Anyone here get their vitamin D levels checked?

[mle_ii]

Anyone here, who is still symptomatic, get their vitamin D levels checked? If so what type of Vitamin D was checked and what were your levels?

I should get results back next week, but since I am "mild" MC perhaps it won't show anything. I'm really thinking that Vitamin D has got to play a huge part in our intollerances to foods and in the autoimmune disease part.

Thanks,
Mike

[cludwig]

Hi Mike,
My naturopath put me on transdermal vit. D after she went to a conference on inflamation and autoimmune diseases. She ordered a blood test which came back with very low levels of D. I don't know what type was checked. Probably most of us in the NW are low.

Love,
Cristi

[mle_ii]

Hi Mike,
My naturopath put me on transdermal vit. D after she went to a conference on inflamation and autoimmune diseases. She ordered a blood test which came back with very low levels of D. I don't know what type was checked. Probably most of us in the NW are low.

Love,
Cristi

Hi Cristi,

Can you find out what form of vit D she's giving you and what form she tested for? I'm very curious.

Agreed on the NW thing. In fact they're finding a lot of diseases that are inflamitory or autoimmune to be dependant on latitude and thus perhaps Vitamin D. Just take a look at some of the Inflamitory Bowel Disease maps.

[barbaranoela]

Mike-----I had my Vit.D levels checked last year---

All I know is the results came back as *normal*
I never think to ask what type and so on--

When I hear *normal---good* that makes me happy---
Not much of a help----
Also----I never even asked *why* my levels were being checked---it was done when Lou and I were in AZ.
Didnt go to the Dr. for any bothersome thing---it was just to get us a Dr. in case~~~~~
Perhaps when she read my *ailments* and the meds I am on--that might have been the reason for the blood work up---

Barbara

[cludwig]

Hi Mike,

I see her next Tues. ...so I'll ask her then.

Love, Cristi

[Polly]

Hi Mike,

I had mine checked last month, but I have been GF for 5 years now. (Didn't have a baseline done before MC). I had the calcitriol checked (the active vitamin D or 1,25 dihydroxy) and it was normal at 44 (range 16-56). I was surprised because I have also eaten no dairy products in the past 5 years and had taken no vitamin D supplements. I guess I got enough sun from my every-other-day outside run. Of course, this was done in summer - it might be a different story in winter.

Love,

Polly

[mle_ii]

Hi Mike,

I had mine checked last month, but I have been GF for 5 years now. (Didn't have a baseline done before MC). I had the calcitriol checked (the active vitamin D or 1,25 dihydroxy) and it was normal at 44 (range 16-56). I was surprised because I have also eaten no dairy products in the past 5 years and had taken no vitamin D supplements. I guess I got enough sun from my every-other-day outside run. Of course, this was done in summer - it might be a different story in winter.

Love,

Polly

Hi Polly,

That's one of the problems of getting Vitamin D checked; unfortunately that form is the one that doesn't tell us much. It's like measuring normal blood calcium to check for osteoporosis. Our bodies maintain that level of calcium per homeostasis, thus some tests don't tell us the thing we need to know if we measure the wrong thing.

In the case of 1,25 dihydroxy this level is maintained by our bodies, but we could still be low in the form of vitamin D from which this is formed. For Vitamin D the level that should be checked is called 25(OH)D, this is the major circulating form of Vitamin D. You could have built up the levels that they checked pretty quickly, perhaps even just getting to your appointment in the summer sun, or even the day spent in the the sun a day or 2 before hand.

Thanks,
Mike

[mle_ii]

Mike-----I had my Vit.D levels checked last year---

All I know is the results came back as *normal*
I never think to ask what type and so on--

When I hear *normal---good* that makes me happy---
Not much of a help----
Also----I never even asked *why* my levels were being checked---it was done when Lou and I were in AZ.
Didnt go to the Dr. for any bothersome thing---it was just to get us a Dr. in case~~~~~
Perhaps when she read my *ailments* and the meds I am on--that might have been the reason for the blood work up---

Barbara

As I mentioned to Polly, if they didn't check the right form of Vitamin D, it could be normal for that form, but not normal for Vitamin D deficency. :(

[mle_ii]

Hi Mike,

I see her next Tues. ...so I'll ask her then.

Love, Cristi

Oh and if you remember, could you ask the level?

I've read even more on this Vitamin and it really sounds like something we might need. In fact even if folks spend time in the sun they still could be low if they wear sun screen all the time. Also, those of us at higher lattitudes need to spend even more time in the sun or getting it via other sources because the levels of UVB are much lower up here than farther down south.

[mle_ii]

I'll also add this article:
The case against ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) as a vitamin supplement.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... med_docsum

It talks specfically about what vitamin is tested for and which one to supplement.

Testing should be for "25(OH)D" or also called "25-hydroxyvitamin D" or "25-hydroxycholecalciferol" or even "calcidiol".

The one to supplement with is called Cholecalciferol or Vitamin D3.

[mle_ii]

Cristi, did you ever hear back on your Vitamin D labs?

[cludwig]

Hi Mike,

I was looking for this conversation last night and got side tracked. I did indeed find out. My vitamin D (25 OH) was 22 ng/ml. The healthy range is 32.0 -100. My naturopath said she ordered me D3...however I looked at my vit D transdermal cream and it said D2....the compounding pharmacy had screwed up. So, I've been taking the wrong stuff all this time. Just got the D3 in the mail yesterday and started with the correct stuff. She was in complete agreement with the points you brought up. I get everything re-checked next week anyway I as have to have my thyroid levels checked. So it will be interesting to see if the D2 has done anything or not. I just finished ordering a light box...it doesn't provide any Vit D but since the seattle days are getting shorter and switching over to day light savings time this weekend, I thought I'd try it this winter. I grew up in Ohio and even though I've been here over 20 years I still have a hard time with the clouds.


Love,
Cristi

[mle_ii]

Interesting! I'll get my results pretty soon. Getting both the "25(OH)D" and "1,25(OH)D" levels checked. It'll be interesting to see how I compare. Yeah, D2 definitly isn't the right stuff. Good to see you have the D3. What form is it or does it say? Sometimes it will only say D3.

Did your Dr test your B12 or other B vitamin levels? Not sure it has anything to do with MC, but I was below or near the low levels for almost all of the B Vitamins.

A light box is a great idea, indeed it doesn't help with Vit D (unless you get a UV bulb), but it does help with SAD and sleep/body cycles.

Thanks for the info Cristi!

Mike

[henrym]

I was under the impression that my D3 levels would be better since the LC is under control for some time already.

[henrym]

I did a bloodtest last year before moving to another city and completely forgot about it. I just checked the D3 level; 13.8 ug/L was the result.
I guess its time to supplement again..
Would 5000 iu be enough, or is a higher dose better in my case?
Thanks