Catchin’ some rays…. Eatin’ some nuts….
So I had a battery of tests done by my doctor a couple weeks ago due to an issue I’ve been having, and it turns out the results on all of them came back good. Well, almost… there was one thing that stuck out like a red tailed squirrel. I am deficient in Vitamin D.
Very deficient.
As in the nurse practitioner saying he has never seen a level as low as mine registered before (in a living patient, I’d assume), and the doctor aghast that someone could be as lacking of a necessary nutrient as I was.
We get most of our Vitamin D from exposure to the sun… which of course, I get very little of working nights and sleeping days for 16 years. And the super cold winter surely hasn’t helped entice me to get a little outdoors time lately. So now I am on a supplement since I am too lazy to get my ass outside and get all the free Vitamin D I can stand….
Vitamin D deficiencies shouldn’t be an issue for squirrels. You won’t find many critters as diurnal as the squirrel is. He does all of his work during the daytime hours, and spends plenty of time absorbing solar rays. The cute little squirrel above gets another day in the sun… as this week’s Saturday Squirrel! I could learn a lesson from him and head outdoors to partake of this chilly, but sunny morning….
Come on out! And bring the tanning butter with you!
Nah…. I’m headed to bed for the day!
Have a sunny weekend!
The pills are so much easier in the winter, ESN. When it warms up, though, allow yourself an hour a day in the sun, napping, perhaps?
It doesn’t take too long for me to burn. Maybe if I had a bit more fur…
Yikes! Hope you are able to get that under control soon.
I’m hoping this is at least part of the solution. I’m glad I switched doctors too, my former quack would have never gone to these lengths to check all this stuff out….
I went to the doctor with frequent migraines and they did some blood work…turned out I had severe Vit D deficiency. I started taking 10,00 IUs a day and within a month, my headaches almost disappeared. It is amazing what low Vit D can cause. But since I am a sun worshipper, as soon as it is warm enough I will be outside!! Question: is it just an old wives tale that fat squirrels means harsh winter? 😉
That was supposed to say 10,000 IUs 😉
I was given a 50,000 IU pill to take once a week. Migraines are probably in the ballpark of what I’ve been bothered with, so this gives me hope that maybe this was the main cause!
Hey, I’m glad they found out what was wrong. This is actually pretty common. Take those sups plus calcium for greater absorbing power! The sunlight we get at this time of the year isn’t as beneficial as summer. Sorry for being nerdy nutritionist. Be well!
Thank you! Calcium is probably another thing I am lacking in since I rarely partake of dairy products, maybe I should look into that…
My doctor almost had a fit when he got my D level back a few years ago, it was a 4, which is about nonexistent. Since I forgot to refill the pills this fall it may actually explain why I feel like crap this winter, oops. I have to take it straight through summer as well (just not the 50,000 mg a week, it’s dropped to 400 mg a day for summer). The pills will make you feel mucho betterer, ES. (and they’ll even make me feel better if I remember to get mine filled on Monday now that your post reminded me I have to take them haha!)
You win! Mine was a 5…
I do hope they don’t reduce mine much over the summer, since my issue is sleeping away the days….
I am glad there is nothing too wrong. Sun is over rated. Take the pills and rest easy ES! 😀
Look into the calcium thing later. Many veggies are high in calcium including tahini. Yum!
Veggies!?!?!? What are those??? 😉
See if you can get tell the sun to get up here in the Northern Hemisphere for a few months!
Vitamin D deficiency can cause issues. My daughter was very ill a year ago. She was on Vitamin D supplements for months along with others. you must have vitamin D with calcium always for better absorption. You will see a lot of improvement in your well being within a week or two. It helps to improve a lot of nervous and muscular movements.
It will be interesting to see what changes in the coming weeks and months. Also, I am wondering if this explains why I usually feel strange and develop weird pains almost every year during the latter parts of winter…
Would love to know too if you observe any improvements. Many people have reported positively and I have seen my daughter improve too with calcium and vitamin D supplements, although her problem was unrelated to the deficiency.