Vitamin D

Hello!

Well, it's been a long month since I last posted! I've been sick several times, and Ben had a horrible flu virus last week. He was sick with a cough and fever for a solid week. Not fun. It's the sickest he's been in a very long time.

In addition to the many viruses I've had, I've been feeling a little off the last couple months. I chalked it up to the pregnancy, but had in the back of my mind that maybe my vitamin D level was low. I was still not due to have it checked for another couple months, but asked Dr. Steppe to check it anyway. SO glad I did! I was way back down in the 30s again! (This is I was at when I was diagnosed with the deficiency.)

When I last had it checked in December, my level was 84. At that time, I started using the B12/folate lotion (that is supposed to have 4000IU of D in it) and had been on my prenatals for about a month (another 1000IUs in those.) So, I stopped taking the 5000IUs per day orally I was taking, thinking I was still getting the recommended dose for me through the lotion and prenatals. Well, apparently, I wasn't absorbing the D through the lotion. So, I started asking other NSA parents, and many have found the same problem. Sigh...wish I would have looked into this sooner. I hope baby boy enough vitamin D while I was low. :o(

Anyway, I'm back on the oral D now and can already feel a difference after only 5 days. No restless leg syndrome, less joint pain, better mood/energy, etc. I also started Ben back on 2000IUs per day as of yesterday. He is not taking any additional vitamin D, so if he is not getting it from the lotion he is not getting any at all right now. (In the spring/summer he gets it from the sun.) I will talk to Dr. S. about this when we go in a few weeks and will probably ask to have Ben's level rechecked.

So, I'm thinking this may explain why we've been so sick lately. Vitamin D is so important to the immune system.

The only other thing going on (at least biomedically) is that I'm wondering if the lotion is holding its potency. I've been noticing that when we start a new batch of the compounded lotion with Ben, he has a few "crazy days" followed by a burst in language and interaction. It's almost like he is readjusting to the lotion. I noticed it more with the batch we just started, possibly because our last batch was a two month supply instead of one month. I'm thinking the lotion is less effective after it sits, and he is having the readjust to the full dose with each new batch. It also seems the lotion gets grainy and harder to rub in toward the end. I have a call into Dr. S's office about this, but we've been playing phone tag.

So, that's about all I have to report now. We are SO looking forward to our trip to see Dr. Stewart in a few weeks! We have lots to talk to him about, and I can't wait to see what Ben's Sensory View results will look like!

Well, hope everyone is well. I just ask that you continue to pray for our guidance through all this and that baby will be ok despite my D deficiency over the last 3 months. (They are currently doing studies into maternal vitamin D deficiency and autism.) :o( Nothing I can do about it now, but move forward and pray everything will be ok!

Love to you all!
Julie & the boys (the many boys...I'm going to be outnumbered!) :o)