I was dx with breast cancer about 4 years ago. I am currently undergoing additional testing for bone pain. In my blood work, my Vit D 25-OH D2 came back <4 and the other 2 were 20. The nurse said take 5000 IU's of D3 daily and re-check in 6 to 3 months. Does that sound right, or should I be taking more than that?
Breast cancer and Vitamin D... by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!
Hi G,
So, ignore the vitamin D2 level, that doesn't mean anything. Your vitamin D level is 20. And since you are in the US, I'm assuming that the UNITS next to it are ng/ml, am I correct in that? Or does it say nmol/L. The units are very important.
But for the moment, we'll assume that your Vitamin D Level is 20 ng/ml. Your doctor (NP) is not likely using Vitamin D Levels as recommended by researchers and so, according to the lab sheet, it says that you would be 'normal' if you got your level up to 30, so she's probably thinking that you are just a little bit deficient.
But if you use the levels on the Vitamin D Levels page, you SHOULD have levels somewhere between 40 and 80 ng/ml. So, you should actually be treated much more aggressively.
So, 5000 IU's is really a dose that would meet your daily Vitamin D Requirements and is not really a treatment for deficiency. So study the pages that I've highlighted carefully so you are well armed with Vitamin D Facts.
What REALLY bothers me, though, is that you have already HAD breast cancer and have been treated, yet your doctors have not thought abut giving you Vitamin D before now!???! It really boggles my mind when there is SOOOOO much information about Breast Cancer and Vitamin D that, if your doctors had actually been reading the information, it's possible that taking vitamin D could have:
1) Prevented your breast cancer to begin with
2) Improved your potential for survival
3) Helped to prevent the osteoporosis common with chemotherapy
4) Helped to improve your mood throughout treatment
So, because they have left you deficient, you are now having bone pain, as a result, that could have been avoided in the first place!!
So, follow the instructions that I have outlined and PLEASE pass it along to every single other woman that you know about the Breast Cancer and Vitamin D connection so that other women can avoid going through what you are going through now.
My Response by: Anonymous
Thanks you so much for the input. I got the levels off of the Vitamin D, 25-hydroxy, LC-MS-MS panal page. It had the 2 different levles that were in units of ng/ml. I did not do chemo, beacuse of the side effects or the tamoxifen because of the side effects as well.
They did talk me into having my ovaries out, and that was it. No further treatment, never suggested anything beyond that. But the bone pain has become to much to ignore now. I have been taking double the amount suggested now. I'll have a recheck in another 2 months.
Its ridiculous how much information they give you at the begining when your head is in a cloud from the news anyway, and then it feels like they leave you to spin out on your own. I much appreciate your feedback!
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