Vit D and iron deficiency

Thank you for your reply Loretta! I'm glad to hear you're making a progress with your health and I feel so much better hearing about other people's experiences. I'll load up on supplements! Thanks

Oh my... I was prescribed 14,000 IU per week... Glad to hear you're feeling better. I sort of got discouraged because it's been going on for so long and all the doctors promised they'll cure me. And now after all the money I've spent and no results I just feel hopeless. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Hope it all works out! Keep us updated on your progress

Hi Clare, 

Is your chest wall and around your sternum (where the ends of the ribs meet cartilege) tender when pressed? If so, this is highly indicative of osteomalacia, in fact it is regarded as the clearest diagnostic symptom. Would you mind sharing whether your doctor has given a reason for suggesting you do NOT have osteomalacia, when you have the classic diagnostic criteria of tender ribs occuring in the presence of vitamin D deficiency? I'd be really interested to know his/her thinking on this. I can't understand why so few doctors are prepared to give a diagnosis of osteomalacia when the guidelines are clear that bone/joint aches or tenderness co-occurring with vitamin D deficiency are diagnostic of osteomalacia without bone scans, X-rays or serum calcium levels having to be ordered. (Personally, I had to extract an agreement that I had osteomalacia out of my GP practically by force. Would love to understand the reticence.)

All best wishes, 

:-)

Thank you for sharing Clare! I hope you feel better soon. I just Still can't believe that the cause of this insane and terrifying problem is something as trivial as lacking vitamin D. I keep thinking it might be MS and it's stressing me out... All of my doctors (yes, plural) said I had no reason to worry but I decided to do an MRI this week. I did a ct scan of my head two years ago but I'd rather double check. Keep us updated! Maybe we all learn something new and important

Hi,

yes, that is exactly where it is, it is so tender and uncomfortable. I have been to the doctors 3 times, first time she said it was just my stemum and it should pass in 6 weeks, which it didn't then went again after about 8 weeks, again nothing, she said it was nothing to be concerned about, and then after a terrible night sleep last week made an emergency appointment, and this time she said it might just be a virus and it should pass. I asked her about osteomalacia but she said it wouldn't be that, after what I have read I am convinced it is this, she can't even give me an answer as to what she thinks it is. Other than refuse to leave the doctors surgery I don't know what to do, hopefully it will improve after time.

best wishes

I know how you feel. I saw the doctor and told her of the terrible pain at the back near my shoulder blade. I asked if it was fibrocitis? Oh no she said you have knots in your muscles sorry nothing to fix that. Go to a massage place!!!! I am stuck with sore ribs, shoulder blades and get very tired and irritable. What can I do now? I am on the loading dose of vitamin D and do feel a slight improvement. I am so fed up of pain in my bones and muscles

Oh, FFS! If you just type 'osteomalacia' and 'rib pain' into Google you will come up with several medical references you can show your doctor. Here's an example from the Mayo Clinic: "The dull, aching pain associated with osteomalacia most commonly affects the lower back, pelvis, hips, legs and RIBS. The pain may be worse at night, or when you're putting weight on affected bones," etc.  

There is another condition that can cause aching and tenderness around the sternum, and that is costochondritis. This is understood to be a passing inflammatory condition, sometimes triggered by a VIRAL infection (I think that's why she's suggesting you may have a virus). I only know this because I've had this as one of my vague, passing misdiagnoses too. 

Ultimately, as long as you are taking the high dose D supplement to correct the deficiency, I suppose it doesn't matter what your doctor calls it or doesn't call it, as this is the thing that will cause your bones to remineralise, but it is maddening that GPs, who we know are massively overworked and overstretched, won't just once in a while listen to their patients and take a slightly more collaborative approach to diagnosis and treatment options. 

On the bright side, I have to say that my Pain-Formerly-Known-As-Costochondritis was one of the first things to improve after D treatment. I'm still weak and very fatigued, but at least my ribs don't feel like I've gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson on a crack hangover. Took about three or four weeks. Great to breathe in without wincing! 

G'luck! 

:-)

Thank you for your reply.

Do you mind me asking how long you experienced this pain, I have had it a while but the past 3-4 weeks have been pretty bad?

I had tenderness and pain around my ribs and sternum on and off for six years. It would usually not be so big a deal in the summer, when I guess I was getting a bit more vit D from sunlight, but became an issue in the other seasons, especially Winter, and particularly in response to lack of sleep, pre-menstrually, and when unwell with bacterial or viral infections. It really eased up after a month or so of 50,000+IU vit D/wk, and although I would still not like to be poked in my ribs, the mild discomfort that is left isn't a big issue for me now. 

I am hoping the vitamin D helps me as well. My pain in my ribs becomes almost unbearable at times. The drs consult their computers and if the computer does not tell them of other conditions that run along with vitamin D defiency they are clueless. Drs are no longer able to diagnose today without a computer

No, but to be fair to them, the enormous number of conditions they are supposed to be able to diagnose and treat today could not be realistically mastered by any normal human. NHS and local authority guidelines try to make sure doctors are educated enough to stay on top of the info that keeps patients alive (e.g. give vitamin D to correct deficiency, which should sort out all the other consequences and sequelae) but they just can't be experts in everything. I accept they need the help of manuals of differential diagnosis, and if that is on computer, so be it. I just wish they were more open minded about listening to us and learning from patients' experiences. 

Feeling not-listened-to makes you feel very vulnerable when you're already so unwell and in pain - lordy, don't I know! Keep up the supplement - I reckon you will see a real improvement soon. If no change after three months, I suppose you could have a complete tantrum and insist on being referred to someone else, but it shouldn't come to that! 

I grew up in East Africa where there were no consultants just drs who were surgeons as well as Drs. These were real drs who saw diseases unknown to the UK and conditions of all sorts. Hospitals were spotless and matrons feared. I had malaria many times and once kidney failure. My mother suffered a minor stroke and spent 3 weeks in hospital and no one mentioned migraine. When I came to the UK with 2 sons the Dr was amazed at their physical condition. I told the Dr that I suffered with kidney infections and he told me not to be silly of course I didn't I was looking too healthy. 3 months later I had a nasty kidney infection was given the wrong antibiotics and landed in hospital. I have seen the decline in medicine over the past 20 years. I had chest pains and was told I had heartburn. I layer suffered a major heart attack (some heart burn) then when numbness in my thighs and left foot became obvious I asked to be checked for a blood clot. Again I was told oh don't be silly. 3 years later the blood clot was found and damage resulted from that. For 3 years I saw the Dr every month and told the Dr I was sure I was diabetic. No I was told you are not diabetic. I nearly died from ketonacidosis. I had to bully the Dr to have a blood test for vitamin D deficiency. This time I was going to argue if I had to. Is it any wonder I don't trust drs? My dear husband had chest pains the Dr put it down to dispepsia. I rushed him to hospital. He'd had a full blown heart attack and needed a stent. Hence I don't trust drs.