Can vitamin D deficiency really do this?

General health and lifestyle
1

Hi everyone,

I wanted to hear from all vitamin D deficients out there.

I have been ill sincd August 2017 and noticed that my symptoms were only getting worse. Before getting noticeably ill, a blood test that I did back in March 2017 found that I am vitamin D deficient with a score of 13ng/ml. At the time the doctor told me it was low and said she would prescribe me with supplements but she had forgotten to as we were discussing other issues I was experiencing. However, I did notice a lot that I was always feeling restless, having distrupted sleep, and my mood was always low - but I had thought that was due to stress as I was undergoing a lot of it. And, I thought how bad can vitamin D deficiency be?

Fast forward to August, I was really tired that day due to disrupted sleep and whilst I was at work, I started to feel dizzy, unable to stand and keep my balance up, really nauseated and weirdly hungry. I took this to the doctor who said I had labyrinthitis and referred me for a brain MRI (back in sept 2017) and ENT due to my complaints of headaches and still feeling dizzy - to which everything came back fine and the ENT specialist thought it wasn't an ENT issue and maybe due to my blood pressure.

Moving onto April 2018 -my symptoms escalated to another level - I started to feel A LOT more weak than usual, really faint, dizzy, heaviness in my head, unable to stand for long or even walk at my usual pace because my legs and head feel unbelievably heavy. I started to feel really hot all the time, my hunger increased a lot more and started to feel even more faint/weak the moment I get hungry and my stomach is so bloated and hurts under my ribs (getting this checked out by GI specialist), started to get chest pains and heaviness/tingliness in my left arm (have had many ECG's and had an echo scan and all have come back normal) - although on two occasions I have woken up to not being able to move my left arm, it felt somewhat paralysed but the moment it did start to move I felt heaviness in my arm and middle of chest.

I have noticed a lot that I have black flashes where my vision goes dark for one second and then back to normal and my eyes keep rapidly moving side to side (this has been ongoing for years but only getting noticeable now) - I have spoken with an optician about this who has said my eyes are fine but referring me to a neurologist which could take months. I have done two blood tests checking iron, thyroid, glucose, FBC etc and all has come back clear.

In early June 2018 whilst at a GI appointment, the specialist told me that I may be feeling weak, dizzy, faint, headaches, nauseas, fatigue due to my vitamin D deficiency which was low back in March 2017 and must be even lower now due to not taking any supplements. I have been feeling a lot more breathless than usual, unable to bear the heat, and am suffering from depersonalisation maybe because of how long I have been feeling this for. I have noticed my heart rate feels high most of the time nd have developed a bad obsession of checking my pulse due to still having the heaviness and tingliness in my left arm. I am currently taking 20,000 IU twice a week for 7 weeks and currently am in my 4th week of taking it and then was told to switch to 1,000 IU after 7 weeks. I haven't been to work for months and am in fear of losing my job. I have been homebound for a long time and am noticing slight stiffness in my knees especially the right which may be due to sitting down all the time but also the deficiency.

Will this get better at all? Can this be down to a vitamin d deficiency? I am going to do another blood test soon for glucose, lipids, liver profile, U+E, thyroid function, B12, folate + ferratin, bone profile, vitamin D, FBC, HBA1C, and magnesium.

Is it worth requesting a brain MRI?

Sorry forthe long post but would love to hear your thoughts or anyone with similar stories. THANKS!

2

I also forgot to mention how difficult it has now become for me to do even the most simplest of tasks i.e. showering, cleaning etc and I'm always constantly dehydrated even though I drink SO much water..

3

Firstly sorry to hear you’re going through such a hard time. I suggest you follow a Facebook group called vitamin d deficiency uk it’s reallt useful. I was going through the same thing and it can be vitamin d deficiency I had exact same symptoms. I have gotten better but not 100% yet. It can take years to recover this deficiency. You need to supplement. And please get b12 checked. 

4

Hi Shahana73196

Thank you for replying. I am going crazy trying to find out what is going on... How better have you gotten and how long have you been going through this? I'm sorry to hear that you've been/are still going though this. It really feels horrible and like your life has become so still

5

I would also recommend you join the Vitamin D deficiency uk FB group. It is an invaluable resource and very supportive. The symptoms of vit D def can vary greatly so its difficult to confirm if all symptoms are directly related. I know for me, I found that the more symptoms I seemed to have, the more I googled, and the more anxious I became, it was a vicious circle. You can stick with the GPs recommendations, or for possibly better results you can look at the protocol that the group recommends. Lots of info about it in the group. Glad you are getting b12 looked at as the sensory issues can be associated with that, but don't take b12 supplements before your test, or it affects the results. Hope to see you in the FB group x

6

Hi Sally - yes you're right, constantly researching every single symptom I feel has really heightened my anxiety. I even felt so anxious just going to the opticians regarding my black flashes and rapid eye movements. And to be honest, I'm not even sure if everything I am feeling may be linked to my vit D deficiency. Even researching what knock on effect the deficiency has on other vitamins/minerals is another headache on top. I just feel incredibly out of it all the time... My whole family think im crazy! Doesnt help that I cant sleep properly either

Have you gotten better at all?

7

Hi Afali,

I am currently going through Vitamin D deficiency and experiencing similar symptoms.

how can I reach out to you personally ? I just want to discuss more about this.

Looking forward to hear from you.

Maulik

8

hey dear how are you now? Are your symptoms gone after taking vit D supplements.