'wrap your head' hehe a quote from a funny movie...and possibly a new phrase.
Anyway as I mentioned its vitamin D's turn under the microscope. Turns out my level (15 nmol or some such measurement) is classed as a severe defficiency and supposedly it is a very VERY common occurance in Leicester. So for those of us in the city with a curious or worried mind here's what I've figured out beyond the fact that vitamins are a major issue:
Symptoms in adults
- symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are often very nonspecific or vague
- in severe deficiencies the classical (typical) symptoms include bone deformities.
- General vague aches and pains are the common symptoms.
- In more severe deficiency, there may be more severe pain and also weakness. This may lead to difficulty standing up or climbing stairs, or can lead to the person walking with a 'waddling' pattern. This is known as osteomalacia.
- Bone pains may develop and are typically felt in the ribs, hips, pelvis, thighs and feet.
- in kids it can cause rickets which I've heard mentioned before...
(http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Vitamin-D-Deficiency.htm)
Who gets it?
Any one, but particularly "People with pigmented (dark coloured) skins. This includes black and Asian people"
How to solve it?
According to that site we get about 90% of our vitamin D from sun exposure and its reaction with the chemicals in our skin, and this is lucky as food barely contains any. The funcky thing is we can store it for later else who knows what would happen in the winter!
The solution for a defficiency would seem to be suppliments which I'm off to get tomorrow. Hopefully they will contain b12 too as it was suggested I stop the multivitamin.
The scary thing is I may have had this forever! Think about it, I'm part asian, I've always been small, I've had arthritis forever and thats basically the aches and pains mentioned and my recept HIP operation was because it had become deformed over the years. And I'm a geek so stereotypically not outside much...
Thankfully my deficiency was found while checking the b12 levels else it would have gone undiscovered I hope it's not too late for me... I do wonder if this is the cause of my hip trouble and if so why couldn't someone have spotted it sooner!!!!!!! I reckon some kind of machine that lets you check your physical stats at home would save the nation. Literally. Maybe something using a drop of blood like the new Warfarin checker thing. It could tell you vitamin levels and I bet there are other checks that could be included.
Scary stuff really...
Score: I have no idea...
