Vitamin D Defficiency and Mobility Issues in Old People

Galty I don’t eat meat if I can help it . I think it’s because I’m not a red meat lover . Sometimes I get a chicken breast to cook.
Opposed to you tho I don’t get tired or suffer fatigue despite my age ,roundabout yours.
Today tho despite hot temperatures I could hardly raise myself off the bed , then my legs were so weak I was wobbling and my bone and muscle pains are no less so they don’t seem connected to what I would call rheumatism that apparently eases when warmer temperatures occur .
Sooner we get sorted with these blood tests the better ?

Galty, there is absolutely no doubt that the main source of vitamin D comes from the sun, but with so many skin cancer scares these days people are afraid to expose their skin to it… and that is what we need to do.
Apparently just exposing your skin to the sun for 20 minutes a day is enough, but sadly we don’t get that much sun in the winter, so supplements prevent us becoming ill through Vit D deficiency.
What post 3 said was partially true, but it is also important to top up you Vit D during the winter unless you live in a warm country with lots of sun…so it was wrong to say they are not needed, especially by older people!

Was feeling a bit down last year.

Went to Vegas(Sun about the same strength as Northern Spain)

20 Minutes a day no sun block for the 11 days.

Felt well after that till about March this year.

Sun is important.

Think we need more at this age.

Had my blood test today .
The full works were ordered apparently so 4 tubes.

Cloud cover day after day up here apart from the Bank Holiday few days respite when sunshine vitamin could be lapped up .

You are completely correct. Following “conventional wisdom” is a folly. We need sunlight. We need to get it as often as possible, directly onto our body, but not to the point that it becomes either painful of uncomfortable.

Little and often is the way.

Saw the Doctor to day.

B12 down. tablets

Iron is down. tablets

Then mentioned this thread and said what was said on it.

I had the symptoms mentioned by you lot

Right I am told by the Doctor…We have not tested for lack of Vit D

But she accept it and gave me another form to have a blood test for Vit D deficiency…but will have to wait a month to have it done.

are you eating decent food Galty???

I eat 2 to 3 different types of fresh veg every evening meal and various fruits each day. Brocolli, green beans, courgettes etc and cherries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and bananas.

Vitamins should come from what you eat not pills.

Why are you low on B12 and iron?

Got my blood test results back already ,everything OK apart from VitD level was 22 so there’s a prescription waiting for me .

That is quite low Zuleika. Not sure how long your prescription is for, but I would ask for another test in 3 months if you don’t notice a significant difference… because there will not be much sun in the winter so you may need it for longer.

I went from about 24 up to 57 on a 3 month prescription so it worked well for me. Sometimes people have to take them for much longer. Good luck!:slight_smile:

Have the prescription now Twink
These are HUX. Vegetarian capsules .
Take 20,000iu 3 times a day for 5 days ,then 400iu " over the counter" ( buy them yourself ) daily.
Doesn’t say for how long those have to be taken .

The ones you take for 5 days will be a higher dose to stop you being deficient and should raise your levels. The ones you buy over the counter should maintain your higher levels through the winter & you should feel much less discomfort.
If it returns in the new year ask your doctor to do another blood test.
Good levels of Vit D should be over 49 but between 39 & 49 is ok.
Look at this site

It explains it much better than I can. Just make sure you don’t go low again as it can cause bone & muscle weakness.
I hope you feel much better soon, I know I did and that was after 8 years of deficiency!:lol:

Nice post I am at my great age leaning things

No I am not.

Eat Micro curries and some plums as well as well as other fruit

No red meat latly

Little veg.

Depends on time of year.

So B12 given tablets and also given folic acid in tablet form.

Two dayslater slight better

Goggled the lacking of both and found most of the symptoms I am suffering from such as the depression and itching. and the massive tiredness are my symptoms
A month to go before what I find the results the results is Vit D is…

Will post in Oct the result

Slightly better in 2 days ? Hope you continue to improve galty.

Well done Galty.
Hope you are feeling much better soon.

Ok

So is there a reason why you are choosing to eat micro curries and not giving your body the real fuel it needs?

Are there things you just can’t eat?

Galty Vitamin B12 is found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, yeast extract (such as Marmite) and specially fortified foods. This will take around 4 months to restore your levels.

You can change your diet to include vitamin B12-fortified grains, a supplement or B12 injections, or a high-dose oral vitamin B12 if you are deficient. Older adults who have a vitamin B12 deficiency should take a daily B12 supplement or a multivitamin that contains B12. For most people, treatment resolves the problem.

Weakness and fatigue are common symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. They occur because your body doesn’t have enough vitamin B12 to make red blood cells, which transport oxygen throughout your body. As a result, you are unable to efficiently transport oxygen to your body’s cells, making you feel tired and weak.

If you are able to, try eating more of these…
Beef, liver, and chicken.
Fish and shellfish such as trout, salmon, tuna fish, and clams.
Fortified breakfast cereal.
Low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.
Eggs.

If you can’t then make sure you are having Vit B12 pills or injections. If you don’t this can happen…
vitamin B12 deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia, a condition where the red blood cells are larger than normal and cannot function properly. … If left untreated, the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency tend to worsen and irreversible problems involving the nerves and brain may develop.
My mother in law ended up in a care home, with dementia, because her Vit B12 was too low, so listen to your doctor no matter what anybody tells you!

The depression has gone thank god

For the first time for months slept all through the night after I have woke up a 1 in the morning.

Still tired but not as bad.

Legs still ache and still killing me.

After three days of B12 tablets.

Feel ten times better.

Good news, glad to hear lad :hug:

Great post.

Had B12 vits prescribed 6 years ago and then stop taking them because my B12 was back to normal

One thing will say is after 65 have a blood test ever 6 months.