Vitamin Deficiencies

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Hi,

I'm on week 3 of a gluten-free diet, DF for one week. I actually feel worse this week; D and vomiting, major fatigue, bruising, and day 3 of migraine. I just got back some new numbers about deficiencies, and hoped some of the experienced might help me figure out what to do.

Ferritin 6.8 (11-306) as of 5/8

Iron 62 as of 5/8

D, 25-OH, D2 <4 ng/mL endogenous

D, 25-OH, D3 17 ng/mL exogenous

D, 26-OH Total 17 L (out of range) 20-100 ng/mL (optimal >30)

B6 - <2.5 L (range 3.3-26 ng/mL) - nanograms/mL x 4.046 = nanomoles/L

B12 - low for past 5 years, weekly shot, no new serum level taken; but I'm in bad shape on day 5

Folate - 5.3 (borderline 3.4-5.4)

I've been told WBC is low, but I don't have #s.

I have complete loss of villous architecture, crypt hyperplasia, chronic inflammation, and intraepithelial lymphocytosis in intestine.

I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself, but I guess I don't understand. How are these supposed to improve with my gut in too bad a shape to absorb nutrients? Don't I need nutrients to heal? Isn't there any way to help me?

[Ursa Major]

Grey, those numbers are bad, which should be expected with the level of damage in your gut, unfortunately.

You need iron shots. I don't know how you are supposed to get the other things. You may just have to tough it out until your gut heals, so you can absorb your nutrients. The vitamin D level is terrible, that alone would make you quite ill.

Try if you can tolerate cod liver oil. It gives you vitamin D and A. I am not sure if right now you'd be able to absorb it though. And of course, with your villi gone, you are not converting what you get through the skin from the sun into vitamin D either. You may need injections there as well. Maybe they can give you a whole cocktail once a week intravenously? I don't know if it is possible, just an idea to run by the doctor.

I was unable to tolerate vitamins for six months after starting the gluten-free diet, they'd give me horrible stomach cramps and diarrhea. I just tried them once in a while, and finally I could take them again after six months.

If you follow a strict gluten-free diet you will hopefully heal quickly. Try not to bother with the specialty gluten-free foods for now, just eat foods that are easily digested. Which are well cooked vegetables, cooked fruit (except banana maybe), boiled chicken. No salads, nothing raw at all. And eliminate all dairy if you haven't already done that, the same goes for soy.

What is the WBC?

I hope you feel better soon!

[Nancym]

Wow, your D3 levels are awful. I don't know if it'll help if you're not digesting well but you could try taking vitamin D3 capsules (oil-based only) make sure you get cholecaliferol not ergocaliferol. Other than that get out in the sunshine with no sunscreen and bare arms and legs and soak up a few rays.

You can also get sublinqual B12 tablets, they're absorbed by the capillaries in your mouth, they don't go through your digestive system. The better sort start with "methyl", can't quite remember the full name.

[tarnalberry]

taking what supplements you can sublingually and via shot are the short term solution (and an important one at that - bandaids aren't bad things!), and in the long term, you do have to wait for your gut to heal in order to absorb nutrients from your food. make sure you are eating the most nutrient dense food you can find. that means no white rice (it's not nearly nutrient dense enough) so that what you *do* absorb gives you nutrition as well as calories.

[holiday16]

Your D levels are very much like mine were when I tested low. I was 21 with the normal range being 20-100. I felt terrible just from that alone. I was put on D drops 4/day and I think I retested 2-3 months later. Got it into the 70's. The supplement I was given was this one:

Open Original Shared Link

I think it's palatable which is more than I can say for the other one I was given. This one is easy to put on food and take. The other one I was given has a horrible taste even if I put it with something else.

[grey]

Thanks to everybody for your postings. I was really scared - I feel horrible and then getting back all these deficiencies ... thanks for the supportive posts and it helps so much to have perspective.

My PC doctor called this afternoon and they're admitting me to the hospital tomorrow for a few days.

I'm scared, but also relieved. I'm so tired and I almost feel like my body/brain want to collapse with exhaustion - it's a weird sensation.

So, I'm going to get a nice big 'band-aid' until some of that healing can happen with IV fluids and vitamin and nutrient cocktails. And the doctors are going to do some tests and I will finally get a consult with the dietician (as my PCP said 'a hell of a way to do it') but since she won't call me back ...

A friend came over and helped me organize some things with my cat and house - it helped enormously. I feel more hopeful today even though I still physically feel dreadful.

Please cross your fingers/think good thoughts for me -

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