Pico de Orizaba

Pico de Orizaba
Taken from Huatusco, Veracruz, the closest town to Margarita's family's ranch.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Vitamin D Deficiency, J-Pouch Group Discussion

I was just "diagnosed" with Vitamin D "insufficiency"... I am not IBD, nor Crohns, but Gardner's Syndrome. As for where in the world exists more or less Crohns... It is very dependent upon the documentation and access to information along with the education/training quality of the Medical practitioners in each country. I live in Mexico. I am "American", born in Philadelphia, raised in New Jersey, college educated in Amherst Massachussetts... And living here in Guadalajara, Mexico with FAP/Gardner's/J-Pouch and now "diagnosed" with hypertension and vitamin D "insufficiency". Some of you talk about taking between 5,000 and 50,000 UIs of Vitamin D. Imagine living here in Mexico where the highest dosage found in the farmacies and GNC are 400UIs at a higher price here than the 5,000UIs sold in the U.S. How would you do that? You wouldn't. 

About the lack of elevation of your Vitamin D. Are you/were you taking D2 or D3? D2 is about to be removed from the U.S. market since it 500xs slower at being processed by the human body, if it actually functions. The human body produces D3... GNC U.S sells D3 between 2,000 and 5,000 IUs. GNC Mexico only sells 100 capsul bottles of D2 400IU at the same price as GNC U.S.'s 180 capsule D3 5,000 IU... 

As for malabsorption of Vitamin D and the J-Pouch... The J-Pouch is constructed using the former Ileum, which is the 3rd and last part of the small intestine. Vitamin D is absorbed in the Duodenum and the Jejenum (1st and 2nd parts of the small intestine). So, it's more probable that the IBDs and the Crohns have problems unrelated to the J-Pouch. Granted, the FAPs with Gardner's Syndrome have a risk of problems in the Duodenum... 

As I mentioned, I live in Mexico; a ton of sun from February until November... However, if you live in hot/sunny climates, you may opt for not finding yourself in direct sunlight, since you find yourself hot enough in the shade; I became accustomed to walk on the shady side of the street because my wife (from the mountains of Veracruz) prefers being in the shade... I've never been a sunbather either.

Plus, if you wear sunscreen during the sunny seasons, you will not produce Vitamin D. Today, most people avoid the sun due to fear of skin cancer. Now, after reading all I have read about Vitamin D deficiency, I would be more afraid of the deficiency that can cause up to 18 different cancers, along with kidney failure/ heart disease/heart attacks/anneurisms/strokes due to hypertension caused by Vitamin D deficiency, auto-immune problems, chronic fatigue, Alzheimers/memory problems/depression/nervous disorders, stress fractures due to muscle fatigue, bone weakening/bone deformation/osteoporosis all due to calcium deficiencies: WITHOUT VITAMIN D YOU DO NOT ABSORB CALCIUM.

So, maybe you should risk skin cancer.

Here are the RDA recommendations (although they are considered horribly low and incorrect):

0-10NDs of Vitamin D: Deficiency

10-20 NDs: Insufficiency

30-50 NDs: Normal

400-600 IUs daily requirement.

Now, what I've been reading amongst the health and nutrition specialists and in the exercise magazines such as Runners World where there are many cases of world class runners suffering stress fractures, broken bones and horrible muscle fatigue not knowing that they have a vitamin D count of between 15 and 19, the recommended daily dose is 5,000 IUs (and you can't get that in your diet). What the RDA says is insufficient is actually deficient and puts you at horrible risk. What is considered normal is actually "at risk" or insuffficient. And your numbers should be between 50-70.

I went to a GI for for an upper endoscopy. The GI was the president for the Mexican Association of Gastro Enterologists (one of 3 liver transplanters here in Guadalajara) and even met my "super-star" world leader or pioneer in J-Pouch surgeries Dr. Gorstein of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. However, my GI told me that the J-Pouch automatically removes the ability to absorb ALL B vitamins; which is not correct and prescribed a B12 injection without prescribing blood tests or knowing my levels, and he told me I didn't need an Upper Endoscopy although 7 years ago I was diagnosed with 2 ulcers in my stomach, gastritis, duodenitis and an inflamed gall bladder due to gall stones (that I diminished with my own self-prescribed dietary change). He also said that I didn't need an ultrasound, althoug I told him of discomfort in the region of the gallbladder and a strange and new discomfort behind my left rib cage/stomach I thought was from the ulcers, but is generally caused by kidney stones... Without his suggestion I went to a laboratory and requested an Ultrasound and blood tests. The ultrasound showed that my gallbladder was normal and only had 3 gallstones (thanks to my diet change plus grapefruit juice and olive oil half hour before breakfast and Coriander seeds soaked in water; very bitter, soy lecithin if I am correct, although that may have just been for my hypertension--it was a long time ago). My kideys are clean; no problems with my spleen nor my pancreas... My B12 was over 2,000! and my Vitamin D was 18.5... The day after injecting myself with the B12, I started experiencing horrible fatigue in my calves, my ankles and the arch of my feet and later on, my left thigh muscle while running. Now I walk/run without my shirt on at midday:-)

The GI sent me to a Cardiologist because of high blood pressure the GI claimed was caused by hypertension of the Kidney. However, kidneys don't cause hypertension; kidney disease is caused by hypertension.

I was NEVER diagnosed with hypertension when living in NYC, nor when I had my surgeries at Mount Sinai Hospital. The cardiologist here in Guadalajara said that I would be on BP medication for the rest of my life. And, although I have problems retaining water due to the Colectomy and then the J-Pouch (I go to the bathroom at least 15 times a day and usually sitting), he prescribed a BP medication (Micardis) that lowers blood pressure and is a diuretic. Now, we all know that diarhea lowers potassium levels. Potassium deficiency raises blood pressure and can cause heart attacks... Vitamin D deficiency also raises blood pressure. So, why didn't he ask for blood tests before prescribing me the medication? and he prescribed the highest dosage. Plus this medication normally is prescribed for people who have recently had angioplasties and had problems with their heart attack BP medication. Own arm had a BP of 170/100, the other had a BP of 160/90. He said that I was in the mid-range, not at heavy risk of heart failure. 

The worst thing was that, without checking my kidneys for kidney stones or kidney disease he suggested that my discomforts were from muscle pain and prescribed a pain reliever banned by the FDA due to high risks of Heart Attacks! What Cardiologist would prescribe a medicine banned in the U.S. because it creates a high risk of Heart Attack?

I have a whole bunch of tests scheduled for the forth to see if the BP meds are causing problems for with my Kidneys and Liver; the next appointment with the Cardiologist is for the 7th to analyze those findings. 

I figure I will do all of that, especially since I want to know how are my urine tests, cholestorol tests and other tests, pay the cardiologist, receive his prescription and suggestions and forget about the BP meds and his office. I will buy a BP monitor, continue with my wonderful diet/cooking, exercize without a shirt on for an hour and a half, take the little Vitamin D suppliments I find here along with Calcium and test myself for Vitamin D in mid to late January... 

I am almost positive that the hypertension is caused by the vitamin D deficiency. But we will see in a month :-)

Ross

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