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In honor of Women’s Health Week last week, ok not really, but rather because I’d been procrastinating for 5 months, I finally got in for my annual physical.
The last time I’d seen my doc was January 2011 when I was in complaining of slow running, fatigue, slow running, malaise, sluggishness, and did I say slow running? It seemed as if the effort needed to run an 8:30 pace now netted me a 9:30 pace on my best day.
I totally accept that we get slower with age. But a minute or two slower per year, not 10-20 minutes. Something was up. You know that saying “Someday you won’t be able to do this. Today is not that day? I was beginning to think someday had arrived.
Last year, after sending me for a stress test/heart ultrasound to make sure there was nothing up with my ticker, the doc attributed my symptoms to menopause and told me every other woman of a certain age who came in her office complained of fatigue. She basically guaranteed I’d see changes in the monthly bill if you will within the year.
Oh and my Vitamin D levels were low. Very low, despite the fact that I’d been taking a supplement.
Suspecting I wasn’t absorbing the Vitamin D I was taking, I changed brands and upped the dosage. I spent the past year+ trying to accept the inevitable and make peace with my slower pace. To run for the joy of it. Alas running is not enjoyable when you’re gasping for air or are so weak you feel like a feather could knock you over.
Thanks to the sunshine, I started feeling a little better last summer but still nowhere near my old self on the running front. I’ve tried not to whine about this too much here on the blog but I haven’t always been successful.
Let’s review why Vitamin D is so important:
You probably know that vitamin D is good for healthy teeth and bones. But there are numerous additional benefits as well. Vitamin D deficiency is a root cause of:
depression and chronic fatigue syndrome
fibromyalgia
depression
back pain
cancer
diabetes
impaired immunity
obesity
high blood pressure
cognitive function
How do I get sufficient Vitamin D?
With 15-20 minutes of exposure to sunshine per day your body will make 10,000-15, 000IUs of Vitamin D. Morning sunshine is best. Other than sunlight, Vitamin D comes from eating cold water fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines, cod liver oil, egg yolks, fortified milk and beef liver.
Although the DV (daily value as defined by the FDA) for vitamin is 400IU, studies have shown that higher levels, depending on your specific test results, are optimal.
What about Vitamin D enriched foods?
Sadly these haven’t had much impact on Vitamin D levels since many food manufacturers cut costs by using a synthetic form of vitamin D.
My personal experience with Vitamin D:
I started taking a vitamin D3 supplement a couple of years ago. After just a few weeks I automatically felt a “mood lift”. Granted I am not a depressed person normally, but the vitamin D made me feel even better.
Fast forward to last week.
Despite supplementation of 5,000IU daily, my vitamin D levels are a few points higher than last year but STILL VERY LOW. Recommended level is 30 or above, there is controversy that the minimum should be higher than 30. I am still well below 30.
This time, 17 months after my doc assured me menopause was imminent yet it is still nowhere in sight, she didn’t blow off my symptoms.
Now I’m on a 50,000 IU mega dose, which I’ll take weekly for 2 months before we retest. I’ll also try to get myself into the sun for 15 minutes/day to see if that has some positive impact.
I am worried I will not absorb the mega dose either. Vitamin D is fat soluble so I took mine with some delicious fish oil. Right. Time will tell.
Have you struggled with vitamin D?
Yes!! I was at an 11 in November when I was at the Doctors. I took the 50,000 you are on now and did my test 2 months later and I am now at 32!
If your levels go up they may just keep you on the 50,000 at various time of the year.
If they are down – they may need to run tests to see why specific organs are not processing the Vitamin D.
I know way too much about this – so if you ever have questions let me know 🙂
I just had mine tested a couple weeks ago for the first time
and I didn’t get a phone call telling me it was low. No news
is good news? I don’t know…my mom was very deficient as well
and was on the megadoses you are on. It came up for my mom,
But slowly. I hope this works for you!!
I would say that I probably did when I still lived in upstate NY, where I was indoors pretty much from November through April. Living in the south I’ve had more energy and I found with a daily multi-V and walking my dogs has done me pretty well. The catch 22 is of course that for optimal Vit-D absorption, one shouldn’t wear sunscreen. Of course, we don’t want to risk getting skin cancer. I wear spf 50 when I run but for my short walks I don’t wear any at all, unless I’ll be outside for longer than 15 minutes.
I will keep my fingers crossed for you that this time things will improve and you will see a change in your levels. That’s good news that she’s taking it more seriously this year than last year.
Let’s hope the new supplement helps!
I haven’t had any issues with vitamin D, that I know of. I drink a ton of milk and spend time outside as much as I can. Then again, I also go to bed at 9 pm everyday and sleep til 7…
Great information! Yes, D can be a real problem for lots of women. Glad you’re on top of yours. Hope you start to bounce back!
I hope this does the trick for you! FYI–winter months as far north as you are, even if you get outside for 15 minutes, won’t give you the needed D. So perhaps that’s a time of year to really concentrate on supplementation.
I run around 29, so not terribly low, but still a bit. My bigger concern is anemia that is not iron deficient. I’ve been hit really hard with it this spring. Ugh!
interesting. i don’t think i’ve had my checked (i’d have to go back and look at my physical results). maybe i should just to know. hope you get some answers/solutions soon. so many people seem to be low in vit. D.
I went through the same thing. I went to see a bone & mineral specialist in December after sfx No. 4, and my Vit. D was low, so I took the 50,000 units once a week for 8 weeks. After that, it went up to 52. Now I take the 50,000 unit dose once a month, in addition to what I normally take. I am due for a recheck this month.
If yours still comes back low after the first 8 weeks, the doc will likely to a 24-hour urine check to see how you are metabolizing minerals. That is the next step for me if I can’t hold the higher level.
I actually just went to the dr. for a physical a couple weeks ago because of overwhelming fatigue. I asked him to check everything. I expected low iron or B 12, but everything came back normal, except for high cortisol. So now he thinks I’m a hypochondriac.
I’ve never had anything like that tested. Not enough Vita D is not common here in South Africa because we get so much sun.
Every time I go in to the doc, I am extremely low in Vitamin D. I take a multi vitamin with D and 2 Vitamin D Supplements every day to try to keep my levels up. We don’t get much sun in Seattle, so about 90% of people that live here are D deficient. It can be linked to so many diseases, it really should be emphasized more by docs. I hope you are able to get your levels figured out:)
Great information, Marcia! I’ve never had my levels checked because I’ve always lived in very sunny climates – Texas and California – and I’m outside so much of the day. But, as I approach 45, I should probably look into just to be safe.
I have to take VitD in the winter. Summers are not so bad for me. As a shift worker, somedays I don’t get to see the sun, so there is a bottle of VitD in my cabinet. If I take it for a few days, I feel better.
This is a really informative post! It’s crazy to think that something as simple as Vit D can have so many consequences if ignored! I’ve never been tested, and would be curious to know where I stand. Hope you see some improvement soon!
Ok, this is interesting to me because a.) I remember you telling me in January that you thought something was wrong and b.) I recently had a pregnancy panel and my vitamin D levels were borderline. My doc actually gave me a “prescription” to sit in the sun! You would think since I live in Colorado with abundant sunshine, I would be ok in this area. I damn well know I’m not going to be eating liver or sardines. BLECH.
Keeping my fingers crossed that you see improvement in your running and vit D soon girl!
I’ve never had my Vitamin D levels tested….you know, that whole insurance (or lack thereof) thing and all, but hopefully I can this fall. I take a supplement but maybe it’s not enough. I know I’ve been depressed all winter and spring…but that was job and daughter related, mostly. I hope the new recommendations does the trick for you and you find that spring in your run you so deserve!
xo
Interesting – now i want to get tested for this, just to know! (or maybe they do, and i just never inquire about the results??)
Mine has been low in the past but was corrected with a supplement. I did however, have many doctors tell me I was not in menopause and recently saw an physician who specializes in anti-aging medicine, he said that although I am not in menopause according to the standard measure, my progesterone was beginning to diminish and was very low. He put me a very small dose of trans dermal progesterone. I feel like a new person, not nearly as irritable, my running performance has improved, I sleep better, I even lost a few pounds. It has improved the quality of my life, sounds dramatic, but true. I know this has nothing to do with Vit. D not sure why I was compelled to tell you. Think it was the menopause.. I had so many dr.’s tell me my hormones were fine (but that is according to a standard chart that they follow) I hope you feel better and that this higher dose of Vit.D does the trick. Hang in there, fingers crossed this works.
I was tested a year ago and told I was very low. My doc prescribed some supplements but I never took them. If you report that your running mojo comes back after you fix your vitamin D level, I’ll reconsider 🙂
look into calcium fructoborate as a possible supplement. I started taking it recently and can’t comment yet on effectiveness, but one of the clinical results that have been seen is higher levels of D…somehow they think it helps regulate Vitamin D levels (maybe helps absorption). THat’s not why I started taking it, I am taking it to try to help my knee. Here’s an article worth reading: http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/articles/calcium_fructoborate_a_novel_nutrient_for_bones_joints/
I just read something about boron & Vitamin D (Lisa’s reference), I was going to do some research and put it in one of my Food Facts Friday! Thanks for the info! I’m also trying to defy age-related loss of muscle mass through resistance exercises! I lift things up & put them down!
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I feel your pain about running not being fun when you’re gasping for breath…especially when the old you could run that pace like it was nothing. Hang in there, hopefully this will clear up soon and you’ll be back to loving running again!
We have a huge VitD deficiency in Oregon. I think my doctor said something along the lines of EVERYONE in OR is deficient. My husband definitely has to supplement in order to keep his mood up.
Really hoping the new supplements will do the trick for you!
Interesting. I didn’t realize Vitamin D affected so many areas.
I have heard about vitamin D deficiency and it’s effects so frequently. Wow – 50,000 mcg daily – that’s a bunch! I had also wondered whether the morning sun was more effective. I’ve also wondered how early we can go out, sans sunscreen, and still get our vit D dosage? Magnesium is another vitamin that I just heard athletes tend to be deficient in. It supposedly helps with muscle recovery. We are to get a 1 to 1 ratio with our calcium but frequently only get half. Interesting stuff, for sure. Have a wonderful weekend!
I hope you get some joy from this change. It’s so frustrating (I know first hand) when you start slowing at a ridiculous pace and can’t find a reason. And when you don’t enjoy something that you used to love.
Very good information on vitamin D! I hope the mega dose helps!
i hope it helps! i used to take cod liver oil … straight … MMM! so delicious. haha.
50,000 IU? That is pretty crazy high. I take 5,000 IU at my ND’s suggestion b/c I tested and was low. We never did re-test though so probably something I should do to confirm my body is absorbing it. I hope your megadose helps, please let us know. Very interesting.
Great post with interesting information. Thanks for sharing.