contains The Most Scientific, Useful and Practical Information About Vitamin D - Hormone D'. Due to the K2 info he relates, along with Solgar's Vitamin D3 (2000 to 3000 IU daily), I began taking Vitamin K2 (Solgar 100 MCG Vitamin K2 - MK-7 from Natto Extract (occasionally alternating with AOR's 'Peak K2' Menatetrenone 15 mcg). 4.5 months later my D3 level was 47. Three months later it was 48.

      Numerous HMO doctors, including a neurologist, didn't recognize I was actually experiencing a continual migraine. ("Silent migraine" or 'acephalgic migraine' is a type of migraine that has no headache.) Apparently, migraine can have some similar neurological symptoms to a Vitamin D deficiency. One urgent care doctor almost recognized the migraine symptoms and referred me to a neurologist who didn't deduce the same symptoms as migraine for almost 2 years. Due to 10- to 15-minute (or 5-minute) visits with numerous doctors--at a for-profit cost-cutting system in our capitalism--the migraine symptoms were somehow repeatedly not recognized by many individuals. Thorough doctors ordered numerous tests--including but abso-LOOTly not limited to bloodwork.

      Migraineagain's article "Evil Headache + 39 More Migraine Symptoms You Need to Know" has surprising info. Drs. Dodick of Mayo Clinic and Silberstein recently updated, in 2016, a superb Neurology book on migraine. Dr. Dodick's youtube explanations are surprising, insightful, and clear. ( My migraine currently likely New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH) since it began suddenly, seemingly during a sickness, or simply chronic migraine.)

      Just wanted to put this out there for anyone it might help! Best of luck and wishes to all having weird and worse effects from any cause.

  • Jacqui723
    Jacqui723 penny62715

    Posted

    I was also diagnosed deficent. My level is 9.6, yours is a bit lower than mine. What is your therapy like? Are you feeling better now? Also, have you had your levels checked since you started your therapy, and did you have any other issues come up?
  • Merryl
    Merryl penny62715

    Posted

    Hi,

    I had a blood test for Vit D over 6 months ago which I asked for myself and it came back as very low, I wasn't told this until months later because the receptionist told me it was normal along with other blood tests I had. I was put on 50,000 iu 3 times a week for 3 months then reduced to 25,000 a month  I asked my GP last week if I could have it tested again because i read that you should have it done every 3 months. I had the results yesterday and it came back as 4 so not good. I will ring the Dr after Easter and tell him to up the dose because 25,000 a month is not enough for me. I have been feeling exhausted and falling asleep in the day along with aches and pains.   

  • Col33
    Col33 penny62715

    Posted

    hi, I'm getting tested for vit d as Ive been feeling so tired all the time, its at a point where all I wanna do is lie down all day and my muscles and joints are painfull, disturbed vision, dizziness raised veins and muscle spasms, I just hope its vit d, just gotta wait for the results

     

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