Vitamin D deficiency

edwardmoore

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I was suffering from diabetes when i was 6 years old.My mother had a diabetes so it is hereditary in our family. I started taking insulin at the age of 9 years and after that i made a habit of it.Sometimes i feel very tense because of work and suddenly sugar level goes down.I cant eat sugar related eatables nor i can party hard as i am young enough it is very tough situation for me these and yet their is no remedy for diabetes.
 

Defren

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edwardmoore said:
I was suffering from diabetes when i was 6 years old.My mother had a diabetes so it is hereditary in our family. I started taking insulin at the age of 9 years and after that i made a habit of it.Sometimes i feel very tense because of work and suddenly sugar level goes down.I cant eat sugar related eatables nor i can party hard as i am young enough it is very tough situation for me these and yet their is no remedy for diabetes.

Welcome to the forum Edward. I agree it is so unfair, and more so when you're young as you are. For me, I am late 40's and still find it a pain. Well, no, that's not strictly true. I would prefer to have my old diet in some ways, but in others I see this as a positive. It is making me keep myself as healthy as possible, and so I keep an eye on all I eat, my vitamin intake etc. I know it has to be hard when you see friends out partying and you can't. You could still go out and drink other things than alcohol. I wish there was a cure, or at least youngsters don't have to deal with this. Good luck.
 

viviennem

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clearviews said:
I checked out constipation and Vit D3 supplements and could not find a link through the internet searches. It is a curious one. I have supplemented big time and have not had any evidence personally. Think that Viv's friend might have had something else going on.
I use D3 drops.

No, it's not Vit D3 supplements. It was the combination of calcium/Vit D in the osteoporosis supplements that caused the problem!

As it turned out, she had been misdiagnosed anyway and doesn't have osteopororis at all. As soon as she stopped taking those tablets she was fine.

Despite being older than me, she's still working - she's a shepherd - walks miles and manhandles sheep with the best of them. Watch out, Grazer! :lol:

Viv 8)
 

serendipity

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I was Vitamin D deficiant before being diag Type 2
I take Calichew D Forte
 

Defren

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serendipity said:
I was Vitamin D deficiant before being diag Type 2
I take Calichew D Forte

Seems that many of us T2 are deficient, but if the population as a whole is then it's not surprising. It's a blessing that as we are diabetics we do (sometimes) get tested for all kinds of things perhaps we may not have been before we were diabetic.
 

))Denise((

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I have read that being Vitamin D deficient can cause higher BS levels. I can't tell if going on supplements has made a difference as I started on 40mg of Gliclazide at about the same time as the Vitamin D.
 

anna29

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Hi .
Likewise, am on insulin and was high blood sugars at time of starting vitaminD therapy, so couldnt tell if they went up
at that time.
Now with my BG levels finally under control and still taking the vitaminD therapy , will keep this in mind if I forget to take it...!
Which has happened a few times as memory is terrible! :roll:
Anna.x :)
 

))Denise((

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The Endo who diagnosed my Vitamin D deficiency mentioned in the letter to my GP the possibility of Vitamin D injections but my GP decided to put me on tablets, but the Calcichew D3 Forte are twice the strength of the ones Defren has been prescribed. I do supplement extra to these, but only with Vitamin D.

I'm sure I don't get out in the sunshine enough, so I think Vitamin D deficiency will always be a problem for me - saying that I do feel loads better than I did 15 months ago, as I was so tired then, but not as good as I did when I came back from my summer holiday abroad.
 

Defren

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))Denise(( said:
The Endo who diagnosed my Vitamin D deficiency mentioned in the letter to my GP the possibility of Vitamin D injections but my GP decided to put me on tablets, but the Calcichew D3 Forte are twice the strength of the ones Defren has been prescribed. I do supplement extra to these, but only with Vitamin D.

I'm sure I don't get out in the sunshine enough, so I think Vitamin D deficiency will always be a problem for me - saying that I do feel loads better than I did 15 months ago, as I was so tired then, but not as good as I did when I came back from my summer holiday abroad.

I see my GP soon and think I will ask him why I have such a low dose and if he will up it a bit. I am also going to make sure I spend time outside and get some natural vit D as it really does seem to make such a huge difference to people who were deficient before. I also take an extra supplement.
 

Patch

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[quote="http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007%2811%2900414-X/abstract?source=aemf]In conclusion, long-term daily intakes of up to and including 10 000 IU of vitamin D maximize physiologic benefits and are safe.
[/quote]

This reassures me no end. I'm gonna get back on 10,000IU post-hast!
 

viviennem

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It reassures me too, Patch :D . I've been on 5.000IU a day all winter, nearly finished that bottle so was going down to 2500iu for the summer. Think I might just take 2 a day instead of 1 . . .

I had my blood taken for tests last week. I was talking to the practice nurse about Vit D3 so she ticked the box for Vit D levels to be checked too. It will be interesting to see what happens. Maybe it's the PCT, not the practice, that doesn't allow it?

I really do feel so much better now, at this time of year, than I would have done pre-Vit D3. Bursting into tears all over the doctor was a regular happening :lol: :lol: :oops: - poor man! No wonder he always looked nervous when he sees me :lol:

Viv 8)
 

viviennem

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Well, I've had the result of that Vit D blood test today. Remember, I don't get out much in the winter, and I've been tied to a computer for many days in the last 6 months, writing reports. As I said above, I've been taking 5000iu of Vit D3 for the last 6 months - Sept to March - and I took 2500iu from March to Sept 2011, as well as doing some gardening and sitting out when the weather allowed.

The range our lab uses is:
<25 mmol/l - deficient
25 - 50 mmol/l - insufficient
50 - 75 mmol/l - adequate
>75 mmol/l - optimum.

Mine reading was 143.5 mmol/l. I think I might be doing something right! :D

All the rest of the tests were absolutely spot on for everything - full blood count, albumin/creatinine ratio, blood haematinic levels, urea & electrolytes, liver function (bless it!), thyroid, and iron.

Blood lipids could do with some work but are all within the target range (though some are at the wrong end of okay, in my opinion).

Fasting BG came back as 5 (my meter said 4.6, 90 minutes earlier).

HbA1c was 5.6% (38 mmol/mol), which I am very pleased with, given that it included Christmas, New Year - in fact, a couple of months I'm guilty about :oops: . But I was never very far off target, and for the last month I've been very good indeed. It really does seem that the last month counts most towards an HbA1c.

I don't intend to let a couple of bad months happen again, however. The only one I'm cheating is myself, and I will have to face the consequences in the future! :shock:

Comments welcome, particularly from those who know more than I do!

Viv 8)
 

Paul1976

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The puzzle that is Asperger syndrome that I still can't fit together.
But hey,all in all those results are great and you should be proud! well done! :thumbup:
 

carty

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Well done viv
Did you have a blood test for calcium ? My calcium level is high and I was considering vit d supplements but with high calcium you should not take vit d .The GP wanted more blood tests one of which was vit d which came back as ok in fact he said that it was the highest he had seen for some time (does that mean that all the others are too low?) I havnt got a print out yet so dont know the exact figures Does any one have any information about vit d and calcium
CAROL
 

NutritionalScientist

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Well done Viv!! I'd be interested to know if you had a calcium reading done too seeing as your Vit D levels are so high. A dietitian friend of mine is very wary of supplemental Vit D because of its affects on calcium levels.

What do you intend to do with your Vit D dosage in the coming months?

Carol - The same dietitian friend said that taking Vit D with calcium was safer and this was the reason for Calcichew D3 Forte being a combination of the two. What were your levels of Vit D when tested? I assume you're not wanting to supplement Vit D if they are fine?

:)
 

viviennem

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I haven't had a serum calcium level taken since June 2010, when it was part of a bone profile test (fasting plasma). Then it was 2.42 mmol/l, towards the top end of the range the lab uses - (2.1 - 2.6). I was taking Vit D then, but not as much as now and only a general Vit D supplement, not Vit D3.

The lab usually flags up anything that is abnormal, so I'm assuming the Vit D level is not too high. They would probably have flagged up to check calcium, too, if they thought there might be a problem. Nor has the GP called me in to shout at me (not even for requesting the test :lol: ) so I assume they're happy. I'll ask for a calcium test next time - which will be June. I don't take calcium supplements because I understand excess can accumulate round/in the heart muscles? Is this right? and does high Vit D necessarily mean high calcium levels?

I knew that Vit D is essential for metabolising calcium - how does that work? And is it vice versa? I do eat dairy, fish and broccoli, so I think I'm probably getting enough calcium. But like Carol, I'd like some more information.

Viv 8)