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Well, it wasn't out of sight, but high enough - 96.8.
(Reference Range 30-100 ng/ml)
Deficiency . . . . . . . . . Below 10 ng/ml
Insufficiency . . . . . . . . . 10- 30 ng/ml
Sufficiency . . . . . . . . . . 30-100 ng/ml
Toxicity . . . . . . . . . . Above100 ng/ml
My doc suggested I lay off the vitamin D supplements for a while - I already have, of course.
OK, I've forgotten - which lab was it, whose results were found to be inaccurate this year? This test was done at Specialty Laboratories, Inc., Valencia, CA.
Does anyone know if I can assume this to be accurate, or does it require a correction factor?
Tex
Got My Vitamin D Test Result Back Today :shock:
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Got My Vitamin D Test Result Back Today :shock:
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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barbaranoela
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 5394
- Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 6:11 pm
- Location: New York
Interesting, Tex!
It was Quest Labs, I believe.
Dr. Cannell feels that the level should be at least 50-70 ng/ml in the winter. He also states that one should take 5000 IUs/day in winter. Obviously, you need less given the fact that you are outside a lot and live in a latitude that has adequate sunshine. Dr. C. says "in the absense of sunshine you need to take about 1000 IU/day per 30 lbs. of body weight". Did you ever have a "pre" test done before starting the supplements? (I can't remember). My pretest was 30.8 ng/ml.
I'm guessing my level will be less than yours, even though I also took 5000 IUs a day all winter. For the past few mos. I have relied mainly on natural sunshine at noontime, and I live a lot farther north than you. Hey, I'll know soon - am planning to have the blood test next week on my annual PMD appt. Will let you know.
Wouldn't it be convenient if vitamin D could cause one-sided symptoms? Sigh....... IMHO the high vitamin D was not the cause of your symptoms. What did your doc think?
Love,
Polly
P.S. No, it doesn't need a correction factor - it would only if the results had been given in nmols/L. You DID order the correct test!
It was Quest Labs, I believe.
Dr. Cannell feels that the level should be at least 50-70 ng/ml in the winter. He also states that one should take 5000 IUs/day in winter. Obviously, you need less given the fact that you are outside a lot and live in a latitude that has adequate sunshine. Dr. C. says "in the absense of sunshine you need to take about 1000 IU/day per 30 lbs. of body weight". Did you ever have a "pre" test done before starting the supplements? (I can't remember). My pretest was 30.8 ng/ml.
I'm guessing my level will be less than yours, even though I also took 5000 IUs a day all winter. For the past few mos. I have relied mainly on natural sunshine at noontime, and I live a lot farther north than you. Hey, I'll know soon - am planning to have the blood test next week on my annual PMD appt. Will let you know.
Wouldn't it be convenient if vitamin D could cause one-sided symptoms? Sigh....... IMHO the high vitamin D was not the cause of your symptoms. What did your doc think?
Love,
Polly
P.S. No, it doesn't need a correction factor - it would only if the results had been given in nmols/L. You DID order the correct test!
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Tex,
Very interesting. I am wondering about the possibility of you being reactive at the high normal range - in my mind it's certainly possible. But I also wonder about the possibility of two processes ocurring at the same time. IOW, maybe you are becoming hypertensive (or something else), and the high vitamin D load exacerbated that. It will be interesting to see what happens to your BP and other symptoms as your Vitamin D level falls.
Anyway, glad you are getting some answers and will hopefully be able to piece it together.
Mary Beth
Very interesting. I am wondering about the possibility of you being reactive at the high normal range - in my mind it's certainly possible. But I also wonder about the possibility of two processes ocurring at the same time. IOW, maybe you are becoming hypertensive (or something else), and the high vitamin D load exacerbated that. It will be interesting to see what happens to your BP and other symptoms as your Vitamin D level falls.
Anyway, glad you are getting some answers and will hopefully be able to piece it together.
Mary Beth
Barbara,
"We" are feeling better. I worked pretty hard today, with no apparent ill effects.
Polly,
Thanks, I figured you might remember the details about the lab. I forgot to mention that I have been taking 4,000 IU daily, (in the form of two 2,000 IU capsules), since about late January, as best I recall. In addition to that, the multivitamin that I take, also contains 500 IU of vitamin D, and, of course, I was taking that before I started taking the 4,000 IU per day. I'm sure that I also get some vitamin D in "enriched" foods, so it's difficult to say exactly how much supplemental vitamin D I have been taking, but obviously, more than enough.
I don't have any idea what my initial level was, because I've never had the test done before.
My doc thought that the number was high enough that I needed to lay off all vitamin D supplements,for a while, (including the multivitamin), but he didn't feel that it should have contributed to my issues on Sunday, (though, as Mary Beth suggested, he wasn't willing to say that it was impossible).
It will be interesting to see what your level is. Are you saying that you're not taking 5,000 IU per day, now?
Mary Beth,
I'm wondering how rapidly, (or how slowly), the D level will fall.
Gloria,
I'll try to do that.
Tex
"We" are feeling better. I worked pretty hard today, with no apparent ill effects.
Polly,
Thanks, I figured you might remember the details about the lab. I forgot to mention that I have been taking 4,000 IU daily, (in the form of two 2,000 IU capsules), since about late January, as best I recall. In addition to that, the multivitamin that I take, also contains 500 IU of vitamin D, and, of course, I was taking that before I started taking the 4,000 IU per day. I'm sure that I also get some vitamin D in "enriched" foods, so it's difficult to say exactly how much supplemental vitamin D I have been taking, but obviously, more than enough.
I don't have any idea what my initial level was, because I've never had the test done before.
My doc thought that the number was high enough that I needed to lay off all vitamin D supplements,for a while, (including the multivitamin), but he didn't feel that it should have contributed to my issues on Sunday, (though, as Mary Beth suggested, he wasn't willing to say that it was impossible).
It will be interesting to see what your level is. Are you saying that you're not taking 5,000 IU per day, now?
Mary Beth,
I'm wondering how rapidly, (or how slowly), the D level will fall.
Gloria,
I'll try to do that.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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MaggieRedwings
- King Penguin
- Posts: 3865
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 3:16 am
- Location: SE Pennsylvania
Morning Tex,
Glad to hear that you at least have a course of action from the test results. I also found that mine were high after having blood tests done 2 weeks ago and have eliminated the Vitamin D for now. Still sounds like Vitamin D is an area where one needs to tread lightly.
Love, Maggie
Glad to hear that you at least have a course of action from the test results. I also found that mine were high after having blood tests done 2 weeks ago and have eliminated the Vitamin D for now. Still sounds like Vitamin D is an area where one needs to tread lightly.
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
Hiya Tex,
Glad to hear you are feeling better. How is the appetite? Be sure to stay well-hydrated!
You are correct......I stopped taking the D supplement about 6-8 weeks ago. I kinda tapered off in spring but did take some intermittently because we had so many rainy days. I don't know how quickly the levels will fall - I do know the body normally uses about 5000 IUs per day, but I don't know how that translates to ng/ml.
Mags, what was your level, and how much supplement were you taking? Maybe we can document our experiences here to get a better handle on how much to take.
If my level is OK next week, I'll just do sun exposure over the summer and then resume at 4000-5000 IUs per day next winter. I probably need more than most given that I eat no dairy products and do not take a multivitamin. Also, MD is a lot more north than TX! And, I don't get flu shots, so I need the protective effect of D. I guess we have learned that we should be getting routine vitamin D blood tests until we know the optimal level we each need to supplement.
Love,
Polly
P.S. Tex, I just had an idea!
Why don't you email Dr. Cannell with a brief history and your D blood level and see what he says? I have emailed him on numerous occasions and he responds quickly, albeit concisely. Or at least ask him if he has seen any toxic effects at your level, and if so, what they were.
Glad to hear you are feeling better. How is the appetite? Be sure to stay well-hydrated!
You are correct......I stopped taking the D supplement about 6-8 weeks ago. I kinda tapered off in spring but did take some intermittently because we had so many rainy days. I don't know how quickly the levels will fall - I do know the body normally uses about 5000 IUs per day, but I don't know how that translates to ng/ml.
Mags, what was your level, and how much supplement were you taking? Maybe we can document our experiences here to get a better handle on how much to take.
If my level is OK next week, I'll just do sun exposure over the summer and then resume at 4000-5000 IUs per day next winter. I probably need more than most given that I eat no dairy products and do not take a multivitamin. Also, MD is a lot more north than TX! And, I don't get flu shots, so I need the protective effect of D. I guess we have learned that we should be getting routine vitamin D blood tests until we know the optimal level we each need to supplement.
Love,
Polly
P.S. Tex, I just had an idea!
Why don't you email Dr. Cannell with a brief history and your D blood level and see what he says? I have emailed him on numerous occasions and he responds quickly, albeit concisely. Or at least ask him if he has seen any toxic effects at your level, and if so, what they were.Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
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MaggieRedwings
- King Penguin
- Posts: 3865
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 3:16 am
- Location: SE Pennsylvania
Morning Polly,
My levels were: Copied Tex's very nice chart and used my numbers.
Deficiency . . . . . . . . . Below 10 ng/ml
Insufficiency . . . . . . . . . 10- 30 ng/ml
Sufficiency . . . . . . . . . . 65-100 ng/ml
Toxicity . . . . . . . . . . 120+ ng/ml
Sufficiency and Toxicity were the only 2 that varied from Tex. I was taking 3,000 units a day. I have stopped and when blood is done next they will do a comparison. I do take a multivitamin but like you do not have dairy.
Love, Maggie
My levels were: Copied Tex's very nice chart and used my numbers.
Deficiency . . . . . . . . . Below 10 ng/ml
Insufficiency . . . . . . . . . 10- 30 ng/ml
Sufficiency . . . . . . . . . . 65-100 ng/ml
Toxicity . . . . . . . . . . 120+ ng/ml
Sufficiency and Toxicity were the only 2 that varied from Tex. I was taking 3,000 units a day. I have stopped and when blood is done next they will do a comparison. I do take a multivitamin but like you do not have dairy.
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
Polly,
My appetite is better, now that my sense of taste is almost completely back to normal. Yep, I drink a lot of water, every day, all day long. Besides the C, I noticed that on Wednesday, there was a little slightly-bloody looking mucus along with my stool. If that were due to a direct bleeding effect from the 650 mg of aspirin that I took on Sunday, it should have been black, (not red), so I have to assume that I might have had an MC reaction from it, (of course, it's possible that something else might have caused that too, I suppose, but I haven't eaten anything suspicious, that I'm aware of. The 81 mg aspirin that I'm taking daily, is enteric coated, so that should prevent any gastric effect. Is the intestine vulnerable to bleeding from aspirin? I don't recall seeing that discussed. Yesterday, the C seemed to be backing off a bit, there was minimal mucus, and I didn't notice any indication of blood.
Great idea! I'll try to compose a brief but accurate e-mail to Dr. Cannell after work - I've got to load a truck and make some deliveries, first. Thanks.
Love,
Tex
My appetite is better, now that my sense of taste is almost completely back to normal. Yep, I drink a lot of water, every day, all day long. Besides the C, I noticed that on Wednesday, there was a little slightly-bloody looking mucus along with my stool. If that were due to a direct bleeding effect from the 650 mg of aspirin that I took on Sunday, it should have been black, (not red), so I have to assume that I might have had an MC reaction from it, (of course, it's possible that something else might have caused that too, I suppose, but I haven't eaten anything suspicious, that I'm aware of. The 81 mg aspirin that I'm taking daily, is enteric coated, so that should prevent any gastric effect. Is the intestine vulnerable to bleeding from aspirin? I don't recall seeing that discussed. Yesterday, the C seemed to be backing off a bit, there was minimal mucus, and I didn't notice any indication of blood.
Great idea! I'll try to compose a brief but accurate e-mail to Dr. Cannell after work - I've got to load a truck and make some deliveries, first. Thanks.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex ,
Gloria
Are you saying that you think we MCers could take a daily aspirin regimin as long as it it enteric coated? I haven't taken any since my Dx. I sure would like the protection that it supplies against strokes since both my parents had one in their late 60s.The 81 mg aspirin that I'm taking daily, is enteric coated, so that should prevent any gastric effect.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Gloria,
I really doubt that it will be any less likely to cause an MC reaction, when compared with regular aspirin. My doc recommended taking an 81 mg tablet every day, (just in case), and when I stopped by the pharmacy to pick some up, I noticed that Bayer offers an enteric-coated version, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm just hoping that not everyone is vulnerable to aspirin as a trigger for MC, and I thought I'd take a chance and see if I could get away with it. I have no idea what the odds might be.
I was hoping that Polly might have an opinion on this. To be honest, I don't see why the enteric coating would make a difference regarding MC, because it is going to be activated in time to be absorbed by the small intestine, anyway. The sole purpose of the enteric coating is surely just to prevent bleeding in the stomach.
I suppose if this doesn't work out, rat poison, (warfarin), is the other option.
Tex
I really doubt that it will be any less likely to cause an MC reaction, when compared with regular aspirin. My doc recommended taking an 81 mg tablet every day, (just in case), and when I stopped by the pharmacy to pick some up, I noticed that Bayer offers an enteric-coated version, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm just hoping that not everyone is vulnerable to aspirin as a trigger for MC, and I thought I'd take a chance and see if I could get away with it. I have no idea what the odds might be.
I was hoping that Polly might have an opinion on this. To be honest, I don't see why the enteric coating would make a difference regarding MC, because it is going to be activated in time to be absorbed by the small intestine, anyway. The sole purpose of the enteric coating is surely just to prevent bleeding in the stomach.
I suppose if this doesn't work out, rat poison, (warfarin), is the other option.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
HaHa. That's what my dad always called his blood pressure medication - rat poison.
DH had his cartoid arteries tested for plaque buildup at the hospital this year. Those mobile labs that come around to do the heart wellness testing include cartoid arteries in their testing for a much lower price than DH was charged. Do you know anything about them and do you think they're as good as the hospital version? I'm considering getting the tests done for myself.
Gloria
DH had his cartoid arteries tested for plaque buildup at the hospital this year. Those mobile labs that come around to do the heart wellness testing include cartoid arteries in their testing for a much lower price than DH was charged. Do you know anything about them and do you think they're as good as the hospital version? I'm considering getting the tests done for myself.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
No, I really don't know anything about the possible differences between those tests. My gut feeling, though, is that they are probably equal, but that's just a guess. I don't have any experience with either one. Maybe some one else knows more about them.
I was just glad that both the ER doc, and my GP, couldn't hear any suspicious sounds, when they listened to my carotid arteries.
Tex
I was just glad that both the ER doc, and my GP, couldn't hear any suspicious sounds, when they listened to my carotid arteries.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Mags,
I didn't see your blood test result. Did I miss it or did you choose not to post?
Gloria,
In general mobile equipment is not as accurate as the stationary kind. The mobile machines are subject to lots of jostling and wear and tear, and need more frequent calibration.
Tex,
Not sure about the ASA. I am interested in this though. Have often felt that I would like to add a baby aspirin a day - just because of how effective it is. I guess you will be our guinea pig. Of course, I am also thinking about Mary Beth and her high salicylate MRT. And yes, I am happy that your docs heard no bruits (your spelling was correct).
Love,
Polly
I didn't see your blood test result. Did I miss it or did you choose not to post?
Gloria,
In general mobile equipment is not as accurate as the stationary kind. The mobile machines are subject to lots of jostling and wear and tear, and need more frequent calibration.
Tex,
Not sure about the ASA. I am interested in this though. Have often felt that I would like to add a baby aspirin a day - just because of how effective it is. I guess you will be our guinea pig. Of course, I am also thinking about Mary Beth and her high salicylate MRT. And yes, I am happy that your docs heard no bruits (your spelling was correct).
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.