Vit D Deficiency?

I was what my D. called "dirt" low - I can't remember the numbers, but he was shocked to see whatever it was.....I did suffer from horrible muscle and joint pains (mostly my right knee for some reason) and fatigue so bad that I swore I was going to never be able to get out of bed again.

I've been taking the 50,000IU pills once a week for about 6 months and I am still low....My iron is low, too -- and I think I will have to go for infusions because none of the pills I've tried are helping.

The good news is I do have more energy already though....Once I address the low iron, I might even feel normal again?! GOOD LUCK!!

I don't have a Vit. D problem, but I hear its very common for women as you get older. If it does turn out you have a deficiency, your doctor will recommend supplements, vitamins or even medications but my gf who is a nutritionist recommends curing it with food.
Here are her suggestions:
The hands-down best way to get vitamin D is from high-vitamin cod liver oil
an old-fashioned supplement considered a "sacred" food by many traditional cultures around the world (or fish liver oil of other kinds as well). The fermented variety is even more packed with nutrients, enzymes, etc. Order from www.GreenPasture.org -- Dave (the owner) uses cod livers from Norway that are going to be discarded, and ferments them the traditional way in large vats. He tests every batch for purity (no mercury, PCBs, etc.) but does not deodorize, water down, or otherwise process the oil in a way that renders it less beneficial. He has done a LOT of research on this and is deeply committed to providing an unusual and extremely high-quality product.

Also, contrary to popular opinion (including medical opinion), it is very
important AND NOT THAT DIFFICULT to get vitamin D from your diet. Unfortunately, it will be next to impossible to get it in a vegan diet, and quite difficult to get in adequate amounts from a vegetarian diet. Of course, I have no idea what your diet is like -- most Americans eating a general American diet also don't get much D. This is because it is formed and stored in the bodies of animals who are --much like us!-- exposed to sunlight, and eating natural diets of grass, bugs, small animals, plankton, etc. (And let's face it: most of the animal products we eat now are from confinement-feeding operations, or fish farms --NOT nutrient-dense sources.) Animals form vitamin D in their fur, feathers, and
skin when exposed to natural amounts of sunlight (so a "free-range" chicken egg from the store won't cut it - the chicken must be on pasture). Vitamin D is also a fat-soluble vitamin, so we have to eat FAT to get it!

It is found in fish liver oil, fish eggs, liver & other organ meats, egg yolks
(from chickens roaming on pasture), butterfat (butter & cream) from milk of cows on pasture (remember, they have to be out in the sun most of the time), small oily fish & shellfish, duck & chicken fat (including the skin!), and -last but not least- fat from pigs on pasture. One tablespoon of lard or bacon fat from a truly pastured pig will give you a whopping 1100 IUs of vitamin D. Now THAT'S not something they talk about in any doctor's office! :)

Since I began eating a diet containing these foods about 1.5 years ago I have watched every health problem I had disappear: hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, low energy, acne, PMS, joint pain, headaches, mental fogginess, irritability & moodiness...the list goes on. Oh, and I'm back to my teenage weight, about 100-105 lbs. So eating all this fat (paired with lots of vegetables and high-quality protein) has certainly not resulted in weight gain!

Hope that helps! Good luck!

Have you been checked for Lupus or Celiac? I felt horrible for years and I was told it was caused by IBS, then I ended up with heartburn so bad I didn't eat anything but ice for a week. Finally they tested me for Celiac and the test came back positive. Once I went on the gluten free diet I felt 100 times better until recently. I started feeling fatigue and achy all over.Plus small bruises were showing up all over my body. I kept thinking I must be getting gluten somewhere but could not find it anywhere. Come to find out I now have a Vit. D deficiency.I just started recently on a high dose of Vit. D so we will see if it works. I hope you find out what is wrong. I know how terrible it is when you don't feel right and no one seems to have an answer. Best of Luck.

I was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency about 6 months ago, but haven't had any follow-up tests since and I feel much better. I had all the symptoms you just described. I take vit D supplements (well, when I remember too), but to help with absorption you really need to take them with calcium supplements as well.

My tests came back worrying my Dr.s that I could have had lupus, but secondary testing and my symptoms concluded that I didn't. Your rheumatologist would be able to rule out lupus from the blood test, so I don't think that is it.

I read your previous post and I do agree, has anyone considered celiac or fibromaylagia? My mother in law has fibro and she takes a lot of supplements as well as western medicine, chiropractic care and it helps keep her pain level to a point where she can function. Do you have a lot of stress in your life right now? Stress can cause flares that make symptoms worse. In that case, overcoming the stress, delegating and allowing your mind and body to relax truly helps.

Also, my mom had a herniated cervical disc at C6-C7 I believe, and the steroid injections and physical therapy did nothing for her, through traction helped a tad. She ended up having a very invasive surgery and fusion with the cadaver bone (so no bone was removed from her hip) almost 2 months ago. While she is still a little sore in the muscle area of the surgery site, her nerve pain is gone and she feels amazingly better.

Being a nurse, I am sure that you have access to far more information on Vit D deficiency than can reliably be found on the internet, but I did find a lot of interesting information at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D

Including, that vitamin D deficiency is associated with peripheral vascular disease, certain cancers, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Perhaps a Vit D deficiency does adequately explain the symptoms you are experiencing? If I read them correctly from your previous post, they sound almost like precursors to R.A. (which I understand you have already been tested for and it was ruled out).
Are you already on a supplement regimen? Are you adding some daily sunlight to your routine? (You can overdose with supplements, but your body equalizes the absorption when you get enough via sunlight so you can't reach toxicity via sunlight).
I hope you are feeling better soon. Doesn't sound like fun.

Just minor, from living in Seattle. (A huge percentage of us don't see daylight or moonlight for weeks and months at a time... stupid weather).

Mine's average for the region. Pretty easily fixed with tanning and making a concentrated effort to drink milk (yuck) on a regular basis.

From reading your previous post my question to you would be - have they tested you for MS?

Hi I am going through the same tests. I am only deficient in D and am on a weekly dose of 40,000 mg plus 2400 a day on top of that. I have the same symptoms. What are your doctors telling you? Mine won't say anything at this point. I have to go for a sleep study and to a neurologist. Let me know and I will do the same for you!

Hi L. B, I was recently diagnosed with a severe Vitamin D deficiency and for the past three weeks I have been taking a weekly prescription supplement. My test showed I had 1/5 the amount of D that is expected during this time of year in the northeast. I did have some symptoms such as fatigue and muscle aches in my legs and some minor joint pain. Of course, I am not sure if it was attributed to the deficiency. I am also not sure if the supplement is helping because I contracted a cold and then the flu during the past few weeks and I am just now recovered. The big thing with this deficiency is that it leaves you at higher risk for certain types of cancers and of course osteoporosis. So, I really need to increase my blood levels. My tests did not reveal any other nutrient deficiencies. I have to take the high dosage vitamin D for three months and then get retested. Thereafter, I need to take 1000 mg daily. Web MD helped give me some info about this (I am sure you have done some other research by now). I had no idea that one could be vitamin D deficient and that it was such a serious issue. Hope this is helpful.

make sure they test your thyroid- not just the basic test but both test- I have low thyroid and those are all symptoms!!!! I collapsed in the bathroom and split my head open- that was how mine was diagnosed 7 years ago.

I have to second Jessica D. I also eat a diet high in traditional foods. A great blog to check out is www.nourishedkitchen.com They have some beautiful recipes, photographs and resources.
I also second Jessica's suggestion that Vitamin D defiency is rarer than we like to believe. I recently read this article, and you should look into it too.

http://www.fooducate.com/blog/2010/11/30/is-the-vitamin-d...

Symptoms like joint pain, fatigue and muscles aches are common symptoms for a whole host of issues. I wouldn't hone in on a vitamin D defiency unles you have some other smoking gun.