Vitamin D deficiency: do you have it?

About 3 month agos, I discovered that I was severely deficient in Vitamin D. I had gone in to see my back doctor because my chronic pain and fatigue symptoms of fibromyalgia had gotten worse, and I had new pain associated with back problems. The doctor ordered some blood work to rule out rheumatoid arthritis (which a family member has) and a few other things. The results were surprising.

One of the blood tests they did is called VITAMIN D, 25-OH. What one hopes to see is  a blood level within the standard range: 30 - 80 ng/mL (Over 80 can be toxic).

The Optimum Level: 30-80 ng/mL
Insufficiency: 20-29 ng/mL
Deficiency: <20 ng/mL

My results? 19 ng/mL, or "severe deficiency." No wonder I felt like crap! I have no idea how long I have been this way.

My primary care doctor put me on a regimen of megadoses, once a week for 12 weeks, to replenish the supply in my body. Since Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it is not enough to just take a daily dose in order to recover; one has to build up the stores in the body. This is why you should get your blood tested to find out what your levels are, rather than just popping supplements. In addition, you can get too much Vitamin D, and this can cause significant problems.

After the 12 weekly doses, I was retested, and my level is now up to 40 (yay!) but I'll need to continue to take daily supplements, because even sun exposure and drinking milk are not enough at these northern latitudes.

One thing I noticed after four weeks of treatment was that I started to remember my dreams, to the point where I wondered if I was metabolizing my anti-depressants differently (they suppress my dream memory). I also noticed a huge improvement in my digestion and regularity (ahem), a major life improvement. Most significant is a noticeable improvement in   levels of daily pain, fatigue and inability to focus. The more I read about recent research on Vitamin D's role in metabolism, the more I believe that everyone can benefit from finding out what their levels are, just as we do for cholesterol, iron, or other important metabolic factors. Research is showing links between adequate Vitamin D levels and protection against skin cancer, Crohn's disease, colon cancer, autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, and other conditions.

My mother, who is recovering from chemotherapy, has been having excellent results from her treatment, but also was tested and discovered she was Vitamin D deficient. I'm hoping her treatment will also mean less fatigue and pain for her.