Vitamin D deficiency

Posted , 124 users are following.

I've been unwell for on and off now for almost a year. I remember phoning off sick a couple of times before feeling tired and 'achy'. I thought I was just being lazy and this was psychosomatic. Then I started getting really ill when I developed a sudden onset of neck/shoulder pain which is still an on going problem now although the pain has turned into discomfort/ache which I have learned to manage doing exercise and stretches. I also feel sensitivity on other parts of my body (like invisible bruises.For 6 months I was coping with my neck/shoulder problem (symptoms are crawling/tingling sensation in the arm, sensitivity to touch like its bruised and cold feeling and dull ache on my shoulder blade).

Then gradually I started developing 'flu like symptoms' without cough or cold but with tiredness/fatigue and dizzy headache which are intermittent throughout the day, until 2 weeks later I started getting throbbing ache in my legs and eventually I couldn't sit all day without getting restless legs and crawling/tingling sensation in my legs which caused weakness in my legs and worse when I'm going upstairs - and my knees keeps clicking. I went to my doctors who prescribed me with naproxen. And told me that I had something called Reactive Arthritis, which i thought was a misdiagnosis. Overall I though that it could be viral related

This time I've been off work for a week when I started to feel better after a week on naproxen. I came back to work for a week feeling like i thought I recovered. Then boom 2 weeks later gradually the flu like symptom came back with extreme tiredness / fatigue and I've been in bed since. I'm still achy all the time regardless. I have no energy to do anything, even showering is a struggle. Ive been in bed most of the time, sometimes I try to go out with my husband for a few hours but I come back home absolutely exhausted and the soreness/headache i get is a different level. Most of the time I feel like my body is inflamed.

So i decided to get a second opinion and i went to see another GP who referred me for a blood test. A few days later, my results came through and I have Vitamin D deficiency. Everything else they tested seem fine.I have a better outlook now though after the diagnosis, apparently it will take months for the treatment to take effect. I guess now they found something they will stop investigating further (which worries me a little bit) but i guess its process of elimination so treat one thing at a time. Would be great to hear from others who also has this deficiency and whether the treatment was effective?

13 likes, 304 replies

304 Replies

Prev Next
  • Posted

    Hi Helenab , so interesting your story , i have felt the same , for months , iv felt so tired , flu like symptoms, body tempreture one min im freezing , next im boiling hot ,  but not enough to take me to bed , on and off , aching limbs , legs painful at night , tingling sensation on my back at times , foggy thinking , exhausted after doing anything physical , napping in the afternoon .

    but at last after many trips to the doctors and SO  many blood tests , then being told all was fine , then i went back and asked if they had checked my vit D , they hadnt so by this time think my doctor was sick of the sight of me and did them all again just to shut me up ...plus bone and vit D ..and come back deficent in D and calcium , level 27 so now i have an answer ...

    was beginning to think id gone mad , feeling like this , im now on Accrete D3 1.5g/400iu tabs twice a day , hoping things will improve ...

    just wanted to say what a comfort was hearing someone with similar symptoms as was beginning to thing i was going mad ..

    hope you are feeling better now x

    • Posted

      Hello, 

      I hope you don't mind me pointing out that your weekly dose is only 5,600IU. The standard dose to correct deficiency is at least 50,000IU/wk - you are low by a factor of ten. You may wish to consider discussing this with your doctor as your dose may take a long time to raise your D to the normal range. 

      All best wishes.

      :-)

    • Posted

      hi , jaybelle , 

      thanks for reply , iv no idea what those figures mean to be honest , the figures i put down are on my box ...

      so your thinking thats very low amount to be taking ? 

      the nurse practitionaer said will be on them a long time ....

       

    • Posted

      Different health authorities offer slightly different guidance on how to treat D deficiency (usually determined as anything below 30 nmol/L), with a range of supplements daily, weekly or monthly. But all of them seem to suggest a standard course of at least 50,000IU/wk for 8-12 weeks, followed by 400IU/day permanently thereafter, so I wonder why your doctor gave you such a low dosage. 

      My doctor gave me the usual 50,000IU/wk. I've been taking them for ten weeks now, and just possibly feeling a little less pain and more energy. 

      All the best.

    • Posted

      Thanks ,jaybella , 

      iv just been to my doctors to check it out....waste of time ....pharmacy said was an ok amount for someone with my levels , as 27 aparently not  that low ! 50 being normal and 70 being top end ...

      then the practice nurse who gave me the pills said was fine  to maintain my levels ...

      i said ok just i feel so awful will that be enough to help and she said should be ...

      come back feeling no better ...  :-( 

    • Posted

      If you're getting nowhere with your GP, you might like to have a look at the advice of Professor Michael Holick, who is a (the) world expert in all things vitamin D. You can find his site online. I won't advise you to change your dosage as I am not a medical professional, but he offers very clear guidance about safe dosage. 

      All the best. 

    • Posted

      thank you Jaybelle , 

      i may do that feeling frustrated as i feel so porly and feel no one is taking my symptoms seriously ..

      perhaps i should just give the pills time ...

      thank you for your advice 

    • Posted

      I was prescribed the same tablets with a vit D of 26. I sat out in the sun for a couple of months and it went up to 52 it is now 64 after the winter.
    • Posted

      oh really thanks ptolemy , did you feel bad like i do before taking them to ?
    • Posted

      I had been diagnosed with PMR which has similar symptoms to Vit D deficiency and yes I felt terrible I could hardly move. I am not sure how much was vit D and how much was PMR. 
    • Posted

      ok thanks , may i ask what is PMR ? i feel so awfull i must say , how are you now ? better i hope 
    • Posted

      PMR (Polymyalgia Rheumatica) is an auto immune disease that seems to pop up from nowhere. It tends to affect people over 50 though. You have awful bilateral pain mainly in your shoulders and hips although I had pain down to below my knees and in my back. Fluey feeling and desperately tired too. Unfortunately there is no known cure yet, but it can go into remission usually after two years or more. The only real relief is steroids.
    • Posted

      oh gosh ok  thank you for explanation , my  MIL has this and does suffer badly but better when on steroids ..shes 74 

      well i hope your feeling better .

      if these pills dont work in a few weeks i will be asking for more tests ...

      its awful this feeling i dont think iv ever felt so rough ....

       

  • Posted

    I have severe osteomalacia, I'm 19 and have been off college since Christmas and have recently been signed off for another 6 months. Have they spoken to you are medication. I'm on a vitamin d supplement its very strong and I take 1 a day for 3 months then I'll have a review then I'll be on different medications for about 1/2 years. Food won't help as it has such little vitamin d in it. Sunlight is the only thing other than medication that will help. My Dr advised 20 minutes of midday sun 3 times a week. Anything over that and it could lead to other problems. Try not to get a tan or use sun cream as this is another barrier that will make it harder for the vitamin d to absorb into your bones. It's a long process. I've been on medication for about 2 months now and I'm still in agony. But you will get through this. I'd recommend speaking to your gp and getting on medication asap. 
    • Posted

      hi, I hope that your recovery is going well and supplements, sun and rest are all helping you. I am much better, but it seems so slow and I have to be really careful to not overdo it. Did you have an xray or fractures to know it was osteomalacia?

      take care

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.