MicheleS
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Registered: 02/26/09
Posts: 321
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| | 05/08/09 at 05:19 AM | Reply with quote | #1 |
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Edge,
Since I'm certain that you are current on the literature on this!!! I have a question for you before I plunge into pubmed.
I asked my oncologist to run a vit D last week and the nurse handed me the report during chemo yesterday. She told me my MD would talk to me about it next week when I see him. The result was low... really low (17.2 ng/ml). The reference values for the lab that ran it are 32-100 ng/ml.
I find this so odd for a couple of reasons. First, I life in the south and get tons of sun. I'm paranoid about skin cancer so I generally *do* wear sunscreen but I'm not diligent enough to prevent exposure on un-slathered skin. Second, I've taken a multi for years in addition to extra Ca + D (not taking ANY supplements other than B6 now per the instructions of my MD).
Do you think that low D could have contributed to my having gotten cancer??? SO, what can I do about it now??? Should I wait 'till chemo is over to supplement?? Do you know of a good bioavailable supplement?? Clearly the one I was taking wasn't going anywhere except O U T.
Thanks for any advice you can give!!
Michele
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nosurrender
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| | 05/08/09 at 07:59 AM | Reply with quote | #2 |
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Michele, mine was 14 or something like that when I was first tested... in the middle of summer and I am outside ALL the time.
I was put on 50,000 ius once a week for a month to boost it up.
Now I am on 2000 ius, softgel caps and my level is above 50.
My onc believes it can help prevent recurrence. It also had done a tremendous job in counteracting the side effects of femara and I feel better over all.
I think it works better if you take it in a liquid gel rather than a tablet.
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MicheleS
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Registered: 02/26/09
Posts: 321
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| | 05/08/09 at 02:39 PM | Reply with quote | #3 |
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Gina,
When you were taking the 50000 IU weekly, was it an injection?? I can't imagine tolerating that much orally.
Did you get it during chemo? Or when you were done?
Thanks,
Michele
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nosurrender
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| | 05/08/09 at 02:58 PM | Reply with quote | #4 |
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It was a pill! no biggie!
And we did it when chemo and rads were over.
it is SOOO worth it!
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Limner
Pathfinder
Registered: 10/20/08
Posts: 401
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| | 05/09/09 at 08:53 AM | Reply with quote | #5 |
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Michele, I have been taking 2500 IU a day. It is one tiny (smaller than an aspirin) gel cap made by Jarrow. Of course you can get them with more units per cap, but it is not as bad as you are thinking, esp. spread out over a week. Good luck with that - M
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oxanacanada
cupcake
Registered: 11/09/09
Posts: 1
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| | 11/13/09 at 08:32 AM | Reply with quote | #6 |
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(NaturalNews) At the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Breast Cancer Symposium held in San Francisco recently, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center made an announcement that at first glance may seem startling -- at least it may startle people who are unaware of the preventive and healing power of nutrients. When they studied 166 women undergoing treatment for breast cancer, the scientists found the vast majority, about 70 percent, had something other than their cancer in common: they had very low levels of vitamin D in their blood. What's more, women whose disease had progressed to late-stage (i.e. terminal) cancer had the lowest levels of all.
Surprisingly, what the researchers didn't point out is that the lack of vitamin D found in women with breast cancer could be the cause of their disease -- or least a factor in it. As Mike Adams covered recently in NaturalNews, previous research has shown vitamin D can reduce cancer rates by 77% (http://www.naturalnews.com/021892_cancer_Vitamin_D_cancer_industry.html) and vitamin D appears to play a specific role in preventing cancer of the breast (http://www.naturalnews.com/027230_cancer_Vitamin_D_brst.html breast cancer).
Omega 3 (EPA/DHA) and vitamin D3 (in oil emulsion) are VITAL to ALL cancer patients. Both are important for immune function, and the fish oil opens cell membranes. In the body, vitamin D is converted into a steroid hormone, and genes responding to it play a crucial role in fixing damaged cells and maintaining good cell health.
The tolerable upper intake level in adults has been arbitrarily set at 2000 IU/day. However, a recent risk assessment based on a review of relevant, well-designed clinical trials of vitamin D in healthy adults showed an absence of toxicity in trials that used vitamin D dosages greater than or equal to 250 µg/day (10,000 IU/day vitamin D3) and supported the selection of this value as the upper limit for healthy adults (evidence level II-2). “As more and more evidence of the relationship between the level of vitamin D in diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases and neuromuscular disorders emerges, it is predicted that treatment with physiological doses of vitamin D3 (between 4000 IU/day to 10,000 IU/day from all sources, including sun, food and supplements) with periodic monitoring of blood 25(OH)D (calcidiol) levels and calcium levels will become routine to maintain 25(OH)D levels of 75 to 150 nmol/L”
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/10/Vitamin-D-Experts-Reveal-the-Truth.aspx
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nosurrender
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| | 11/13/09 at 09:47 AM | Reply with quote | #7 |
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I take it and it has really helped me with side effects from Femara and I feel better all over.
Thanks for posting this!
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kmobley
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Registered: 04/03/09
Posts: 325
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| | 11/16/09 at 03:21 AM | Reply with quote | #8 |
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I had my GP check my Vit. D level a couple of months ago. It was at 26. He put me on an elevated dose and got the level up, then cut the dose. I am to check it again in one month.
Kay
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ShirleyHughes
Wild Woman
Registered: 02/24/08
Posts: 171
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| | 11/20/09 at 05:16 PM | Reply with quote | #9 |
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Gina, the D that you were taking in high dose, was that the prescription D2? I would be a bit worried for one to take that amount without the physician looking after them.
I was taking a capsule from Vita Cost (their bran NSI) at 1000 IUs per capsule. I was taking 3000 IUs and when my onc tested my D level it was 62. However, one MUST take this with some fat. I do prefer capsules or soft gels to tablets or caplets. The think I have a problem with when looking for soft gel is most of the time soybean oil is in it. I don't know if a little bit of soybean oil is bad for us or not. Perhaps someone can clue me in.
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nosurrender
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| | 11/20/09 at 09:37 PM | Reply with quote | #10 |
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Shirley, the high dose, 50,000 iu D was from my doctor. I took it once a week for a month.
Now I take 2000 iu, blue bonnet gel caps.
I hope you are doing ok!!
Kay, keep taking it at home on your own! You want your level to be over 60.
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ShirleyHughes
Wild Woman
Registered: 02/24/08
Posts: 171
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| | 11/21/09 at 05:31 PM | Reply with quote | #11 |
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The 50,000 IU of D must work pretty quickly. I never had my D level check before I decided to start taking it. So, I have no earthly idea how low it was.
I have also been reading about K2. Then I went on Constantine's website and found out I need to be taking more. I found a Vitamin D with K2 in it. Then, a friend tells me about something on the local news about K2...it's like marajuana and kids are going to pharmacies and asking for it. She was trying to warn me not to take it...LOL I asked "Mr. Google" about it and found that the kind these kids are asking for is something they smoke. The little bit of K2 I am taking surely hasn't given me any highs. Perhaps if I increase it...LOL
I'm doing fine. Trying to clean for the kiddos who are coming on for Thanksgiving.
Hope you are feeling better after your surgery.
Shirley
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MicheleS
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Registered: 02/26/09
Posts: 321
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| | 11/22/09 at 01:53 PM | Reply with quote | #12 |
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After 6 mos on the 50,000 IU per week, it is up to 40ng/ml. Better, but not good enough. My onc told me to keep taking the mega-dose for 6 more mos. He said he'd like my serum levels to be ~100ng/ml before I switch to daily.
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ShirleyHughes
Wild Woman
Registered: 02/24/08
Posts: 171
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| | 11/22/09 at 07:52 PM | Reply with quote | #13 |
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Are you supposed to take D3 while you're taking the prescription? I can't remember.
Don't give up Michele. It'll get up there. Good for you that your onc knows what he's doing.
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nosurrender
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| | 11/23/09 at 08:17 PM | Reply with quote | #14 |
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My D level did not come up much after the mega dose. I was at 14 or 11 or something ridiculously low and the mega 50K dose got me up to the 20s or 30s and then I took 4000 IUs until it was over 50. Now I take 2000 every day
I don't think you should take the regular d if you are on the mega Rx.
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ShirleyHughes
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Registered: 02/24/08
Posts: 171
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| | 11/24/09 at 10:58 AM | Reply with quote | #15 |
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I wonder why doctors do not give out a higher dose of D3? From what I understand vitamin D2 is synthetic and does not absorb well. Thus, the high dose. It seems like one could achieve a desirable level must quicker using higher doses of D3.
I never had my D level checked until after I started taking D3. At that point is was somewhere around 32. I now have been taking 3000 IUs of D3 and have just upped it to 4000. However, according to the lab at Duke my D leve was 62. Now I want it higher with my "new" diagnoses....LOL I've jumped all over the place first taking 2000, 3000, 4000, back down to 3000 and now up to 4000. Confused yet?
I've often wondered why these AIs are not causing me big problems or some problem. When I first started taking Arimidex I did have some discomfort. Then that went away. So far Aromasin hasn't caused any joint discomfort. Is it working? Or is the Vitamin D helping stave off pain. Or, is it because I'm old (LOL) and postmeno and am used of being estrogen deprived. 
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nosurrender
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| | 11/24/09 at 06:36 PM | Reply with quote | #16 |
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Ha ha Shirley...
My onc says that only one third of women - (only-is a lot I know!) - but ONLY one third of women have bad side effects from AIs. I also heard that Aromasin is one that you have a gentler time with.
I am glad you aren't hurting- that is all you need!
I hope you are feeling ok otherwise.... thinking of you!
love
g
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kmobley
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Registered: 04/03/09
Posts: 325
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| | 11/27/09 at 01:43 AM | Reply with quote | #17 |
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I was precribed 50,000 IU Vit D twice weekly. Now my doctor has reduced it to once weekly. He is checking the level regularly.
Kay
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ShirleyHughes
Wild Woman
Registered: 02/24/08
Posts: 171
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| | 11/30/09 at 01:19 AM | Reply with quote | #18 |
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So far, so good as far as joint pain and Aromasin. I think I'm losing my mind...LOL Of course having the kids and grandkids home over the holidays will make one lose their mind. No, actually, it was probably good, but I'm TARED! |
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dixie
cupcake
Registered: 07/16/08
Posts: 7
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| | 01/11/10 at 07:59 PM | Reply with quote | #19 |
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I'm very confused. Last march I had my vit-d checked and it was a 28. My gp put me on a 50,000 unit boost for 8 weeks. It brought it up to 38. I took at least 3000units up to 4000 units in the past four or five months and had a retest last week. It had gone back to 11, worse than when I began.
I am being put on another 50,000 unit megadose for 12 weeks.
I just read an article that suggests that some people on statins will have reduced metabolism of vit d. I have been on simvastatin for two years and am wondering if this might have anything to do with it.
I also take a magnesium and calcium supplement with the d-3.
Any ideas why mine dropped so low.
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ShirleyHughes
Wild Woman
Registered: 02/24/08
Posts: 171
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| | 01/12/10 at 12:44 AM | Reply with quote | #20 |
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Hmmm...that IS strange. Perhaps someone who knows what they're talking about will be around. In the meantime, I'll just ask some stupid questions.
Are you eating something with fat when you take your vitamin D? Vitamin D needs fat to absorb (I think I said that correctly).
What brand of D are you taking? Comsumer Lab is a good place to check on what brands are good. I get mine at Vita Cost and it's their brand. I know it works because my levels have increased.
I'm trying to think of ONE "intelligent" question. Hmmmm...my brain is frozen. 
Be patient and check back. Someone brighter than I will be around. 
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