Could low vitamin D really have caused all this?

[riotlady]

I know there's been a few threads on vitamin D, so apologies for another one!

I got my levels tested recently out of curiosity and found they were 16.9, which is quite deficient. I've been very unwell since last August, with severe fatigue, aches all over, especially in my fingers, headaches, nausea and vomiting (which has thankfully settled down a bit now). I've had lots of blood tests, a gastroscopy, and I've been referred to a clinic for a potential cfs/me diagnosis. It's had a massive impact on my life, I've been unable to complete my final placement for my degree so my graduation has been delayed. Now that I've read up on the symptoms of vitamin d deficiency, I'm wondering if it could be a significant factor in my symptoms? Has anyone had similar? I don't want to get my hopes up too much but I've basically been told by the doctors to get used to the fact that I'm now chronically ill, it would be amazing if there was something that could help.

I have a chronic illness and my vit D was 7.

@username44416 did you feel any better once you got your vitamin d levels up?

Mine was down to 20, but I also had very low ferratin so couldn't work out which symptoms related to what. Also menopausal. I know I felt much better after boosting both!
I had bad fatigue, bad aches and pains, breathlessness and my hair was falling out by the handful.

Yes definitely. Vitamin D deficiency can make you so ill. Everyone in the UK is meant to supplement. I thought my child had leukaemia or similar as so ill, in and out of hospital, raised bloods to sepsis levels, no energy etc. Eventually diagnosed as pfapa which is cured by vit D. Treated with 6000iu of vit D on prescription from GOSH and they havent been ill since or even had an ache or pain and that dose was for a tiny 6 year old. NICE guidelines specify the dosage required depending on blood results.

Are you in UK? Were you supplementing? Were you getting sunlight last summer or were you shielding as normally levels would be at highest Aug to Sept when you say your symptoms started?

I am still incredulous that something so simple can be so life transforming and believe the research that shows virtually no one has got seriously ill from covid if their vit D levels are at optimum (100).

Mine was 16 and I felt like death. Brain fog, achy, tired, depressed.

All went when I got better.

Interestingly long term low vitamin D can be linked to gallstones....could your gallbladder be complaining?

I had this about 10 years ago - I can’t remember my vit D level but the consultant said it was worryingly low and put me on high dose vitamin D. I felt like an old lady, everything ached and I felt totally exhausted.

I felt much better after a couple of months. I still take daily high dose vitamin D and it’s not returned.

Of course, none of us can say for sure what’s causing your issues.. but vitamin d is so readily available and well studied, it really is worth trying it to see if it helps you. Have a read up on what dosage to start with to rapidly get your levels back to a better level.
Wishing you best of luck and would be really interested to hear in a few weeks time if you are seeing any improvements. At the very least, it is a good thing to be taking for your all round health and immune support.

I have other issues, but these exacerbations always happen if I haven't enough vitamin d.

[quote riotlady]@username44416 did you feel any better once you got your vitamin d levels up?[/quote]
Unfortunately not, no. I have a chronic illness and my Vit D is now fine. I take supplements. My Dr sent me away with ADs for two years without checking my Vit D levels, so that may have led to how low it was.

A locum tested me and it was 7. Had to have emergency supplies. I have fibro and chronic fatigue. They thought I had autoimmune and I was treated for that for a few years. Have you had your ANA checked? Might be worth a check with the rheumatologist if you haven't already.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks, @GailLondon I've ordered myself some 4000iu tablets which should hopefully help get my levels up. Even if it's not the sole cause of my issues (blood tests indicated I had a pretty strong infection around the time of onset so that's presumably contributed) I'm hoping it makes a little bit of difference at least

@GuyFawkesDay I think my gallbladder is probably ok, as I don't suffer any pain, just bouts of nausea and vomiting.

@cleanntidy I burn really easily and have tattoos so I've always been quite stringent about using sun cream, which blocks absorption I believe, so that's probably partly why my levels were low. Last summer I was working on a ward all day during the week and hanging out in the garden on the weekend- but we live in the North and it's a North facing garden so not full of sun!

@username44416 Sorry to hear you're not feeling better. No, I haven't had my ANA checked- I think the clinic I'm being referred to has a rheumatologist so I'm hoping they'll be able to check before they confirm a diagnosis, but at the moment I'm just waiting for an appointment.

My nephew had low Vit D, he was really ill and struggled to walk. It's amazing what it can do.

OP - Same situation here with burning easily and also lots of skin cancer in the family so kids were never in the sun without sun tan lotion so they were not even at optimum at end of summer!

username44416 - most doctors say vit D is ok when it isnt, it is just at normal levels for UK. You may find improvements at optimum which is 100

It may not be the root cause of the symptoms, but upping your vit d levels will help you feel so much better!

I have an autoimmune disease which means my vit d is often very low. Now I've started regular high doses and it has lessened the symptoms of my illness.

I felt like I was about 90 years old when I had a Vit D deficiency. I’d say it took a good 6 weeks to start feeling the benefit of the super strength tablets I was prescribed.

I use this spray now every day, but double the dose.

I use the same brand @SingingLoud. It's really good! I use the one with vit K2 added as i have trouble absorbing the vit d.

My vitamin D was 40 and gradually rising due to high strength dose.
Up to 56 recently. Still chronically ill due to a number of interlinked conditions but I’m sure the deficiency makes things much worse.

Mine was 13 I'd spent 6 months thinking I had a very serious illness and was too scared to do anything about it. I would come home after work and collapse from exhaustion unable to do anything else. I also though my arthritis was progressing at a phenomenal rate

I’ve recently started taking vit d, b12 and iron oral sprays, and I must have been majorly deficient across the board; I felt exactly like others describe with extreme fatigue, like an old woman etc and thought I’d give it a go... it’s genuinely made such a huge difference I’m absolutely thrilled (as I had dramatically been thinking that I must have something seriously wrong with me because of how I was feeling) but when I spray them in i actually get a tangible improvement and the longer I’m using them, the better I’m feeling. I had no idea it would have such a profound effect!

@Wolfcub snap re thinking it was a severe and unknown but definitely scary - too scary to want to investigate- illness! Talk about a relief realising that actually it’s a vitamin deficiency!! Il

Mine has just been tested, level of 9
Which is worrying considering I've been taking 3000 vit D for a month!
I'm now on prescription one, 20,000 weekly so hoping I will feel better

When I had very low levels of bit D I also wondered if I was seriously ill.
I had a fuzzy head, aches and pains particularly in my hands, I always felt tired even after a long sleep.
After three months of treatment I felt like a new person.

Have you had your calcium (bone profile blood tests) and parathyroid hormone level checked? See- www.nhs.uk/conditions/hyperparathyroidism/
Patients usually have low vit D and have some symptoms you describe

@Bumblesbumbles I haven't, some of those symptoms do match though! I might see if I can get a home calcium test to see what that's like- I think my GP has pretty much written me off at this point tbh.

@riotlady it sounds like you’re having such a hard time with feeling so unwell so it’s awful you feel you’ve been written off.
Hope something comes up soon.
I assume you’ve been checked for coeliac as you mention gastroenterology above so I imagine you hav e