help with vit D levels

Just checking in!

In early March I had my vitamin D levels checked and was 25, my primary suggested 2000 iu per day, I took 5-6,400 iu per day of D3 and had my levels checked again last week and it was 57. Note, March was after months of mostly being inside, so maybe it was esp low and October was after 5 months of being outside on the water with sun on face and arms for hours at a time.I am only taking about 600 whatevers of calcium per day,although my primary advised 1200. He said the Vitamin D was the fuel and the Calcium was the engine - wtf?..like I needed both. Your thoughts on the harm of boosting Vitamin D while pretty much ignoring calcium.

Julie e

My endo is not recommending supplemental calcium now for post-menopausal women,since the latest research is showing possible adverse cardiac effects.....she says to get it from your diet only.

It all gets more and more complicated......

sam

On calcium and vitamin K2

http://www.prlog.org/10046244-calcium-supplementation-and-heart-attack-risk-vitamin-k2-may-be-solution.html

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2008/mar2008_Protecting-Bone-And-Arterial-Health-With-Vitamin-K2_01.htm

This is a pretty good news summary of the heart attack - calcium link that's been referred to in the past day:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/29/calcium.supplements.up.heart.risk/index.html

Interesting articles Nan and CS. Gosh it aint easy to figure out eh???? So what food has K2 in it?

Native Mainer, thanks for your response. Getting detailed info is often like trying to get blood out of a stone, here in NZ. Ya hit a brick wall and dead ends aplenty. Its like that. Grrrr. Sorry for the rant.

Will be going back to the GP soon to see whats what and all this info is soooo much to take in. 

Jo  I like your approach with warning to be careful about self dosing. Very wise me thinx. I remember you saying somewhere, you have issues with allergies (???) I've have reactions too and so for people like us you cant be too careful. I just wish we had better options here than the  "tickle you with a feather or hit you with a brick"  approach, and then turning around and charging you much more for much less ARGGG.  

Thanks for this thread, atlhough I am getting so tired of all the wealth of information I've / we've all to absorb since our DX.  I saw my onc. last week and asked to get my D levels checked.  Report came back today, 39.  This was her note to me, "Your vitamin D is normal.  Your result is 39.  I advise that you continue your vitamin D supplementation."

This spring I started taking 2000 IU's a day.  Noticed a big difference in my fingernails and a huge decrease in pain in my knees and back.  I'm not a sun person; avoid it at all costs.  But this summer I tried to be out in it more because I knew it would help me heal.  My question is, since doctors are all over the place on what is 'normal' I'm thinking I'm going to up my intake from 2000 to 4000.  Winter's coming ... if my level is 'normal' it is definitely at the low end of normal, right? 

Thanks for your input, ladies! 

Has anyone been able to find the actual study report the CNN article quotes?  Or seen what journal it's published in?  I'd really like to look at the actual study report and I can't find it with just the researcher's name and the info given in the CNN article. 

Nativemainer, you can find the pdf of the original research article at this link:

http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c3691.full.pdf+html

There was a series of comments/letters from other researchers that you can find listed near the very bottom (labeled "Rapid Responses") of the html version on this page:  http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c3691.long.  Unfortunately the comments that ended up published in subsequent journal issues are not available free online although they are listed at the very very bottom (under "This article has been cited by other articles:")

Regarding finding original research, are you familiar with pubmed?  If not, then its the place to go - it lists the vast majority of original biomedical research published (at least in English, some in other languages) with the titles and abstracts, and links to where you can get the full articles online (sometimes the links take you to pages to pay first).  Pubmed can be found here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

Enjoy!  CS

patoo:  same here!   From a JULI...not quite a JULIE...;)

Juli

Wondering if you take any calcium. My nutritionist wanted me to start taking calcium, but was wanting to recheck my PTH levels before I start taking any calcium supplements. My calcium has always been normal, but slightly elevated PTH (80).  Wondering what your endo tells you regarding this?

Well today was PCP visit, we discussed the bone drug (due to bone density loss) and decided to put it off for a year.  We'll test my vitamin d, parathyroid, calcium, thyroid and see what's up.  I agree.  I do NOT wish to take a bone drug, as I'm only 51, I'd have a ton of years to take it, and it'd end up causing damage in the long run.  Will await results after bloodwork tomorrow at oncologist's (CT results/checkup/bloodwork), hoping the vitamin d3 is up after 5,000ius daily now.

PCP agrees this is a serious issue, and was very disappointed in my endocrinologist dismissing the low levels, also dismissing the bone density loss as well.  Which is why the endo is now 'fired'.  Won't get a new one until parathyroid issues worsen with calcium.  Just an update!  Again, thank you to everyone for the info, all has been very interesting and informative!  

~juli

NativeMainer:  I have let my endocrinologist know of the reason I will not be returning at my last visit with him.  Which is why now he's CHARGING to forward my records to my pcp.  I was aghast at his dismissal of the vitamin d3 results diminishing by 2/3 after 12 weeks of the prescription 50,000ius (it's d2, yes, that improved, d3 went down to 13 after being at 34).  Also, my bone density loss was almost 10%, he said "NO big deal"...uh...well...uh....since I have parathyroid issues (calcium), chemo/rads, bc, it IS an issue.  I let him know right then and there that I was very upset with his dismissal of my concerns.  He just shrugged and said, "You want a flu shot while you're here"...answer:  nope.  You're right, I wasn't detailed enough, I just didn't want to get into all of it, as it's my own health issue, everyone's is different.  When I 'fire' doctors, believe me, I DO tell them why~!      And, nah, he's not concerned about getting his knowledge base up-to-date at all...he pooh-poohed any info I brought in (parathyroid issues possible background for bc), he threw the paperwork back at me.  This is not acceptable, and I told him.

Again, I apologize, I have so many issues-within-issues, it's hard to explain them all, lol.  Thank you all for your patience.  I really have learned a lot here.   ~juli

Good one JO!!

Oh, believe me, I let ANY doctor know exactly how I am feeling, even if it's a good doctor.  If they cannot listen to my concerns/questions, they don't deserve my time.  Agreed with pcp to get retested with the vitamin d (yesterday, results probably Monday), parathyroid, thyroid, calcium, and revisit the bone density loss at next year's dexascan...he would prescribe Fosamax he said, but is VERY reluctant, which I'm glad. Saw oncologist yesterday (I have a port, so we take all the blood at one time), still low blood counts, but not enough to warrant any treatments.  Onco still sees me every 3 months, after next year, he'll space the visits out a bit more, and one more year of the testing (bone scans, bilateral breast MRIs, CTs), since all looks good now--NED.  Again, I've learned SO much thru this very thread about the vitamin d, I'm very very grateful.  ~juli

G'Morning JO:  Thanks for your update too, guess we both are awaiting our labs.  (I am not deficient in magnesium, so therefore have the same effect as you:  EX-treme diarrhea (I cannot control it, it messes my pants, grossly enough!  Sorry!)   I think we who are chronically Vitamin D3 deficient, really just have to take an increased dose, and it takes a LONNNNNNG time to improve.  I won't do the 50,000ius of D2 anymore, it did no good after 12 weeks.  I just take 5,000ius of D3 daily (so far).   PLEASE let us know, and I will do the same....thinking mine's not gonna be much better yet either, but HOPING my PTH (parathyroid hormone) levels are normalizing with the increase of vitamin d (my theory now as to the high PTH).  GOOD LUCK, JO!~!    ~juli