[lisa821]

Huh. My bloodwork shows that my vitamin D levels are at 12 (above 32 is normal), so I'm taking big honkin' doses of vitamin D to catch up. Is this common for diabetics?

I know this could be a result of lack of sun, but my skin can't really take a lot of sun. In fact, I just had a couple of moles removed. Nothing cancerous, luckily. I just have to be careful because I have a light complexion and blue eyes. I'm a near-vegetarian (I still eat fish) and still consume dairy, so I'm not sure what's up with this. Also, my white blood cell count is borderline low at 4,200, but no anemia. Yet.

Any ideas out there?

~Lisa

[lisa821]

Anybody?

~Lisa

[lilituc]

Well, low Vitamin D levels have been linked to *development* of Type 1 in research lately. It makes sense if you look at where the highest rates of Type 1 are - Scandinavia, Seattle. I don't think they know anything further about it, though.

I know that in Seattle people are at a high risk of not getting enough Vitamin D, so it's recommended that we supplement.

[UpNorth]

I'm scandinavian, white as a ghost and can't take much sunlight in summer at least. And it's been a lot of gloomy weather here lately. Nevetheless, as far as i know i get enough vitamin D. I drink a LOT of milk And try to eat very healthy. I'm a big fan of parsley which is rich in iron. I take vitamin/mineral/fishoil supplements only occasionally...

[Real4]

Vitamin D deficency is common among both Type Is and IIs. I take 50,000u per week myself and I get plenty of sun. BTW, if you are light skinned, you should not need much sun to make enough Vitamin D - were everything working right. And further BTW, Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin, but a hormone. Or so it turns out.

[lisa821]

Thanks, everyone. So if vitamin D is a hormone, could that be a clue to why I have hypothyroid symptoms but my thyroid test results came back normal? Maybe those symptoms (some hair loss, weight gain, low energy) are connected to the vitamin D deficiency?

I wish this stupid disease would quit teaching me things I don't want to know about myself...

~Lisa

[amccrazgrl]

My Vitamin D level is/was 7 so for the past 10 weeks I been taking 10mg of Vitamin D.
Next month I'm going back to my Endo after my bloodwork to see if it helped.

Are you tired at all? The endo said levels as low as mine I should have no engry to do anything. I do have engry and work out 30 mins Mon-Fri at Curves.

[notme]

Lisa, if you can't get out in the sun, would a full spectrum light work for you? Would be great if you could get your D without taking it in vitamin form.

[lisa821]

I use a full spectrum light at my drawing table, where I sit for hours at a time. I do get sleepy in the afternoon after lunchtime, but otherwise my energy levels are okay, I guess.

I can't help but wonder if something else is going on with me, and low vitamin D is a part of it. It's kind of spooky.

From what I've read, it sounds like large segments of the population have low vitamin D levels, many who probably don't even know it. I suppose we diabetics who go to the doctor every three months for blood work have an odd advantage.


~Lisa

[Dewey]

My Vitamin D level was low at 14.95, so the endo put me on high levels of Vitamin D - have to take 1 a week for the first 4 weeks, then 1 pill once a month for the following 11 months. It seems to have helped, but he warned me not to stop taking them.

I don't get as much sun as I'd like, but I only think that's a small part of the issue. In terms of a link or why it happens, I'm not really sure, but I have iron deficiency anemia & hypothyroidism.

The endo did say that new research has found a link between decreased levels of Vitamin D and kidney problems, so I guess he just wanted to cover the bases to prevent anything before it becomes an issue.

[Erin]

My endo tests for vitamin D all the time, her office is in Manhattan and all of the stereotypes of New Yorkers are true. (pale skin, black clothes, sunglasses, outside maybe 10 minutes a day walking from the office to the subway)

More often than not folks have low vitamin D. I'm a beach bum in the summer and have normal levels, but in the winter I've got to take suppliments. Not sure that it's related to the Diabetes so much as environment, but I pop a few calcium + vitamin D tablets every couple of days from October through June.

[Raisin]

I was diagnosed only a few yrs ago which was about a year after finding out that I had very high iron levles (I have the potential for hemochromotosis) and my endo says that some studies suggest a link between high iron and diabetes. Just six months ago, my D levels took a dive, so now I'm taking pills daily. My endo forgot to request a test on my D levels for this past visit, so I will not know for another couple of months if the daily pill has helped. I agree that diabetes teaches you a lot about things that you don't necessarily want to know, but must learn since diabetes can effect most major organs if not kept in control.

[Oradev]

Originally Posted by lisa821

Huh. My bloodwork shows that my vitamin D levels are at 12 (above 32 is normal), so I'm taking big honkin' doses of vitamin D to catch up. Is this common for diabetics?

I know this could be a result of lack of sun, but my skin can't really take a lot of sun. In fact, I just had a couple of moles removed. Nothing cancerous, luckily. I just have to be careful because I have a light complexion and blue eyes. I'm a near-vegetarian (I still eat fish) and still consume dairy, so I'm not sure what's up with this. Also, my white blood cell count is borderline low at 4,200, but no anemia. Yet.

Any ideas out there?

~Lisa

Yes, I think this is somewhat common. Two years ago, my vitamin D levels were at the same place. I had to take 50,000 iu pills for a while.