Can low vitamin D or sleep deprivation really make you feel this awful??

[Wobblyheart]

I have been having odd symptoms that are hard to untangle since August 2022. I have a lump that was diagnosed as benign tumour but I wonder if I was.misdiagnosed because I just continue to feel so rotten.

Had tests after tests after tests, the only thing that was off was my cortisol(but only.slightly.and not a surprise) and Mt vitamin D which was at 30 with cutoff of 50 but not a full blown anemia. All other bloods indicate that I appear to be in a good gener health (ha! Just bloody doesn't feel that way). Also with a nre baby I haven't had more than 4 hours of unbroken sleep since October last year. And on average I get 5-6 hours per.night either 2-4 wakings.

So here we go, a sad company of my symptoms:

• lost some of muscle mass and a hard to put weight on despite a diet full of donuts, ice creams, etc
• muscle fatigue & fatigability
• feeling weak and exhausted
• feeling short of breath
• night sweats
• foot pain
• body feeling really heavy
• joint pains
• low mood

If you had felt similar with low vitamin D and/or prolonged sleep deprivation, please scribble a quick note below before I convince myself I have cancer despite a negative biopsy.

Thank you!

I went to the doctor feeling like 💩 and was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency which does make you feel awful. Hopefully you were diagnosed after a blood test. If you’re not comfortable with your diagnosis you need to talk to your GP.

Forgot to add back pain and nausea (but the latter is due to GERD).

I feel like I am 87 but 37!!!!!! [whimpers in her pillow]

Yes, both of those can make you feel like a walking train wreck. Just ask any night shift worker, especially newbies to the shift.

sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture.

Are you taking any medication?

Yes I had crushing fatigue with low vitamin d for years. Took very high strength liquid vitamin d and felt better within a week!

Yes both of those can make you feel horrendous, on their own. Combined, and it's no surprise you feel awful.

You say you had bloods done, how was your iron level? Mine was borderline ok, but I felt like death and looked like it too, was exhausted all the time and caught every bug going until I took an iron supplement for a while to boost it.

Also thyroid is another one to check, mine went a bit haywire after having ds, and that gave me some of the symptoms you've described.

Ultimately don't be fobbed off, you're not right, you know you're not, keep pushing for an answer.

I had vitamin D deficiency scoring only 14 which meant I had to have prescribed vitamin D tablets. It did improve and I did feel better. However, they never checked my levels afterwards and I feel rubbish again now, so think it’s probably low again. Please go back to the doctor if you are still unwell, the more you go, the more likely they will do something! Hope you feel better soon 🤞🏻

Please get thyroid checked if you haven’t already

With all those symptoms its so worth double checking. Bring your full list back to the GP and ask for a blood test. Get some good vitamin supplements and check your diet too. It's hard when you miss out on sleep, is there any opportunity for a nap when baby naps? Forget the housework, get yourself sorted out first.

With those symptoms please get them checked out.
You want to get to the bottom of it.
The chronic sleep deprivation is not going to help.
Start on a decent supplement regime. Don’t try and do too much.

Yes definitely- get them to check b12 too

Where was your tumour OP?

My best friend died of ovarian cancer this year after she was misdiagnosed with endometriosis. Family now suing the doctors. Maybe a 2nd opinion is needed given your other symptoms.

Don’t panic. The symptoms you have aren’t serious. I know you feel awful, but your symptoms are actually very generic and can be caused by a variety of simple complaints that are relatively easy to fix.

It’s a good sign that you have generalised symptoms and they aren’t confined to one area of the body, because that suggests it’s probably something systemic such as a vitamin deficiency or something. I’ve been worried about cancer myself in the past, and have been told by multiple doctors that cancer doesn’t usually present with pain in the early stages (late stage cancer can cause pain but you’d know about it long before that).

Have you been tested for coeliac disease? (basically means you have to stop eating gluten because it makes you sick). It can cause all of the symptoms you listed.

As someone diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma I disagree with this: “late stage cancer can cause pain but you’d know about it long before that.”

cancer causes pain when it’s growing rapidly, this can be because it’s late stage but not always. You absolutely do not always know about it. I’ve met a lot of people that didn’t, myself included.

But that doesn’t mean you have cancer OP. Your lack of sleep sounds horrendous and that will be causing issues. That said, it’s quite a list of symptoms and you need to get to the bottom of it. Have you had your inflammation markers checked?

Low iron
Low vitamin D
Sleep deprivation

Yes you will feel like shit.

Supplement the top 2, the sleep will feel less awful.

I would also ask for your thyroid function to be tested.

Yes, they can.

I had a vit d deficiency and I felt horrendous. So tired. My body didn't want to move. I felt low too.

It affects every cell in your body.

I'm a vitamin D evangelist now, because I never want to feel like that again.

I was amazed at how shit it made me feel, my doctor was fab and went through every blood test possible, including b12 and thyroid. It was the vit D that was way too low and the massive prescription doses that sorted it. I had a one a week dose which after 8 weeks went down to one a month for another few months. In the early days, I could tell when I was close to my dose day and it shocked me! I took it on a Thursday. By Tuesday, I felt horrible, on Fridays, like a new woman until eventually it all evened out.

Add in some sleep deprivation and you must feel like shit. Can anyone take the baby for a few hours so you can get some sleep? Even a couple of hours?

Hope you feel better soon.