My test kit came yesterday, (£7.45 from Amazon) I looked at it and decided to leave it until this morning which was just as well. The instructions were quite easy to understand once I got my mind round it. What didn't go so well was drawing enough blood. However, I did the test with three quarters of the amount and it's come up 'deficient' 10nmol/l. I'm quite pleased with that because it means I can quite safely take 2 1000iu drops daily from now on. Those came yesterday so, hopefully, I'll soon be hopping around like a spring chicken, being careful not to fall over of course! It will be interesting to see if I can notice any discernible difference.
The other thing is why did my blood clot so quickly. I take 5mg Eliquis twice a day and that is supposed to be the right dose but is it? I will have to look into that. It's all a bit confusing as I want to continue taking it indefinitely.
Having looked at the test kit, and being somewhat mean, I am now thinking that a few sessions in the dishwasher will make it useable again. However, if I buy another test, I won't open it until I have a nosebleed and can guarantee enough blood.
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I'm guessing you had a finger prick device to get blood? When I have my INR test for warfarin it is not uncommon for the lady to have to try different fingers in order to get
enough for the test. This is nothing to do with clotting.--just blood flow and temperature of my fingers at the time.
Well my finger was warm and I pushed, pulled, squeezed it but it just wasn't having it. I feel that with the anticoagulation it shouldn't have stopped bleeding so quickly. It bled alright at the beginning and filled half of the tube but then wouldn't bleed any more.
When I had my ablation there was virtually nothing at the entry site. It's not a big deal but I might ask for a coagulation test next time I talk to the doctor.
I think you are over thinking this to be honest. When you prick a finger you only ever get calpilliary blood from the surface. Clotting doesn't come into it at all. Also DOACs like Eliquis don't work like warfarin so clotting tests are irrelevant. So long as you are taking your anticoagulant as as directed then you are protected . Please don't worry!
That's good to know so I won't worry about the Eliquis. Perhaps it's the platelets that were working here! Looked at my last blood test and they were in the normal range.
Had another look at the result and it is actually between 10 and 30nmol/l but I'll still take 2000iu a day for a few months and then retest.
That is VERY deficient. You need to get it up quickly to 75 nmol/l so as to be in the range where covid outcomes were not serious . 2000iu a day is unlikely to work fast. Here in France loading doses of 200,000iu-400,000iu are prescribed with no ill effects. I have taken these ampoules several times. Why are you reluctant to take bigger doses?
Oh, I'm not really reluctant. I'Il think about it. Could do 4000 a day for a fortnight, 3000 for a fortnight, 2000 a day for a fortnight, give it a fortnight to settle and do another test. I'll watch John Campbell's videos again especially the first one I posted.
If by letting it settle you mean not taking any that is not a good idea! At that level of deficiency I would be inclined to stick with the 4000iu for a couple of months then test again. 75 nmol/l is the absolute minimum level you should be aiming for. 100 -125nmol/ would be much better. Here toxicity level does not start till 250nmol/l and many vit D researchers say that is conservative and toxicity has not been observed below 375nmol/l.
No, I didn't mean that. I think that ordinary Vit D3 takes longer to be processed in the body than the type you take, possibly a week. I'm sure I'm going to be taking 1-2000IU from now on. Here's another video which talks about dose. In it, he does say that taking a high dose will do you good, taking a very high dose will still do you good, but no more good. Can't remember the figures.
Yes but that is if you have adequate levels to begin with. If you are severely deficient taking a very high dose will get you into the normal range faster. When I used to take the loading ampoules they are only given once or twice a year. But my levels would drop inbetween . Even with sun bathing and 3000iu a day I could not keep in the normal range. I asked the GP to change to daily drops so as to have a more constant level. He insisted I take another loading dose (200,000iu) to get me back into the normal range quickly at the same time as starting the drops. And my level at the time was 60nmol/l -3 times yours! In England I would have been told it was adequate and sent on my way. You need to get to a level of at least 75 nmol/l quickly . The higher the dose you take initially the quicker you will get there. Once you have got there you can then determine your maintenance dose. The reason Dr John gives those figures is because 4000iu a day is considered safe upper limit. This is very conservative and has been shown to be so by vit D research. Unfortunately medical practice is way behind scientific research when it comes to vit D . The NICE and SACN recomendations are a joke. You could certainly take the 4000iu for a couple of months safely and then test again. If you stick to a small dose it will take you longer to get your levels up and during that time you are at more risk if you should be unfortunate enough to catch the virus - or any other virus for that matter. Vit D protects against respiratory viruses in general.
I often find that if I start to tense up during a home finger prick test the blood stops. If I relax, the blood starts to flow again. Pressing and pushing only gently is also important.
He's probably right about people in the UK. It would be just as well for everyone to assume they are deficient and take a supplement. I'm not a great one for supplements but I have been taking one 12.5ug (500IU) tablet a day and am still deficient.
I've bought some VitD3 drops from Amazon. Cost me about £16 and, at a rate of 2 - 1000IU a day, will last three years so very cheap!
That's a pretty lame excuse for not giving you a test for vitamin D. Sounds more like they just didn't want to be bothered. True most people are lacking in vitamin D. More reason to test than not. Any deficiency could have an effect on Afib and arrythmia. Some Drs are just worthless.
I’m convinced that having a ruddy locum is useless in our surgery, I’m convinced they can’t do much on her than prescribe pills. I’ve had no designated GP for nearly a year because mine left and they haven’t signed up a new on. I’d requested to register with one of the others to be told ‘we’re not doing that at the moment’. That was many months ago, so repeated my request to get same response, so having found a recent document on BMA site to practice managers, I reminded them of it 👍🏻
Wow it's hard to believe that you didn't get another Dr. That's almost barbaric. Even with the crappy insurance I have (I'm in Florida) I can still get another Dr. But I don't bother because in my insurance they are all one as bad as the other. And Drs wonder why we get on these forums. Well the ones maybe who are curious about what we are saying and the others don't give a hoot. I'm thankful for this forum. Have learned a lot here. MUCH more than I would have ever gotten from the Drs I've seen. I believe Drs COULD do better. They choose not to because they get paid no matter what. I don't know about the UK or other countries but Drs in the USA make very very good money. What could be easier than halfway listening to a person's symptoms, look at a computer screen and find the pills to prescribe. At least that's my experience. I was thinking about that. Seems we all as patients could sit at a computer and look up what pills to take. Why do Drs even bother to go to med school. If all they are learning is to throw pills and do procedures. There's been a few different people in this country who have been arrested for impersonating a Dr. Lol 😆. I see how easy that would be. I think one young man went for a couple years "treating" people before he was caught. Spent a short time in prison and when he got out, tried it again. Arrested again but I never heard what became of him after the second go round. And I don't think he had hurt anyone. Thank goodness. Probably no more harm than these real Drs do to us. 😏I am still amazed you didn't get another Dr. I tell people to read Dr Wolfson "The Paleo Cardiologist". He's in Arizona. Became a holistic cardiologist. Has some good advice. But he's too high dollar. Doesn't take insurance cause insurance doesn't pay for natural treatments. And one has to fly to Arizona where he's at. Way out of my price range. And there are other holistic Drs with websites. Dr Sanja Gupta there in the UK. He has some good videos on taking supplements and other things. Hang in there and take care.
I take the same dose as you and my blood clots pretty much the same as it always did - which was quite quickly though not as quickly as when I was younger.
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