Its nice to find this forum and to know that I'm not the only one suffering this debilitating condition. Before I start my story, my level is 30 and i was put on 1000iu (which i increased myself to 4000iu) I'd like to list down my symptoms from the earliest to the most recent development:
stiff neck with pain followed by tingling/crawling sensation down left shoulder and legs
dull ache on shoulder blade (left side)
fatigue at the end of the day and worse towards the end of the week
body aches and pain
tenderness all over body (feels like invisible bruises)
hot/cold temperature
muscle weakness, difficulty walking on stairs
waking up feeling pained
lightheadedness eventually turned to vertigo, now just a headache
restless legs/leg cramps/
throbbing pain all over body worse in legs
nausea
upset stomach
I've been unwell for on and off now for almost a year. I remember phoning off sick a couple of times before feeling tired and 'achy'. I thought I was just being lazy and this was psychosomatic. Then I started getting really ill when I developed a sudden onset of neck/shoulder pain which is still an on going problem now although the pain has turned into discomfort/ache which I have learned to manage doing exercise and stretches. I also feel sensitivity on other parts of my body (like invisible bruises). For 6 months I was coping with my neck/shoulder problem (symptoms are crawling/tingling sensation in the arm, sensitivity to touch like its bruised and cold feeling and dull ache on my shoulder blade).
Then gradually I started developing 'flu like symptoms' without cough or cold but with tiredness/fatigue and dizzy headache which are intermittent throughout the day, until 2 weeks later I started getting throbbing ache in my legs and eventually I couldn't sit all day without getting restless legs and crawling/tingling sensation in my legs which caused weakness in my legs and worse when I'm going upstairs - and my knees keeps clicking. I went to my doctors who prescribed me with naproxen. And told me that I had something called Reactive Arthritis, which i thought was a misdiagnosis. Overall I though that it could be viral related
This time I've been off work for a week when I started to feel better after a week on naproxen. I came back to work for a week feeling like i thought I recovered. Then boom 2 weeks later gradually the flu like symptom came back with extreme tiredness / fatigue and I've been in bed since. I'm still achy all the time regardless. I have no energy to do anything, even showering is a struggle. Ive been in bed most of the time, sometimes I try to go out with my husband for a few hours but I come back home absolutely exhausted and the soreness/headache i get is a different level. Most of the time I feel like my body is inflamed.
So i decided to get a second opinion and i went to see another GP who referred me for a blood test. A few days later, my results came through and I have Vitamin D deficiency. Everything else they tested seem fine. I have a better outlook now though after the diagnosis, apparently it will take months for the treatment to take effect. I guess now they found something they will stop investigating further (which worries me a little bit) but i guess its process of elimination so treat one thing at a time.
Its been 2 months now since I've started treatment and I have been going through highs and lows. I found that I have good days and bad days. Last week i felt like i was already getting better then this week i developed a cold which really sucked out my health again therefore aggravated my symptoms. For a week I've also been experiencing nausea (mild) and upset stomach. Im not sure if this is a reaction to the vitamin d.
Would be great to hear from others who also has this deficiency and whether the treatment has been effective?