'Just' severe Vit-D deficiency (+hypocalcemia) or also Osteomalacia?
Posted , 3 users are following.
Moved house, got new GP, asked for a 2nd opinion on my diagnosis of Osteoarthritis that i got 18 months ago. GP did indeed discover that the diagnosis was wrong: I have severe Vitamin D deficiency, not Osteoarthritis!
Serum measurement to distinguish in between Osteoporosis, Osteomalacia and Primary hyperparathyroidism say that for Osteomalacia Calcium will be low or normal, Phosphate will be low or normal, Alkaline phosphatase will be normal or elevated and 25-hydroxyvitamin D will be low.
I have low calcium, normal phosphate and alkaline phosphate, 25-Hydroxyvitamin D2 non traceable (<5 mmol/l)
gp gave me an article (and a course of vit-d), she pointed at the title "vitamin d deficiency including osteomalacia and rickets", and said, "just ignore this". did she mean the rickets, which obviously i can't be suffering from, or did she mean the osteomalacia? i will ring her this week, but meanwhile i'm asking here.
if she meant i should ignore the osteomalacia, then why did she confirm my suspicion of not having osteoarthritis, a diagnosis given based on my clinical symptoms of joint pain. if i have severe vit-d without osteomalacia, what is then the explanation of my joint pain? my joint pain were only symptoms, i do not have swelling or stiffness.
anybody else had severe vit-d deficiency, with or without osteomalacia?
other info: i am 39, not diabetic, ibm 23, non drinker, non-smoker, not vegetarian, on no medication, eat everything and get exposed to normal amounts of sun as i work in the community. i put my foot down too hard and have had heel and foot-sole pain for 3 months now. painted my living room 4 months ago and since then i've had pain and a clicking feeling in my wrist. older pains are two different fingerjoints on each hand. iboprofen 10% gel works wonder on muscle and tendon pain but does nothing for pain in joints (heel/foot-sole and wrist). mmol/l)="" gp="" gave="" me="" an="" article="" (and="" a="" course="" of="" vit-d),="" she="" pointed="" at="" the="" title="" "vitamin="" d="" deficiency="" including="" osteomalacia="" and="" rickets",="" and="" said,="" "just="" ignore="" this".="" did="" she="" mean="" the="" rickets,="" which="" obviously="" i="" can't="" be="" suffering="" from,="" or="" did="" she="" mean="" the="" osteomalacia?="" i="" will="" ring="" her="" this="" week,="" but="" meanwhile="" i'm="" asking="" here.="" if="" she="" meant="" i="" should="" ignore="" the="" osteomalacia,="" then="" why="" did="" she="" confirm="" my="" suspicion="" of="" not="" having="" osteoarthritis,="" a="" diagnosis="" given="" based="" on="" my="" clinical="" symptoms="" of="" joint="" pain.="" if="" i="" have="" severe="" vit-d="" without="" osteomalacia,="" what="" is="" then="" the="" explanation="" of="" my="" joint="" pain?="" my="" joint="" pain="" were="" only="" symptoms,="" i="" do="" not="" have="" swelling="" or="" stiffness.="" anybody="" else="" had="" severe="" vit-d="" deficiency,="" with="" or="" without="" osteomalacia?="" ="" other="" info:="" i="" am="" 39,="" not="" diabetic,="" ibm="" 23,="" non="" drinker,="" non-smoker,="" not="" vegetarian,="" on="" no="" medication,="" eat="" everything="" and="" get="" exposed="" to="" normal="" amounts="" of="" sun="" as="" i="" work="" in="" the="" community.="" i="" put="" my="" foot="" down="" too="" hard="" and="" have="" had="" heel="" and="" foot-sole="" pain="" for="" 3="" months="" now.="" painted="" my="" living="" room="" 4="" months="" ago ="" and="" since="" then="" i've="" had="" pain="" and="" a="" clicking="" feeling="" in="" my="" wrist.="" older="" pains="" are="" two="" different="" fingerjoints="" on="" each="" hand.="" iboprofen="" 10%="" gel="" works="" wonder="" on="" muscle="" and="" tendon="" pain="" but="" does="" nothing="" for="" pain="" in="" joints="" (heel/foot-sole="" and="">
gp gave me an article (and a course of vit-d), she pointed at the title "vitamin d deficiency including osteomalacia and rickets", and said, "just ignore this". did she mean the rickets, which obviously i can't be suffering from, or did she mean the osteomalacia? i will ring her this week, but meanwhile i'm asking here.
if she meant i should ignore the osteomalacia, then why did she confirm my suspicion of not having osteoarthritis, a diagnosis given based on my clinical symptoms of joint pain. if i have severe vit-d without osteomalacia, what is then the explanation of my joint pain? my joint pain were only symptoms, i do not have swelling or stiffness.
anybody else had severe vit-d deficiency, with or without osteomalacia?
other info: i am 39, not diabetic, ibm 23, non drinker, non-smoker, not vegetarian, on no medication, eat everything and get exposed to normal amounts of sun as i work in the community. i put my foot down too hard and have had heel and foot-sole pain for 3 months now. painted my living room 4 months ago and since then i've had pain and a clicking feeling in my wrist. older pains are two different fingerjoints on each hand. iboprofen 10% gel works wonder on muscle and tendon pain but does nothing for pain in joints (heel/foot-sole and wrist).>
1 like, 5 replies
Jaybelle Evita
Posted
I've been through the same scenario. I almost had to screw the admission that my pain was due to osteomalacia from my GP, but he has not recorded the term on my medical notes or any sick notes he has written for me, making it difficult to explain to my (now ex-)employer quite why I was so debilitated from a vitamin deficiency.
I'm not sure why they are quite so loth to diagnose osteomalacia in the UK, but I suspect it is because it is not considered particularly significant to the course of recovery(!); if you take the vitamin D you will get over the osteomalacia as a matter of course. NHS doctors are really only interested in things that might kill you, and your doctor almost certainly has either not considered osteomalacia or doesn't want you to go worrying down that path as you're already being treated for the underlying cause.
You can ask your doctor about osteomalacia, but being realistic about his, it may not get you anything as you are already receiving the treatment. Like you, I found that NSAIDs like ibuprofen did nothing. When I asked the doctor's advice he suggested paracetamol. I would have laughed in his face except that I was already crying too hard! A couple of ibuprofen and codeine at bedtime helped me get past the pain enough to sleep.
I think it is unlikely that your joint pain isn't at least in part due to osteomalacia if your D level is very low. Don't expect an overnight recovery, but I'm living proof that it does get better in time: at one stage I thought I was never going to be right again - after seven months of high dose vitamin D, I was feeling worse than ever (pain all over my body, couldn't walk to the end of the street and back unaided), but then at a blood D level of 103 nmol I turned a corner! Although my stamina is not what it once was, I can do a simple 30 minute step workout and the pain in my feet, hips and other joints is really significantly better.
Take care. All best wishes.
:-)
Evita Jaybelle
Posted
marieelle199 Evita
Posted
the diagnosis of osteoarthritis has a scheme like symptoms xrays ....etc so only by joint pain one can't say I've been there my vit D went down to a reading of 8 I was very fatigued tired weak severe pain in the muscles and joint pain aswell after my course of vit D I was just fine
Evita marieelle199
Posted
Glad to hear there's hope after the course of Vit D. How long did you have to take it for?
marieelle199 Evita
Posted
my dose was 50000 IU per week for 3 months and I was strictly told don't mess and forget a dose
in your case barely tracable you should be very careful cos your at risk of osteomalacia start treatment NOW there are injections that boost vit d pretty quickly and then maintain them through diet and supplements ( discuss that option with your Dr. ) and also maintain your calcium aswell ... just a peice of information the body achieves maximum bone density at early 30's after that you should take well care to maintain it
Please I'm telling you follow up well with your doctor get all your tests done the ones that include the parameters that contribute to low vit D like calcium have your bone density measured just to make sure that this gets resolved and dosen't give you long term side effects I'm not scaring you you are saying 4.4 that's close to my reading but for me my doctor gave me calcium supplements for 2 weeks and vit D for 3 months to help absorb it and it's better to have a healthy diet just to make sure your body can help you overcome and fight the deficiency for the time being
There's a home remedy you can try take 2 dried Figs and soak them into a cup of water overnight then next morning drink it and if you can tolerate eating the figs better eating them and you will see the magic in 2 months your vitamin D will be normal and it has massive other benefits aswell but it gives a bowel movement
Hope you get well soon I've been through this I'm fine now and you will be aswell