help with vit D levels

OK........so I picked up my 4 little green pills yesterday, but it doesn't say anywhere whether it's D2 or D3???? Are they all the same color?? Pretty green

coonie:  you have to have asked the pharmacist for sure, I don't know what d2 looks like, but sounds like you have the d3...best to ask to be sure, you can call them up, they dispensed it, they should be able to tell you.

SoCalLisa...yes, and my oncologist and endocrinologist recommend I go up to a level of 70. That would be optimal for my current health issues.  I concur with my docs on this one!      ~juli

This is going back a few posts but DATO you asked if time of year made a difference.  Yes, it will, if you live in a more northern climate. The data I've seen summarize to approx the following:  Below 34 degrees north - sufficient UVB year round to synthesize D in skin (approx. Los Angeles to Wilmington NC)Above 42 degrees north - insufficient for D synthesis from November-February (approx. No. CA border to Providence, RI)Far northern latitudes - insufficient as long as 6 months

Vitamin D lasts in the body about a month or so, so if you live in Providence and get sufficient sun in the summer, you should be fine until about Dec, but from Dec-Mar you'll not make any in your body.  In addition, sunscreen completely blocks skin synthesis, as does shade, glass (car windows); the darker the skin the less is made as well.  Hope that helps.

makmak: Very little research has been reported on daily doses long-term above 2000 IU/day.  There is some evidence saying that as much as 10,000 IU/day is not toxic but I haven't found long-term studies so its really a question.  Indeed our bodies can make 20,000-50,000 IU in a half hour of exposure in midday summer sun, although whether all of it is absorbed is unknown.  That said, the 10,000 IU/day IS much higher than todays standards, and even docs who are very pro-vitamin D frequently don't recommend that much. Since you're having kidney problems, personally it seems prudent to reduce any possible cause at least for a while, including your vit D dose.  If you take 2000 IU/day like your doc says then you're likely to still raise your level if you were low (unless there's something else off-balance as the gals above were discussing), just slower than at 10,000 IU/day.  In addition, perhaps you would work your way up more slowly - do the 2000 IU/day for a month, then if BUN is ok but D level still low, go to 3000 IU/day for a month, etc.  Just some thoughts.

SocalLisa - UC SD has great vitamin D info - As a UC Berkeley graduate, I have to say that I have a soft spot for all of the University of California schools.  The levels you heard from UCSD are the same my onc. likes.

@Molly...wow - no one I know considers their doctors anywhere near the importance of G*d - perhaps in my grandparents generation.  I think todays patients are well informed, and have great information available to us. 

I just do not see the point in seeing doctors that we don't trust.  I did not go to the first onc. I met - I chose the 2nd one I met and so far it is a good fit.  Absolutely, this is my life, my body so I am going to research the heck out of breast cancer - especially my specifics (hormone positive, etc. etc).  

Knowlege is power. 

cs7777- I live way north - and my level was 23 in November - I hate to think what it would have been in subsequent months had I not been supplementing.  Scary!   

I envy any of you who have oncologists you can trust with your lives.  I really like my surgeon, my plastic surgeon, my gynecologist, my internist and my bio identical specialist/gyneMD/compounding pharmacist/holistic doc.

I am currently without an oncologist and will have to travel far far away to find one when I get around to it.  When I asked my oncologist if she would test my Vit D 3...she said "No, I'm only interested in tests that have to do with cancer."  This same doc fought me and fought me on getting the OncotypeDX test all the while trying to push me into doing chemo.  I could go on and on but.....  Anyway if you want to call this doctor bashing...then go ahead.......but I have friends who just trust whatever the doc says and never research and never ask hard questions.....soooo....What happens if they end up going to this doctor who is clearly not keeping up?  That is why I think it is good for us to share the good and the bad stories about our docs so maybe others will learn what a doctor should be like from those who have great ones and so they can learn to ask enough questions to have the good sense to RUN from an oncologist like the one I was referred to.  My problem is, in my town all the oncologists are in the same practice so I can't just switch locally.

Luna - that is terrible that you can't find a decent onc. in your area - AND I can't believe you had to fight for the oncotype - and with a score of 1 you are to be applauded. I hope your onc. learned something from your case as you would have had no benefit from chemo at all. 

I don't call that doctor bashing - just the truth.  I also am not implying that I read a lot of doctor bashing.   The sweeping generalizations such as "all doctors are out of touch - none of them learn anything about nutrition or keep up on current info outside of their speciality"  is what i was referring to and I don't even know who in particular have written such things.  I just know that once in a while I read it - and wanted to share that my onc. is well informed and to be trusted.   Not all doctors are morons.  But, all doctors are people and as we all know - some people are idiots.

That is why this board is so great - we can all learn from each other.  I was taught at a young age to question authority - but I don't think all in authority are corrupt - at least not yet!

edited to add that my onc. would not even discuss the possibility of chemo until I had my oncotype score back.  She loves the oncotype as it is a step closer to indiviualizing breast cancer treatment. I have met many patients that fly in to have 2nd opinions, consults and some actually doing chemo from across a couple of states - now I know why.

I travel 90 miles (one way) to see a Med Onc that actually listens to me and works WITH me rather than just dictating to me.  One local Med Oncs actually "lost" my records and never made a follow up appointment for me when I made it clear I was not going to do chemo.  I think we need to do this for ourselves--going to a doc you don't trust just adds stress. 

If I can ask what is probably a dumb question--what is a "Bio Identical Doc"?  I've seen the term "bio identical" a few times but I haven't found any info about what this is.  Can someone recommend a website or other source of info about this?  I'd like to learn more.  Thanks!  

There are a lot of hospitals in the general area that I live in.  I can drive 20 miles to a community hospital, or take a 30 minute ferry (not including wait time of course) and drive or take a bus for 10 minutes from the ferry building.  I take the ferry which was a drag during weekly CMF for 6 months and radiation, but for the quarterly appts not so bad.  I try - even during chemo (CMF is very easy to tolerate) to do something fun while I am in the city - meet a friend for coffee, shopping, or just enjoy the city.  If any of you have ever commuted by ferry you know that it takes a lot longer than the 30 minute ride as they only run every hour or so and it is difficult to time doctor appts perfectly.  The 3 minute radiation zap took me at least 5 hours a day from door to door.  Yes, there is a radiation facility that just opened about 10 minutes from my house but I feel that confident in the NCI where I am a patient.

Notself - so true - if you have to travel, then do something that makes it enjoyable. My ferry ride was rated in the top 10 of beautiful commutes  or beautfiul scenery on msnbc or something like that! 

How long did ya'll say it takes to start feeling better??? LOLOL

My bones are still hurting.....and it's been 2 days!

hehehe LOLOL....Mak....I'm SURE I'm not feeling better yet. Ya mean I gotta wait a whole month!!!! I think I might just turn in my keys and driver's license.....this working and running errands is for the birds!!! LOL

Have a good weekend!

My sister saw a reduction in pain in her legs after two weeks of 4000 IU per day along with 250mg magnesium and 1200 mg of calcium.

What kind of magnesium do you recommend.  I have a calcium that includes a different kind of magnesium than the kind stated on my bottle of magnesium.

Thanks notself!

Coonie, hope you're feeling better already!     (Oh, my 'winkie' didn't work)         

elimar:  I still burn very very quickly in the sun (I don't like to be in the sun at all), and I'm on high doses of vitamin d the past couple weeks.  I'm very fair-skinned like you, winter-white, lol.  I try to use sunscreen in the sun, but mostly, I do try to stay out of it.  (Yep, compounding the problem of BEING vitamin d deficient in the NorthEast).    ~juli

**Some of us as I noted cannot take calcium supplements, and I also cannot take magnesium (laxative effect for me, ugh!)**   :O 

Very true, notself.  That was a 'protocol' medication when admitted to a head-pain clinic.  They gave everyone the same meds, they learned while I learned a few things there as well....treat everyone INDIVIDUALLY!     (Introduce meds one at a time, not 13 at once, d'oh!)   LOL...lots of stories could be told here I'm sure by everyone~~~juli