Question about Vitamin D blood work

[Brandy Rediker]

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't been on here very much lately. I finally got to meet Dr. Sudan, did all my blood work, ekg and xray, finished up my six months supervised diet (even though I didn't need one that long) anywho, I go back to see him July 11th for my pre-op. I found out my insurance will pay 100% of my surgery...Yayyyy!!

Now here is my question. They drew two different vitamin D test. Can you explain the two, what's the difference in them. One is low and the other is high. Here they are:

Standard Range Results
Vitamin D 1,25 Dihydroxy, Serum 18 - 78 pg/mL
96

Vitamin D Total, 25OH
21
25 OH Vitamin D Status
----------------------------
<10 ng/mL Deficiency
10-30 ng/mL Insufficiency
30-100 ng/mL Sufficiency
>100 ng/mL Toxicity

What's the difference between the
the two?

They are suppose to be calling me
Monday to discuss if I need to take
Vitamin D to help bring up the one. I highlighted my results in blue!

 

[kirstabelle]

Vitamin D Total, 25OH is the one you want to test to find out if you are deficient. I have attached a document - look at Page 3.
It's he 25(OH)D that needs measuring usually as the half life of Vit D in plasma is @ 3 weeks.
That tells you how many nanograms per milliliters is in circulation over a month or so. Whereas the 1.25 test measures the hormonal active form with a half life of @3 hrs so it only tells you what is happening at the moment of the blood draw. Earlier in the day later in the evening a different draw would/may produce different levels. The 1.25 test because it's looking for a 1000 times smaller amount (picograms per milliliter} of active hormone is likely to be more prone to test error.

 

[kirstabelle]

Copied and pasted from a Vit D guy I know: 'Here's a simple way I explain the difference between the two tests. Let's say I wanted to determine your level of wealth so I ask you how much money you have in your pocket right now, since the "spendable" form of cash is the functional equivalent of 1,25(OH)2D. I get goofy results so I ask to see your bank account, the "storage" form of cash, equivalent to 25(OH)D. Doctors who claim the 1,25 form is the usable form and therefore, the one to test, are showing their ignorance. Sadly this error happens about 25% of the time due to lack of training or detailed understanding of vitamin D. So we as consumers have to insist on the 25(OH)D test since we can't depend on the doctor to get it right. Then we as consumers need to understand the optimal level (50 ng/mL or 125 nmol/L) since many doctors are unaware other than the archaic boilerplate information they read on the lab test results. I look forward to the day when all doctors know this stuff but until that day comes, it is irresponsible to outsource this important role.'

 

[southernlady]

Copied and pasted from a Vit D guy I know: 'Here's a simple way I explain the difference between the two tests. Let's say I wanted to determine your level of wealth so I ask you how much money you have in your pocket right now, since the "spendable" form of cash is the functional equivalent of 1,25(OH)2D. I get goofy results so I ask to see your bank account, the "storage" form of cash, equivalent to 25(OH)D. Doctors who claim the 1,25 form is the usable form and therefore, the one to test, are showing their ignorance. Sadly this error happens about 25% of the time due to lack of training or detailed understanding of vitamin D. So we as consumers have to insist on the 25(OH)D test since we can't depend on the doctor to get it right. Then we as consumers need to understand the optimal level (50 ng/mL or 125 nmol/L) since many doctors are unaware other than the archaic boilerplate information they read on the lab test results. I look forward to the day when all doctors know this stuff but until that day comes, it is irresponsible to outsource this important role.'

EXCELLENT explanation...wish I could double like it.

 

[Elizabeth N.]

I *heart* hanging out with smart people .

 

[Brandy Rediker]

Uh oh! So I'm gonna need to start taking me some vitamin D then! Get that up so I don't get any worse right after surgery. Will a multivitamin help bring the D up? or should I take a regular Vit D?

 

[brooklyngirl]

The more knowledgable ones will chime in, but I'm pretty sure you should take straight D. The multivitamin is probably not a high enough concentration of D and if I took more than the daily recommended dose my Bs would go too high.

 

[southernlady]

Uh oh! So I'm gonna need to start taking me some vitamin D then! Get that up so I don't get any worse right after surgery. Will a multivitamin help bring the D up? or should I take a regular Vit D?

I suffered thru low vit D pre-op...actually it was caught during blood work in 2007...of course, I was prescribed the little green OIL filled football pills for once a week.
Retested in summer of 2010, still very low but at least it was DOUBLE digits. (that's almost THREE years of prescription D)
So *I* decided in Oct 2010 to just not get my prescription refilled and use the Dry D3, the one from Vitalady. Taking ONE a day of 50K dry, I tested in the low 30's pre-op testing/blood work.
I currently take 50K every day, 100K on weekends along with what is found in my three daily Kirkland multi's. THAT has finally got it where I want it...right above 100.

So, depending on how far away surgery is, I would skip the prescription, go straight to the dry D3...if you are having surgery in the next couple of months, take the 50K several times a week.

 

[Brandy Rediker]

I'm looking at surgery in July, so I will look into getting some dry D3. Thanks ladies!!

 

[kirstabelle]

Vitamin D fascinates me. I knew nothing much about it until a couple of years ago when I was struggling to walk, unable to sleep due to pain and frankly in a very bad way. My doc said it wasn't a calcium issue cos my calcium levels were fine. I was negative for RA and they were keen to thrown me on the fybromyalgia trashheap. I wouldn't accept that and so I started to read and read and .....you get the picture.
It is about so much more than just bone health although that is how it tends to first present itself particularly to bariatric patients.