About a year ago I started to feel exhausted, like I would get home and wouldn’t want to do anything, nothing but lay in bed. I had no motivation to do work once I’d been out all day. I would leave the house and 2-3 hours later I’d be so tired and want to go back home. My physical capacity at work changed, I wasn’t able to carry as many garments bags around as I used to. I chalked it at first to getting older. Around the end of summer into the fall I started to think I was depressed. I knew that some of the signs of depression was exhaustion and not being motivated to do anything. It was killing me inside because I’m an entrepreneur and used to working hard, long hours. But I just couldn’t.

Fast forward to about a month ago I finally went in to see a hematologist. Between not getting my initial referral and my procrastination it took forever. I digress, I tell the nurse why I’m there and she asks me about exhaustion and I tell her yeah I’ve been really exhausted for the past 10 or months and my work capacity has changed. She dismisses it. *Insert eyeroll* So the Doctor comes in I tell her about my lightheadedness and she’s like it’s something that happens to certain people so it’s normal, but I’m going to do new bloodwork just to make sure. Come back in a few weeks to get the results.

I went back and as soon as my doctor came in she asked “Have your been really tired lately?” Me:”Uh yeah!” So she continued with my results. I’m vitamin D deficient, my iron levels are low and I need to start taking B12. So to put my Vitamin D deficiency in perspective, my level is 4. You’d think maybe that’s out of 10, it’s low but like not like horribly so. But the suboptimal level, is between 20-30, optimal is somewhere between 30-50. I’m at 4, 4, like 4. I was shocked but also glad to know my fatigue and tiredness wasn’t just me being lazy.

Some Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency:

• Fatigue or Tiredness
• Sick or Infected Often
• Bone and Back Pain
• Depressed Mood or Anxiety
• Impaired Wound Healing
• Bone Loss
• Hair Loss
• Muscle Pain

Who’s at Risk?

• People who have darker skin
• People who don’t have much exposure to sunlight
• If you don’t eat fish or dairy over time as they contain Vitamin D

Treatments

• Spend 15-20 minutes in the sun
• Consuming foods with high level of Vitamin D – dairy, fishy, dairy alternatives*
• Take a D Vitamin daily

*check ingredients not all dairy substitutes have added Vitamin D

Consult your doctor if you have any of these symptoms. Please get your levels checked. As I found out my regular doctor didn’t check for Vitamin D levels so if I hadn’t insisted for my initial issue I would have never known. Also let your doctor know if your diet changes, as my vegan adjacent diet is very vitamin D deficient. Don’t take any of your symptoms for granted. Praying for you all and I’ll keep you posted as my levels are monitored.

health health care symptoms vitamin d vitamin d deficiency vitamin d levels women's health