help with vit D levels

Dear JO,

May I ask why you go off the D before the test? My GYN, and the doctor who has prescribed my BHRT told me to stay on the D3, and my daughter's doctors want her on the D for the test also. That determines your actual levels. I have posted this before, but my D levels are 76 ng/ml, my daughter's are 74 ng/ml, and we take 5000 iu's of D3 OTC. We live in central PA, and this summer had all the sun we had hoped for, but neither my daughter or I stopped taking D3. My daughter was dx with TNBC in Jue of 2007.

Hi girls, my doc sent a hair test for me to the USA about eight years ago and it came back with my copper levels extremely high as well as alot of other things.  At that time my vitD was almost non existant so I started on 1000iu OTC Vit D each and every day.  I was dx'd with the BC about 12 months later.  All the time between then and now I have been upping my dosage of Vit D with the consent of my doc and my levels have rised very slowly and the copper had dropped very slowly.  At present, I take 4000iu Vit D p/day.  My last blood test was about three weeks ago and my copper levels are on the lower side of the normal range and my Vit D is at 110 with the optimal rang at 60-160.  Please don't be afraid to take your Vit D because your copper is a little high as for me, it has been a slow process but the copper has drop as the Vit D went up.  The only time I have stopped taking my D is a few days before any surgery as vit D can act as a blood thinner and cause excessive bleeding.

Peace, strength, love n hugs.  chrissyb

Thanks for the replies!  I do really trust my ND because he researches these things instead of saying "Hmm, I've never heard that" and he doesn't blow me off like conventional docs/oncs do.  None of my other docs had heard of copper affecting estrogen, but it says it right there in my hair analysis report from the lab.  All it says in the report about Vit D is to avoid it and calcium supplements, but it doesn't explain why.  When I tried to explain it to my obgyn when she wanted me on Vit D (and my levels weren't even low), she wouldn't even look at the report.  I'll bring it up again with my ND when I see him.

Nancy - you only need a small snip of about 1/4 inch of hair.  I think I did mine about 3 months after my last chemo.  You can have just your copper level tested by blood, but to really get the big picture, you have to see where you levels of other elements are as compared to the copper.  For example, my copper was high and my zinc and iron was low.  There's an important synergistic relationship between Cu/Zn and Cu/Fe, so in order to bring the copper down I have to take zn/manganese/vit c and Fe/vit c supplements.  So if I had only tested for copper, we wouldn't have known about the others.  There's much more to it, but that's the easiest way for me to explain it.  I hope I made sense! I don't know if all those minerals can be obtained through just a blood test or if it would have to be hair, maybe someone else knows?

Thanks again ladies!

I would be shocked if a GP would do a hair analysis.  They generally poo-poo them, at least in my experience.  A chiropractor might have the kit though.  Then you just cut the hair and send it to the lab and they send the results to the doc.  It tests for the toxic stuff like mercury, lead, aluminum, etc also.

Just a quick fly-by.  I've been on 3000-4500 mg/day of Vit D3 for a couple months (depending on how much I remember to take).  Last Onc visit, 4 months ago level was 32 nl/mL;  tested last week and it's up to 43.  I've been reporting here that joint issues have improved to zero pain, 99.9 pct of the time and I really believe it's because of the Vit D3.  Went off the glucosamine/chondroitin at least a month ago and still no pain.  When I do get discomfit in the hip it's usually following a strenuous exercise routine or much walking. 

BTW, my Onc only left a voice message that D levels were "normal" so don't know if he even noticed the 11 ng increase.  When I get a chance, I'm going to find and print out info on Vit D and BC and fax over to him.

I just got my vitamin D number... 28.  My PC wants me to up my D3 to 2000 IUs and probably 5000 this winter.  My B12 was 275, which isn't terrible, but she wants me on 1000 mcg for that as well.

I sure hope this along with my multivitamins help me to feel more like my old me... or better yet, a better old me! :-)

I have a DEXA scan on Friday, so we'll see  how that is.

-Theresa

So because of my 2nd DX in a year 1/2  I started taking 5000 IU a day in March and I try to get out in the sun at least 20 to 30 minutes every day. I just had my levels checked and I am at 52. I guess that is a start. I know it needs to be higher but at least I know I am starting out in a good range. I also just got the results of my last PET Scan a week ago and I am still ALL CLEAR!!!  I plan on keeping it that way. I will probably get my Vitamin D levels checked again by January hopefully I will be in the 60's!!!

Jenn

Repeat after me folks

D3 D3 D3

5000 5000 5000

LOL

YAY Jenn for the ALL CLEAR on the PET Scan.  \

I'm also going up to 5000.  Haven't had any bad effects from 3800 so may as well even it out to get my D3 up.  PCP and Med Onc don't seem to care!

Great news Jenn on the all-clear~!  

I am one of those who also believes Vitamin D and breast cancer are totally linked.  Also, with the article (previously listed here, I can't seem to find it right now) that linked parathyroidectomy with bc as well, I still think it boils down to vitamin d deficiency.  Most of us seem to have that chronically.  I am up to 5,000ius a day, will get tested end of Oct. (and yes, I know, it may not show a change yet)...and may go even higher on the dose.   I truly think doctors have NO CLUE about vitamin d, and I also am VERY grateful for all the info here.  I thought I had a 'great' endocrinologist, I have since fired him, since my new PCP is more into being proactive.

~juli

**A true learning experience for me, thank you all!**

mlv:  As you know, there are absolutely NO stupid questions!   I have 2 bottles of 1,000ius, so I take 3 in the morning, and 2 in the afternoon (with food), total of 5,000ius a day.  I, like many on here, am chronically vitamin d3 deficient.  I don't think starting with a high dose is beneficial.  I started slow, 2,000ius a day for a few days, then 4,000 for a few, now the 5,000ius.  I get retested end of October, and I bet I'm still not taking anywhere near enough, but it does take a LONG time to get levels up also.  I figure I'll just finish out the bottles of 1,000ius since I had them.  Then, I'll get the 5,000ius (it's always buy one, get one free at any of our stores). 

Good Luck getting your levels up, remember it does take a long time (and most docs have NO clue about vitamin d at all, it's been kinda up to us here to self-dose and then get tested)  ~juli

....like to echo theresap and juli, no stupid question whatsoever. My impulse was to titrate up as quickly as possible but some people can't tolerate high doses very quickly.

One difficulty in choosing supplements is that they are not FDA regulated, so there is no knowing how good they are. The exceptions are those that voluntarily submit their products for review to United States Pharmacopeia, which also reviews the integrity of prescription drugs. To find out which Vit D3 suppliers voluntarily seek their approval, visit:  http://www.usp.org/USPVerified/ 

This does not mean that supplement makers who do not submit their products are not to be trusted, but it is one place to start. Good luck.

I hope in ten years all of us who are getting our Vit. D3 levels high can meet and say that we continue to be NED. I really wouldn't be surprised if this was The Cure for some women . 

Thank you ladies.  With so much information to absorb it's so nice to have you all to bounce questions off of.  I'll begin my D3 ramp up with 2000iu.  I'll also need to get some magnesium as my one of day is very short on its amount.  Now how about Omega 3, what amounts are you all taking?  ER+ ladies, are you taking flaxseed? Please let me know if these questions should be directed in another thread.  Thanks.

Hi Chrissyb,  Thank you for sharing.  I was wondering, have you heard of any difference between the ground flax and flaxseed oil?  I do a gluetemine shake 2x/day that calls for 1 tbsp of Flaxseed oil. Do you think I need to add flaxseed sprinkles on my food as well? Thanks.

Patoo - I will vote for St. Kitts and Nevis, but anywhere in that general part of the world would be wonderful. 

Has anyone here noticed improvements in their skin since taking high doses of Vitamin D3? Just curious. My skin is looking like porcelain lately. It could be the non smoking, but I was wondering if any of you had found that?