My one piece of advice to anyone | Arthritis Information

 

Well,  last visit I asked my Rheumy to get my VitD levels checked the next time I had bloodwork. He casually said " yes, that may be a good idea". I am assuming it may never crossed his mind if I had not asked.

 

I have had 2 phonecalls this morning  from the Rheumy's nurse and my GP to say my levels are very low ....12nmol/L..... when the level should never be below 32nmo/L apparently. And according to a site I visited this morning, sore shins can be a symptom of low VitD. I have had sore shins for years. Given that low D levels are believed by some/many to cause or exacerbate  RA and MS, I am horrified that something SO simple may have sent me to the place I am at now.

 

I stopped my oral VitD in June after reading that it should not be administered with Pred.

I am to visit my GP for a loading dose then monthly cholecalciferol 1.25 mg. At least I dont have to pay for it!

 

Anyone with RA who has never had their VitD level tested would be VERY wise to get it done.

 

Cheers....Lyn

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/01/31/vitamin-d-benefits-part-one.aspxs

 

The one thing that really disturbs me is that so many people with RA that I have encountered here and other sites, who HAVE had their VitD level checked, have discovered it has been low. And then the research backs up the fact that it is a common denominator amongst those with RA and MS especially.

It may be that getting those levels back to where they should be will not change a thing for those of us d'xed already, ( I mean reverse the problem!) but to let as many people as possible know that having low VitD levels CAN/MAY stop them from developing some AI diseases has to be a good thing.

 

I am so peeved that I had to ask my Rheumy to do the test then he gets the results and urgently contacts my regular Doc to put it right. Geez!! I pay this man heaps to do his blardy job and I expect him to order all pertinent tests and charge me for a job well done. It should be a routine test.

I will be presenting him with an awful lot of info on this next time I see him. And the bet is I will be seeing another Rheumy pretty soon after that!! lolol. And so be it. I just want the ' experts' to be doing their job.

 

So please...any of you who havent had the test please get it done. VitD is so very important for thyroid and heart health also. And we can all do without further sh*te on our plates huh?

 

Cheers....Lyn  I had the same experience.  "Yeah...that's a good idea!"  My RD said he had to dx me as Vit. D deficient to get insurance to cover the test!  As it was it came out fine but I'm glad I asked for it!Did low vitamin D just become a concern? My dr requested it be added to my regular blood work, seems like at the beginning of this year. The nurse called and said it was low and I had to take 50000mg once a week for awhile and then tested again and told to take 1000mg everyday. Now they haven't checked it again. Course I live in Alaska, my job keeps me inside all summer, so I never get any sun, why wouldn't someone have checked this sooner? And the MS connection? A friend has that and she told me it's much more prevalent in the northern states. Maybe we should have stayed naked on the plains of Africa. Okay, I'll go take my Vitamin D.

Maybe it's not mg the bottle says IU.Ninilchicken2008-10-10 10:20:42I would suggest that everyone ask for BOTH vit D levels to be checked.  I was thought to be sero negative RA for many years and also told to supplement with vit D as just my standard vit d level was also low.  This caused me more damage.  It turned out that I actually have sarcoidosis and that vit D supplemtation worsens this disease.  If my rheumy had checked BOTH vit D levels, she would have seen the huge disperity in my values which is a very clear indicator of sarcoidosis.  I could have avoided worsening my disease and may have gotten the proper diagnoses much sooner than I did.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/02/23/vitamin-d-deficiency-part-one.aspx

Vit D is fat soluable which means that you do not just pee out any extra like a lot of vitamins.  It can build up and cause toxitcity in just a few months.

With that being said, yes, typically people with true ra and some other autoimmune disease do very much benefit from extra vit d!  I in no way want to discourage anyone from being tested and taking vit D if you need it, just be informed about the tests availbale to check your actual level.

Just a note:

  Vit D is FREE at CVS, all month long, I believe..

I think its one, per card,  ..

For those, new to CVS'ing, , you pay for the Vit D. . then you get a receipt back, w/ the FREE ECB (extra care bucks)..

its the same price, as that you paid, and use w/ next purchase..