Vitamin D deficiency success stories
Posted , 122 users are following.
I am in the midst of this deficiency trying to recover from the horrible symptoms that it can cause. I want to hear from people who have overcome this deficiency and how they did it. If there was adverse affects of long term use of vitamin d supplements.
How long did it take to make a full recovery and any hurdles you ran into along the way.
I am just in need of encouragement right now from this deficiency. It has stopped me in my tracks and life just stopped for me. Being frozen in time while everyone continues on with their life while I suffer and wrestle with the symptoms.
Dealing with doctors who are not knowledgeable with this deficiency can be very frustrating.
Please share your story so I know after the storm comes a rainbow. Your stories will bring encouragement and hope not only to me but for everyone out there searching for answers on vitamin d deficiency.
Thank you and God bless!
11 likes, 448 replies
gail38077 LyLy
Posted
Hi All, One thing that makes sense to me and that I can accept as far as symptoms go is the nightly very severe bone and muscle pain. Kicks in within and hour or two of lying down. I'm only about 70 days on a K, magnesium, and D3 protocol that I follow (learned of via Facebook page for D deficiency UKS), so I get that bone is probably remineralizing and/or I still have soft bones and muscles issues because of low D level being undiagnosed and untreated for so long. What I'm confused about is the nightly nausea that accompanies this pain. Some folks say they have it, many don't. I had the nausea and pain kick in simultaneously way before I even went on the protocol, so don't think the protocol is causing the nausea. Just trying to decide whether I need to get in to see my gastro. She always pushes me to have endoscopies and i don't feel like having one. i can't say I have any signs of having an ulcer, other than the nausea. Didn't get hardly any sleep the past two nights, so kind of feeling like giving up today, but tomorrow will be a new day, and hopefully, I will get some sleep tonight. I know so many of you are likely in the same boat and feeling the same way. Hard to keep your morale up. I know you have to be really patient and keep your eye on the prize and believe you will get and feel better one day. Thanks for any thoughts on the nausea front.
filippo54861 gail38077
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I also have mild nausea here and there. But I believe It's caused by the anxiety. The more I think about it, the more nauseated I am. While, if i think about something else, I am not nauseated. Maybe It's the same for you. Or maybe the anxiety is causing you stomach upset. In my opinion, i was so anxious that I got a gastritis. I also think that this deficiency makes us so miserable that i don't perceive the symptom of having nausea as impossible or weird.
elisa1982 filippo54861
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I think filippo54861 is right. My anxiety got so bad after they couldn't tell me what was wrong. I immediately assumed the worse. I remember the pain in my stomach would get so bad when I began to worry uncontrollably. I had an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. I was told I have gastritis as well. I'm pretty sure the anxiety/worry/stress caused it. Also, have you tried backing off the protocol a little? Maybe lower doses or skip a day or 2. Just to see how you feel. I don't think it will hurt. Keep us posted Gail.
gail38077 LyLy
Posted
Thanks, Elisa and Filippo, you could very well be right that the anxiety of dealing with this whole situation is making the belly and nausea worse. Who knows, maybe each time the pain kicks in at night, I automatically go into high alert/"oh no" mode, making my belly worse. I will try to see if calming my thoughts helps when I get the pain and not catastrophizing helps. I do do mindfulness and meditation videos, but likely could/should do more. I may cut back or rotate the protocol a bit. The symptoms I'm having, I had even before I started the profocol with K, D, and magnesium, but the pains are worse in the lower and upper back and ribcage, but that may be due to bone remineralization. Thanks for the support. I send very good thoughts your way too. This is not easy stuff for any of us on these boards to be dealing with.
gail38077 LyLy
Edited
Hi. I posted about this yesterday on the FB page for vitamin D deficiency UK, but I'm wondering how people handle living with an "invisible illness" and feeling rotten and feeling like friends and/or family think you are crazy or a hypochrondriac. I've been ill for many years as a result of past abdominal cancer, which lead to digestive issues, which lead to not absorbing iron, B12, and D, which lead to where I am now. I almost feel like friends and family think I'm making these symptoms up or exaggerating them. Like they feel I need to have an illness de jour, or a health problem. That I don't know how to be well. I only wish that were the case. Even if I tell friends, and I haven't told many, what I am going through with this D deficiency, no-one remembers or cares, or asks how I'm feeling, or tries to really get what I'm going through. I know friends and family have their own problems and worries, but I do wish once in a while, a friend would ask how I'm feeling, or say I know you've been kind of run down because of your health situation, are you up for doing x, y, and z, do you have the energy, etc. For now, I guess, I'll just continue to let family know how I'm doing, and really minimize, what I tell friends and how frequently, which is tough, since the journey to get over this stuff can take a long, long time, and you are not at your best. I can tell I'm much more anxious lately and end up acting that way around people.
ashley45849 LyLy
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gail38077 ashley45849
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Hi. I've been on a D3, B12, and K protocol for 77 days now. Tests have shown my D level has risen significantly; however, like you I have days when I have far less pain or far less fatigue, and then two days later, the pain is really bad again and/or the fatigue is really bad again. I don't think the recovery is linear at all. Doesn't seem to be. From what others have posted on here, and other boards, it can take 6 months to a year to feel better, even when your numbers get better. Not trying to discourage you, just trying to be honest and realistic. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that while your D levels are up, your body's been depleted of D and other key vitamins and minerals so long that it takes a while to assimilate everything and build itself back up to where it needs to be. It's unfortunate that we weren't tested by doctors for D deficiencies, when we first started showing certain symptoms, but it is what is, sadly. I think the longer you've had D deficiency and have been moving toward the state of osteomalacia (weakened muscle and soft bones), the longer the recovery is going to be. So hard to be patient, isn't it? One day, I'm doing fine and being patient, the next day after being kept up all night with bad bone pain, I don't think I can make it through the necessary six months to a year, but I will one day at a time, and so will you!
ashley45849 gail38077
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ashley45849 gail38077
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shan32959 ashley45849
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Yes I had 2 days where i felt like i was really recovering then BAM!! Symptoms back.
gail38077 LyLy
Edited
Feeling overwhelmed. About 80 days on the protocol (D, K, magnesium) because of 19 D level. Blood/urine tests last week revealed D level of 40. Calcium and phosphorus levels all quite good. I thought all along I had osteomalacia because of low D going undiagnosed for so long (causing weakened muscles and bones). Doctor said "no" because your phosphates wouldn't be so strong. Said at this D level I shouldn't continue to have this level of pain, although I still think it takes a while for your bones and muscles to assimilate the nutrients if you were D-deficient for a while. Doc said Impossible for my phosphate level and osteomalacia to co-exist. Now, I'm wondering if I have fibromyalgia, although docs have not mentioned that. If anyone else on here has fibromyalgia, do you have nausea accompanied by lower and upper back pain at night. Next step is MRI this week. It's more to just to rule things out since I've had cancer/sarcoma. just want to make sure there's no bone mets and also no bone fractures going on, etc. Part of me wonders if I could have an ulcer too, but I would think I would be in pain and have nausea during the day too if that were the case. I know that indigestion can cause back pain. I've been trying to get to the bottom of these nightly symptoms now since July 2017, so nine months or so. Thanks for any thoughts.
terr28862 gail38077
Edited
gail38077, how are you feeling? Any news? I have been almost 60 days on the protocol and too am experiencing a lot of pain. It's recently gotten worse the past few weeks. My pain is centered around my chest and heart area (I've had my heart checked out) and also my entire torso. My ribs hurt. And many of my old symptoms have returned like heart palpitations, dizziness, insomnia, headache, blurry vision, feeling disoriented, etc. I notice them more when I'm going to sleep and sometimes it wakes me up in the middle of the night. I honestly don't think I'd be sleeping much at all if it weren't for the sleep aid the neurologist has given me. I've wondered if I'm taking enough magnesium and have upped that a little. After taking my K2 this morning, my heart went nuts! I might try laying off that a bit. Have been feeling very discouraged as I had hoped I was starting to feel better. I also have wondered is this fibromyalgia?
I have my D, folate, and B vitamins tested next week and am anxious to see the results. I know I am still low on ferritin.
Hoping you are finding a little relief.
ashley45849 terr28862
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gail38077 terr28862
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Hi. Thanks for asking how I'm doing. First of all, I'm sorry that at the 60-day mark, you are still having a lot of pain. I'm exactly 100 days out right now. I don't know if what I will share will make you feel encouraged or discouraged, but here goes. Anxiety and depression definitely way better. Don't really have either like I did when my #'s were at 16 or 19 for the D. Insomnia is somewhat better. I can now sleep for a couple of hours in row, once I do fall asleep. But, I still have a lot of trouble some nights falling asleep, and even if I do nod off quickly, I wake up within an hour or so with the upper and lower back pain, rib cage pain, etc. And, I'm still having the nightly nausea. The severity of the pain does seem like it has lessened. Maybe I'm just imagining it's less and I've gotten used to it? I don't know. I've been putting magnesium cream (got at Whole Foods in Boston, MA area) on my upper back before bed. Xrays did not reveal a compression fracture in the upper back, which is one concern doctors had, but I guess 1/3 of compression fractures don't show up on x-rays, so there could still be one there, particularly in someone like me who has osteoporosis. Next steps are to see a physiatrist (not a psychiatrist, although most of us on this board could probably use one of those two, cause the symptoms of all of this can surely drive one mad) and to see my gastroenterologist. Even though I always have both the pain and nausea at night, doctors don't think they are related, but who really knows, since I don't really have a diagnosis. I'm glad you had your heart checked out. I wish you weren't dealing with all those other symptoms, but they are reminiscent of the ones I had before I started the protocol and in the early stages of the protocol. I hope that you will get some relief from some of those symptoms after you've been on the protocol a bit longer. I will keep you posted, and definitely let you know if they think I have fibromyalgia. Please keep me posted on how you are doing. Also, low ferretin can definitely cause heart palpitations. I had them wicked bad when my ferretin was low. The minute I improved that -- through IV iron treatments -- the palpitations lessened significantly. Best, Gail
june62506 LyLy
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I was just diagnosed with vit d deficiency. I have burning in both feet and muscle pain.
Can I ask did you experience this as well?
karen24446 june62506
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elisa1982 june62506
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Hi June62506,
I have a burning sensation in my left leg, below the knee down through my foot. It's very scary. It's not constantly but it's often. You're not alone. I also have muscle/bone pain. Mainly in my legs, hips, and groin area. It hurts & causes my anxiety to go up when I'm hurting.😭
june62506 elisa1982
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Thanks for your reply. I thought I was alone in this. as you said it’s not consistent but often. I’M on the second dose of 50,000 ml vitamin d, hoping to see some relief soon. I also started on b12 and calcium with magnesium.
zeeshan93356 elisa1982
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I got the same symptoms what you mentioned. I also have pain in ankles foot and fingers do you experience any of this?
I have an acute deficiency and my levels are 8.8ng/ml