Had all my bloods done, and apart from a slap from my HbA1c - Diabetes Thread - everything is good except for my usual D deficiency. I'm at a terrible 29.2nmol/L.

MrsD, I have done a little reading regarding cause - I am a virtual shut-in due to my multiple issues - but diet and supplements are also areas of concern. I have no gallbladder, removed in '05, I had an encapsulated cancerous tumour acting as a valve over the duct - luckily it caused me horrendous pain when I took a break from my pain meds or I wouldn't have known.

I also take Lansoprazole, a Proton Pump Inhibitor due to lifelong GI issues, ulcers, nausea etc for which I also have to take Metoclopramide. I read the Inhibitor reduces dietary D absorbtion, I assume Metoclopramide does not help.

I take Diltiazem, as you know, and my GP voiced concern in the past about calcium build-up if I take high doses of supplements for a long period.

All this negates my ability to achieve a decent D level.

What would you suggest to improve my score, on the understanding I cannot change my meds?
Increased oily fish? I like sardines/mackerel and they fit my weight loss diet?
Trying more supplements?
Is there any other means of supplementation - creams or such like that work?

Thank you.

Dave.

Hello English Dave, while you are waiting for a response from mrsD, here is a link to an article that covers how much vitamin D you may need and how to improve its absorbability:

http://www.wikihow.com/Best-Absorb-V...-D-Supplements

The information is fairly basic and there are some annoying pictorials, but there are also some good ideas contained in the article. Here is once excerpt:

“People who take vitamin D supplements run the risk of vitamin D toxicity which can cause an unsafe level of calcium in the blood. It is not recommended that you take more than 4,000 units of vitamin D per day for an extended period of time, and your required dosage may be much less.”

One cannot get much D from food. Except polar bear liver.

So you need to get some D3 and take 1000IU daily for every 10 pts you need to raise your levels to about 50.

There are D3 creams now, but I don't know how available they are where you live.

Your level converted to US units in ng/ml is 11.5.
Pretty dismal. So you will need at least 4000IU D3 daily.
And then get retested.

Studies show most of the oral types are all well absorbed. So take your pick.

Hi Auntie Audrey,

Thanks for that link, useful information there. A year ago I wasn't even online, hadn't been since dial-up days so finding and sorting relevant information for huge topics is daunting - especially with my eyesight and memory issues.

What I am aiming at is to break the Circle - every year I am deficient, GP throws supplements at problem for 8-12 weeks as D levels rise, but so do calcium levels (alarmingly). D levels then decline over next few months until I'm deficient again at next annual review.

Enforced, unchangeable lifestyle is reason for not getting enough sun, diet has improved greatly this year and can improve further for this, but found having no gallbladder is an issue. Constant supplementation is a No due to calcium build up caused by Diltiazem.

Why the heck is nothing ever easy for me?

Dave.

Dave, as far as I can see oily fish are a good source of Vitamin D3 as well as (bonus!) omega-3 fatty acids.

This link looks reliable to me; http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-...000000000.html .

Thanks All,

Looks like I'm stuck on the supplement - calcium - deterioration Circle. I simply cannot eat THAT much Chum Salmon or Sardines, and I'm not going into the moral issues of slaughtering Polar Bears just so I can eat their livers.

I get retested in 8-12 weeks because of the calcium build-up (depends on appt availability). The only positive is that I have no noticable differences to my current conditions between normal and low levels. Yes, I know there will be hidden and long term damage, but this can just join the queue.

Kiwi33,

This site is a mine of information for a Diabetic on a diet. I have Bookmarked it and will be using it alongside http://mobile.fatsecret.co.uk/ (.com) as my references to help keep me balanced. I have already used the Tool which works out BMI (roughly depending on body type) and approx calories burned per day - although I believe my figure was rather high, they base figures on healthy people. Thanks for finding this site for us.

Dave.

Dave, a tad off topic I'm sorry...
I don't eat anything that comes from the sea, so my food sources are few. I looked at the list above (the one kiwi has posted) and couldn't really find too many things on there that I eat in very large amounts.

I do eat lots of mushrooms though. You can buy mushroom kits to grow at home too. Mushrooms contain good amounts of Vit D. Apparently there are sunlight or uv light-exposed mushrooms for sale here but I've never seen them with that labelling myself. I live in a very sunny climate, but the health risks of living in the melanoma capital of the world tend to offset the advantages these days. Many of us are D deficient. I am exposed to harsh sunlight every day but need to be careful.

I'm sorry you're dealing with so many issues at once.
take care.

Hi Lara,

I'm eating mushrooms, white and chestnut, raw and microwaved lightly with a cut up tomato as protection, 5 days a week. 150g, about 6oz each serving raw is possibly giving me a fair whack of D, along with many more nutrients than I realised (raw).

Bonus is, even plain mushrooms have a taste I never tire of I have no issue easing MSC caught fish, even a little farmed fish is ok as long as it protects Ocean stocks and allows them to recover. I have never been a fan of shellfish, the struggle to eat water insects and slimy snail relatives never appealed to me.

Dave.

Guess who is on D3, 20,000 units x3 a week.

Dave.