Feeling great; I think it's the Vit D

Posted , 5 users are following.

Diagnosed 2015 Dec and started on 15 prednisone with immediate results. Find I do best going down 1/4 mg at a time. Was told my Vit D level was "normal"  30.5ng/ml. Felt terrible. A coexisting problem is reactive airway disease which was very disabling last 7 years since being exposed to fumes. Asthma meds little help. My pulmonary doc and I decided to try higher Vit D blood level, still within normal range of about 50-70ng/ml. This was based on a case report of complete reversal of symptoms using this method. I started using 10,000 D3 daily and keeping track of serum D with doc and hone testing. The results have been impressive. The weak jellyness of my muscles is gone. I am able to exercise and do housework without collapsing . My breathing is so improved that we are reducing steroid inhaler doses for the first time ever. I am currently on 9mg prednisone tapering to 8.75. We are trying to find the best maintenance dose of D3. It also improved my mood. Recent scientific literature suggest D3 very helpful with autoimmune diseases. 

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    karenjaninaz, very impressive, good for you, keep it up. I bet you have a smile on your face, you should have. Think positive. Good luck. 🙂

  • Edited

    Very glad you are feeling so much better!  That original "normal" seems rather low, although I know there are two different ways of measuring D levels.  I was told that 169 was very high, shouldn't be over 150, and 200 was considered toxic.  Later I learned that 80 is low normal.  Today I've got my level to 100 and was told this was very good.  

    If you aren't taking Vitamin K2 yet, please consider adding that supplement as well.  It works in synergy with Calcium, D and a couple of other things, to keep both bones and cardiovascular system healthy.

    • Posted

      Yes, I am taking K2 and magnesium.

      The 2 different scales are confusing.

      In the US: 0-40ng/ml is considered insufficient. In the  U.K. That's 0-100nm/ Liter 

      40-80ng/ml is U.K. 100-200 considered sufficient.

      My goal is 70-80.

      Nmol..  Means Nano moles/ l mean liter.

      In the US ng means nanograms/ml(Milliliters).

    • Posted

      I confess I don't know which scale is used here (Nova Scotia).  At one point I looked it up and thought it was same as UK, but maybe not....  Muddying the waters is the fact that experts seem to be reassessing the optimum desirable.

  • Posted

    How very interesting. And very good to hear that you are doing so well.
    • Posted

      Eileen, do you happen to know if there are different tests for Vitamin D. And if so, which one should we be looking to monitor.

      When I was originally diagnosed in 2014, I requested a Vitamin D test. It took ions to get the result. I have a copy of the report and it's titled 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D.  My result showed a total 23(OH)D of 113 nmol/l. The report indicates 80-200 as the optimum level.

      Is this the appropriate test?

      Given my optimum levels, I guess a lack of Vitamin D isn't an issue with me. Prior to being diagnosed I had been taking a minimum of 2000 IU daily and as much as 5000 in the winter,. Living in the southern Arctic in Canada there isn't much sunlight during the day. I still take these amounts.

    • Posted

      Not that I know of. Sounds as if you are OK in that respect - but there are loads of other causes of the symptoms...
    • Posted

      Jean, I felt much better when my Vit D levels were in the high normal levels. I felt terrible with the low but normal range levels.,

      There's only one test but in the UK the values are listed in nanomoles per liter(nm/l)

      In the US it's nanograms per milliliter ng/ml. It is a different scale so the values look different. You can look up a conversion online. I posted an equivalency but get tired of doing it all the time.

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