 Posted 18/02/2011 20:16:15
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Posted 18/02/2011 20:23:15
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Sorry folks, I posted the test message first because I was unable to post from another computer earlier in the day.
I am 55 and still not menopausal. I have been ill for 6 years and have finally found out that I have an underactive thyroid, ferritin deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency and Vitamin D deficiency. The B12 has now been sorted through supplements. I need iron therapy, but can't get it in my area on the NHS and am trying to raise my ferritin levels through an oral supplement. In another two years I reckon I'll be about there.
My Vitamin D last spring was below range, despite a good diet and spending lots of time outside, It went up from 10 to 25 between April and October on an oral supplement, but my endo said it was still too low and sent me for an injection of 300,000 ius. This sent my level back down to 22 and with it went my calcium, which went from mid range to below range almost immediately. I had the injection in Oct, was tested in Nov and went back on the oral supplement immediately. I will be tested again in May before I see the endo again.
I am now having a DEXA scan next Wed. I was never worried about this. I have been sent for it because I am 'at that age', but now I am beginning to wonder whether I might be at risk. I did have two fractures (wrist and collar bone) 20 years ago as a result of domestic violence, but the severe joint pain and restricted movement that I suffered for years disappeared almost overnight once my thyroid was properly treated.
I am not worried about the scan, but as the date gets nearer, I am getting concerned about the results, principally because I do not know why my Vit D was so low or how long it had been like that.
I would appreciate any advice anyone is able to give at this stage.
Thanks
BM
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Posted 18/02/2011 20:45:06
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Hi,
Welcome to the forum ! There's a lot written on forum about vitamin D....have a look around. Apparently up to 85% of people in the UK do not have sufficient levels of vitamin D ! It's a cause for concern not just for bone health (osteoporosis and osteomalacia which is adult rickets) but also heart health, cancer, diabetes and more. What oral supplement of D are you on ? I take Dekristol, 20,000 IUs D3 capsule once per week, that keeps my level of D optimal at around 175 nmol/L. I get tested every few months. I'll probably be able to go to one Dekristol capsule once a fortnight during the summer when I get some sun too. I also eat a lot of wild slamon which is the only food really high in D.
With all those deficiencies have you been tested for coeliac ?
all the best,
Osteoporosis - Strontium Ranelate, Dekristol vitamin D3 20,000 IU/week, weight lifting, walking and vibration platform exercise, alkaline loaded diet, vitamin K2 MK-7 100mcg/d, K2 MK-4 5mg/d. Diabetes - Repaglinide, low carb diet and exercise. Congenital heart defect - Omacor and CoQ10
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Posted 18/02/2011 20:57:36
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Thanks for the welcome. Currently taking 2 x 1,000iu per day. I buy them from H & B. Consultant's idea of D supplementation was 1 x Calcichew per day and as they contain aspartame and soya, I was not prepared to take them!
I have been tested for coeliac and it was negative. I've never had any obvious problem with gluten, but I am now virtually gluten free and actually feeling much better, but I am now taking so many supplements and also, finally, thyroid meds, so it's difficult to tell what is responsible for what.
I certainly know that both the endo and his specialist nurse told me that I would feel almost instantly better after the Vitamin D injection and I actually felt much, much worse.
There's certainly something not right with me. 55 and absolutely no sign of menopause? My FSH was tested 2 years ago and it was at a level where I would be eligible for IVF! However, if continuing regular cycles give me some protection against bone loss...
BM
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Posted 18/02/2011 21:48:08
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You are that deficient and only on 2,000 IU D per day ?!?! If I am on approx 3,000 IU per day (20,000 IU per week) and that keeps me replete - how can they expect you to get into the replete range ?
The vitamin D injection you had would have been of vitamin D2 and maybe that's why you didn't feel right after it as D2 is not the same as D3.
Are the H and B vitamin D you take D3 and are they oil base gel caps ? It's important that you have gel caps and not tablets when you are taking vitamin D for better absorption.
But your endo (or GP) can prescribe Dekristol which is D3 and oil based, higher potency and pharmaceutical quality and purity too.
I'm gluten free too. I found I had an intolerance to grains but by the time I was tested for coeliac I'd been totally gluten free for several months so the test wouldn't work. I was told I would have to have a gluten rich diet for six weeks before having the test which I wasn't prepared to do because of the unpleasant effects of those foods and because I'm diabetic and grain foods are high in carbs which send my blood glucose too high. I feel much better gluten/grain free.
Osteoporosis - Strontium Ranelate, Dekristol vitamin D3 20,000 IU/week, weight lifting, walking and vibration platform exercise, alkaline loaded diet, vitamin K2 MK-7 100mcg/d, K2 MK-4 5mg/d. Diabetes - Repaglinide, low carb diet and exercise. Congenital heart defect - Omacor and CoQ10
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Posted 18/02/2011 23:00:23
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| Underactive thyroid can cause lots of deficiencies, more so if it goes undiagnosed for a good while, especially in ferritin B12 VitD. Most people I know need to supplement with the these. I have underactive thyroid ,Coeliac and Osteoporosis. Sadly Coeliac can help to cause Osteo as can the thyroxine cause thinning of the bones and I have been on thyroxine many years now. Once you get your readings for your thyroid for TSH and T4 to a good place you will start to feel better.Being underactive causes a host of problems till you are medicated right and then still some I have my D3 in with my calcium supplement calfovitD3 and I supplement B12 with a good sublingual one, and sometimes take extra D3 capsules. Thyroid-Disease.org.uk is a good site to read up how other people have got over these problems and there is a section about Vitamins and vit D b12 etc as well. Plenty to read. Hope you get sorted soon.
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Posted 19/02/2011 14:25:55
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Annabel
I was taking 1,000iu per day Vit D from April until October. I started them in April but didn't get the result of the test until June and that came in at 10, so I'd started supplementing off my own bat and got a head start so to speak. GP prescribed Adcal but I wouldn't take them, not just because of the aspartame and soya, but because of the number I would need to take per day to get a decent amount of Vit D. In October my D test came back at 25 and the endo decided I should have the injection. I had the injection and was told I should stop taking the oral supplement, which sounded reasonable. A month after the injection, when I was feeling awful, my level was 22 and the endo then said that the nurse should have told me to continue to take the oral supplement, but a lesser amount. As soon as I came back from that appointment, I went back on the oral supplement (tablets not gel caps - didn't know that) and doubled the dose. Endo wants my level up to about 30 he says...
If it was left to him and my GP, I would be on 400 ius a day.
To the others, I am a regular on the thyroid sites under another name.
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Posted 04/03/2011 12:14:13
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| DEXA scan 23 February. I was told results would be available at the end of this week, although the nurse was not sure whether my GP would be able to see them. Hand delivered letter from my GP this morning asking me to contact the surgery re my recent visit to the hospital. I phoned them as soon as I knew but I was 15 minutes past the deadline for a telephone consultation today. I am not prepared to wait until Monday, which was what was suggested, so I have to call again at 1.00pm. Am I worried? Yes I am... BM
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