Vitamin D

[Guest guest]

No, I mean some "bogus" vitamin deficiencies like D make everyone including medical personnel complacent about even legitimate deficiencies Like K so there is no further investigation. --tell me this wasnt our first disagreement!!! LOLVirginiaSent from my iPhone On Jun 15, 2012, at 11:15 AM, Bingham <jlkbbk2003@...> wrote:

I think the opposite - I think something is wrong with where we have set the levels or the way we test it. I can't imagine 9/10 seem to be depleted of vitamin D. In America packaged foods - milk being one - are D fortified, so it doesn't add up.

Before I was diagnosed with PA, my vitamin D was tested and found to be off-the-charts low. My former doctor (the one I fired) prescribed a megadose of it, which somehow raised my BP and exacerbated the palpitations I already had from low K.I was re-tested several months after my adrenalectomy and indeed it was still low. My current doctor is skeptical of supplementation - for one thing, most if not all of the tests done showing benefits from Vit D supplementation were done on white Northern European men over 50. Being neither northern European, male, or over 50, I told my doc that until a study comes out showing benefits of Vit D in mixed-race women under 50, I'm not taking it, because even though the tumor is gone, I'm scared of what Vit D will do. Those palpitations were really frightening.My doc has also noted the same thing that you did - nearly everyone he tests comes back low. One theory about this is that our sun-phobic

culture has everyone slathered in sunscreen; my own experiment-of-one voids this though, as I am out in the sun a lot and refuse to use sunscreen (I'm more fearful of slathering my skin in petrochemicals than I am of sun damage).My low vitamin levels (I've also had Vitamin A and B12 deficiencies) are believed to be due to malabsorbtion from damage done by years of undiagnosed celiac disease. Perhaps the years of undiagnosed low K have contributed as well - if I understand my biology, then low K could cause dysfunction in the smooth muscle of the digestive tract, which is what I suspect was happening to me for many years. I still have malabsorbtion symptoms, but it was far worse before the adrenalectomy.-msmith1928Left laparoscopic adrenalectomy 10/13/11> > > >> > > > I was active on

this board about a year ago and then I got pregnant with baby #6 and between two military moves and a year long deployment for my husband I have been on very little. Â Tried to start reading again, but still have 6000 messages!> > > > > > > > Diagnosed with PA in 2007, Â BP was regulated with a low salt diet. Â Average below 120/80. Â Healthy pregnancy and delivery of a beautiful girl 10 lb. 12 oz - no gestational diabetes, just pure chunk.> > > > > > > > I am now three and a half months post partum. Â BP has been fairly normal. Â In the 135/85 range, but I was happy as I know in the postpartum period there is some leveling out. Â About a month ago I felt odd and my bp was up to 176/100 or something like that. Â I believe I took a bath with Epsom salts (I have magnesium issues) and BP seemed normal. Â Has been normal since that time.

 About three days ago I felt like I was urinating all day long in tiny amounts.  I also dropped 5 pounds in two days.  I am eating a very low salt diet with virtually no processed foods.  I take 20 MEQ of slow release K and drink 16 oz of OJ and 8 oz of low sodium V-8.  In addition I eat lots of fruit and veggies and beans so I think my potassium is high enough.> > > > > > > > Tuesday morning my BP was 123/82 and a few hours later standing in the kitchen I felt weird and it was 180/103.  I think I took my magnesium and it went down to maybe 150/92.  BP has been up and down the last few days.  I have been so thirsty and have a really dry mouth like I am dehydrated, but last night I couldn't seem to hold anything in for more than an hour before I would urinate.  I couldn't sleep either.  BP would be 180/103 and 15 min after water it would be 135/82 only

to go back up after I urinated. Â It was like I couldn't hold on to water. Â > > > > > > > > Five years ago I had a situation like this when I was eight months post partum (breastfeeding both times, though now, my baby is strictly breastfed and my eight month old had started solids.> > > > > > > > Due to the weight loss I started drinking Gatorade and BP has been around 140/90 - not great, but not ridiculous. Â Any thoughts as to what is going on. Â In my pregnancy I had low sodium and felt less mentally strange with the addition of some salt into my diet. Â The sodium in the Gatorade has not seemed to be a problem and actually seems to help somewhat.> > > > > > > > My dr. appt got cancelled today and I go tomorrow. Â New dr. Â None of my PA paperwork is in my military file as we were away from a base when it all

started. Â Just want to be on my toes and take the dr. some good info. Â Just hoping she listens to me.> > > > > > > > Anybody ever have anything like this happen before?> > > > > > > > Around a year ago I was eating so low sodium that my BP went really low 102/68 and pulse went high and adding some salt seemed to help. Â Thanks for listening. Â > > > > > > > > -> > > > Â 42 yoWF, 6 kids, military wife whose husband is currently deployed for a year. Â diagnosed PA 2007. Â AVS found hormone producing tumor on left, couldn't sample right, told me to have adrenelectomy of left and I declined as they could not sample right side> > > >> > >> >>

[Guest guest]

As long as you know I am always right . Honestly, I respect anyone's opinion, even if we disagree and my feathers do not get rattled even in the heat of some topics. We're all different thank goodness, because no one needs to be me but me. But sounds like we do agree on this one.

Such irony in your statement about how lately they seem to go crazy over the vit D thing, which doesn't seem to have much of an impact with treating it in how a patient feels per what patients say on it and the prevailing research, and how we almost completely ignore a low K - even that elusive "boderline" K that many have in the face of a whole bunch of complaints that can be low K like. So we agree more than we think I'd bet.

The other irony maybe is that ALL my daughters are K names: Kourtney, Kynzee, Keagynn-Anne, and Kamryn. Was God telling me something?

I look back over my 10 years as a PA-C (i was a paramedic and college teacher before that) and wonder how many of those borderlines I may have ignored or just brushed aside because lets face it I learned from someone else who learned from someone else and far too many seem to ignore the low K's and pass that mentality along. I dont know a specific patient, but I know I had the poor lady come in with that fatigued and weak feeling, and while I never made anyone feel they weren't important (on purpose, but probably did it not knowing I did), they may have been low K or similar.

But now, sadly maybe, I am now such an advocate for addressing low, or even almost low if there are symptoms, potassium levels because in my personal situation finally correcting the chronic low K was the catalyst for no more vicious headaches, it got rid of that weak rubbery legged feeling, the horrible insomnia, and....fill in the blank because I had SO many wild symptoms it's no wonder (but sill not right) most blew me off and called it stress. K is SO vital in our body's processes we have to quit ignoring that one. And you guys and gals fight for your K when they ignore it. If your kidneys are good, trying it is okay too. If taking it is going to help you'll know quickly.

When I used to go to the ER all the time because my BP got up over 180/140 ish and I couldn't get it down (that's when I usually went in praying SOMEONE will look and listen - but nope, never), plus I would have these headaches and weakness with it, even I would think that it was the pain medicine they would give me in the er (nothing they prescribed but gave to me) that made me feel better for few days. Since they tend to give me that little euphoria, I figured that was why I was okay for a couple of days. But no, after I got my records I noticed that I had not had a normal K since 2003 on any lab test (ER or outpatient) and the ER often gave me toradol - which doesn't do that.

But they often fixed my K in the ER without even mentioning it to me and I wasn't always feeling up to monitoring everything they did, I just trusted them, so they put it in the IV and often never told me. It was the K they fixed that made me feel better, except I still had Conn's, and within days I peed it all out again and because of the untreated undaignosed PA AND my own bad dietary habits, it would sink low again very fast

I had a 1.9 once on my records, Jan 2009, and they didn't put me in the hospital or even talk to me about it - I wonder if they thought it couldn't be that because I was walking and talking and polite. That was close to the time in 2008 I had a seizure at home that we never knew why, but today I suspect it was low K and a cardiac event that for some reason I didn't die from, but bet I was close.

Happened once, and never again. Scary, as my wife heard me fall in the bathroom - I had gotten up early 4 am, and took a bath as I was up all night and just achy all over - a common complaint when I was so sick and undiagnosed. I blocked the door when I fell and then she called 911, but in between I had crawled to bed, mumbling, I remember nothing after I fell, but I do remember vividly standing in front of the mirror combing my hair, as I was already dressed, and then waking up 6 hours later in bed. (strangely, like maybe an aura, to this day that memory of being in front of the mirror in that bathroom is as vivid as if I was there now!)

Here's the clincher. Small town Texas and EMS was about as competent as Bill Clinton is faithful. they said I kind of mumbled, so they could wake me up, but since my "vitals were okay" (and I promise my BP was NEVER okay back then), They told that I didn't need to go to the hospital. My wife, who knows no better, left me in bed to wake up 6 hours later. We have sinced discussed that when ANYONE goes unconscious for whatever reason, they go to the hospital, especially like my case, wherein I had never had a seizure or anything like it.

I often wonder how close I was to dying at times and looking back my K was low low many times that I didn't check it I am sure, given how I felt. The way my heart felt after I got the H1 N1 flu and it led to hyperthyroid, plus PA being untreated, I really wonder how close I may have gotten. Hyperthyroid has this weird sense of doom feeling anyway and I usually thought I wouldn't wake up if I fell asleep, but I rarely fell asleep anyway at that time.

Still scary. But we have to quit ignoring low K's. It is much more important than we give it credit for!

-- On Fri, 6/15/12, Virginia Wall <virgwall@...> wrote:

From: Virginia Wall <virgwall@...>Subject: Re: Re: vitamin D"hyperaldosteronism " <hyperaldosteronism >Date: Friday, June 15, 2012, 11:29 AM

No, I mean some "bogus" vitamin deficiencies like D make everyone including medical personnel complacent about even legitimate deficiencies Like K so there is no further investigation.

--tell me this wasnt our first disagreement!!! LOL

Virginia

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 15, 2012, at 11:15 AM, Bingham <jlkbbk2003@...> wrote:

I think the opposite - I think something is wrong with where we have set the levels or the way we test it. I can't imagine 9/10 seem to be depleted of vitamin D. In America packaged foods - milk being one - are D fortified, so it doesn't add up.

From: Virginia Wall <virgwall@...>Subject: Re: Re: vitamin D"hyperaldosteronism " <hyperaldosteronism >Date: Friday, June 15, 2012, 12:42 AM

I just looked up my labs and had my vit D tested in 2009 and it was normal...do I win a prize? Lol. But I agree everyone I know who has ever had it tested is low..my best friend who is at the pool all the time, my sister, some other friends, my mom. Whenever I talked about having low K pre-PA diagnosis everyone always brought this up, like I shouldn't be worried about a vitamin deficiency, because most people had some kind of vitamin deficiency. I think this attitude delays many of us getting help when we should.

Virginia Wall

31 year old female

DASHing

AVS scheduled June 27, 2012 at BJC Hospital St. Louis, MO

3 cm adenoma in right adrenal

Diagnosed February 2012

Low K & High BP since appx. 2007

Possible family history of hyperaldosteronism

Meds: K Cl 20 meq 2 tabs bid

Prenatal vitamin

Breastfeeding; 5 month old with G6PDD

> > f> > I just looked it up and know a couple of you said you were breast-feeding. If you are not supplementing your infant, you need to see this, "As noted earlier, the AAP recommends that exclusively and partially breastfed infants be supplemented with 400 IU of vitamin D per day [22], the RDA for this nutrient during infancy."> > For the whole story go here:> > http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/> > And now the wife suggested I go out and activate some vitamin D (MOW THE LAWN!)> > > > > >> > > Your story sounds so much like mine. I am 40 w/six children, the youngest is 5 mos old. I was diagnosed w/ PA in 2007 after my fifth child was born. I'm only on 20 meq of K plus vegan diet w/ very low salt, but can't find the right balance. Too little salt & I'm cold, shaking, confused foggy feeling. Too much and BP skyrockets. My magnesium and Vit D are low despite healthy eating. > > > > > > > > >

[Guest guest]

, I totally agree with you. There are too many people with

so-called low levels  being supplemented with VItamin d and they end

up with hypercalcemia.

I developed hypercalcemia after supplementing with only 4,000u a

day.  My levels were very dangerous at 15.  I read that the correct

way to measure vitamin d was to freeze the specimen. I have never

had my specimen frozen. There are two types of levels 

25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.

Phyllis

45ye AAf. 20yr hx of HBP 180/100, previously 7 BP meds, now dashing

and Inspra 12.5 daily and Benicar 20mg twice a day(for sarcoid)

hx, htn, cardiomyopathy,  LVH,sarcoidosis, CHF-previous 22% now

50%.  htn spec.Dr Elijah Saunders

Phyllis

On 6/15/2012

12:15 PM, Bingham wrote:

 

 

I think the opposite - I think something is wrong

with where we have set the levels or the way we

test it. I can't imagine 9/10 seem to be depleted

of vitamin D. In America packaged foods - milk

being one - are D fortified, so it doesn't add up.

 

 

Before I was diagnosed with

PA, my vitamin D was tested and

found to be off-the-charts low.

My former doctor (the one I

fired) prescribed a megadose of

it, which somehow raised my BP

and exacerbated the palpitations

I already had from low K.

I was re-tested several months

after my adrenalectomy and

indeed it was still low. My

current doctor is skeptical of

supplementation - for one thing,

most if not all of the tests

done showing benefits from Vit D

supplementation were done on

white Northern European men over

50. Being neither northern

European, male, or over 50, I

told my doc that until a study

comes out showing benefits of

Vit D in mixed-race women under

50, I'm not taking it, because

even though the tumor is gone,

I'm scared of what Vit D will

do. Those palpitations were

really frightening.

My doc has also noted the same

thing that you did - nearly

everyone he tests comes back

low. One theory about this is

that our sun-phobic culture has

everyone slathered in sunscreen;

my own experiment-of-one voids

this though, as I am out in the

sun a lot and refuse to use

sunscreen (I'm more fearful of

slathering my skin in

petrochemicals than I am of sun

damage).

My low vitamin levels (I've also

had Vitamin A and B12

deficiencies) are believed to be

due to malabsorbtion from damage

done by years of undiagnosed

celiac disease. Perhaps the

years of undiagnosed low K have

contributed as well - if I

understand my biology, then low

K could cause dysfunction in the

smooth muscle of the digestive

tract, which is what I suspect

was happening to me for many

years. I still have

malabsorbtion symptoms, but it

was far worse before the

adrenalectomy.

-msmith1928

Left laparoscopic adrenalectomy

10/13/11

> > > >

> > > > I was active

on this board about a year ago

and then I got pregnant with

baby #6 and between two military

moves and a year long deployment

for my husband I have been on

very little.  Tried to start

reading again, but still have

6000 messages!

> > > >

> > > > Diagnosed

with PA in 2007,  BP was

regulated with a low salt diet.

 Average below 120/80.

 Healthy pregnancy and delivery

of a beautiful girl 10 lb. 12 oz

- no gestational diabetes, just

pure chunk.

> > > >

> > > > I am now

three and a half months post

partum.  BP has been fairly

normal.  In the 135/85 range,

but I was happy as I know in the

postpartum period there is some

leveling out.  About a month

ago I felt odd and my bp was up

to 176/100 or something like

that.  I believe I took a bath

with Epsom salts (I have

magnesium issues) and BP seemed

normal.  Has been normal since

that time.  About three days

ago I felt like I was urinating

all day long in tiny amounts.

 I also dropped 5 pounds in two

days.  I am eating a very low

salt diet with virtually no

processed foods.  I take 20 MEQ

of slow release K and drink 16

oz of OJ and 8 oz of low sodium

V-8.  In addition I eat lots of

fruit and veggies and beans so I

think my potassium is high

enough.

> > > >

> > > > Tuesday

morning my BP was 123/82 and a

few hours later standing in the

kitchen I felt weird and it was

180/103.  I think I took my

magnesium and it went down to

maybe 150/92.  BP has been up

and down the last few days.  I

have been so thirsty and have a

really dry mouth like I am

dehydrated, but last night I

couldn't seem to hold anything

in for more than an hour before

I would urinate.  I couldn't

sleep either.  BP would be

180/103 and 15 min after water

it would be 135/82 only to go

back up after I urinated.  It

was like I couldn't hold on to

water.  

> > > >

> > > > Five years

ago I had a situation like this

when I was eight months post

partum (breastfeeding both

times, though now, my baby is

strictly breastfed and my eight

month old had started solids.

> > > >

> > > > Due to the

weight loss I started drinking

Gatorade and BP has been around

140/90 - not great, but not

ridiculous.  Any thoughts as to

what is going on.  In my

pregnancy I had low sodium and

felt less mentally strange with

the addition of some salt into

my diet.  The sodium in the

Gatorade has not seemed to be a

problem and actually seems to

help somewhat.

> > > >

> > > > My dr. appt

got cancelled today and I go

tomorrow.  New dr.  None of my

PA paperwork is in my military

file as we were away from a base

when it all started.  Just want

to be on my toes and take the

dr. some good info.  Just

hoping she listens to me.

> > > >

> > > > Anybody ever

have anything like this happen

before?

> > > >

> > > > Around a

year ago I was eating so low

sodium that my BP went really

low 102/68 and pulse went high

and adding some salt seemed to

help.  Thanks for listening.  

> > > >

> > > > -

> > > >  42 yoWF, 6

kids, military wife whose

husband is currently deployed

for a year.  diagnosed PA 2007.

 AVS found hormone producing

tumor on left, couldn't sample

right, told me to have

adrenelectomy of left and I

declined as they could not

sample right side

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I was also tested and vitamin D was very low although I live in SoCal and never

put sunscreen on my skin.

The really weird thing is that I tried supplementing with 4000U/day for 3 months

and I also got more palpitations and more issues when taking it.

But to my PCP surprised after taking 4000U/day for 3 months and retesting my

Vitamin D level actually DROPPED (from 18 to 15)!

Maybe PA and it's electrolyte imbalances will cause your body to lower Ca too by

lowering the Vitamin D which is involved in Ca absorption (perhaps medical

professionals on this board can offer a better explanation).

So I stopped taking Vitamin D after that (I had bad nighttime palps violent

heart racing and insomnia while on it).

>

> Before I was diagnosed with PA, my vitamin D was tested and found to be

off-the-charts low. My former doctor (the one I fired) prescribed a megadose of

it, which somehow raised my BP and exacerbated the palpitations I already had

from low K.

>

> I was re-tested several months after my adrenalectomy and indeed it was still

low. My current doctor is skeptical of supplementation - for one thing, most if

not all of the tests done showing benefits from Vit D supplementation were done

on white Northern European men over 50. Being neither northern European, male,

or over 50, I told my doc that until a study comes out showing benefits of Vit D

in mixed-race women under 50, I'm not taking it, because even though the tumor

is gone, I'm scared of what Vit D will do. Those palpitations were really

frightening.

>

> My doc has also noted the same thing that you did - nearly everyone he tests

comes back low. One theory about this is that our sun-phobic culture has

everyone slathered in sunscreen; my own experiment-of-one voids this though, as

I am out in the sun a lot and refuse to use sunscreen (I'm more fearful of

slathering my skin in petrochemicals than I am of sun damage).

>

> My low vitamin levels (I've also had Vitamin A and B12 deficiencies) are

believed to be due to malabsorbtion from damage done by years of undiagnosed

celiac disease. Perhaps the years of undiagnosed low K have contributed as well

- if I understand my biology, then low K could cause dysfunction in the smooth

muscle of the digestive tract, which is what I suspect was happening to me for

many years. I still have malabsorbtion symptoms, but it was far worse before the

adrenalectomy.

>

>

> -msmith1928

> Left laparoscopic adrenalectomy 10/13/11

[Guest guest]

That describes my experience exactly! Even though I no longer have the tumor

causing PA, I will still never take Vit D again.

>

(I had bad nighttime palps violent heart racing and insomnia while on it).

[Guest guest]

m...There may be a very good reason you are low on vit D since if I remember

right you are " lean (and mean) " , check this out:

http://health.usnews.chttp://health.usnews.com/health-news/managing-your-healthc\

are/diabetes/articles/2010/03/25/why-you-may-not-need-that-vitamin-d-test-after-\

all?page=2

> > > > >

> > > > > I was active on this board about a year ago and then I got pregnant

with baby #6 and between two military moves and a year long deployment for my

husband I have been on very little.  Tried to start reading again, but still

have 6000 messages!

> > > > >

> > > > > Diagnosed with PA in 2007,  BP was regulated with a low salt diet.

 Average below 120/80.  Healthy pregnancy and delivery of a beautiful girl 10

lb. 12 oz - no gestational diabetes, just pure chunk.

> > > > >

> > > > > I am now three and a half months post partum.  BP has been fairly

normal.  In the 135/85 range, but I was happy as I know in the postpartum

period there is some leveling out.  About a month ago I felt odd and my bp was

up to 176/100 or something like that.  I believe I took a bath with Epsom salts

(I have magnesium issues) and BP seemed normal.  Has been normal since that

time.  About three days ago I felt like I was urinating all day long in tiny

amounts.  I also dropped 5 pounds in two days.  I am eating a very low salt

diet with virtually no processed foods.  I take 20 MEQ of slow release K and

drink 16 oz of OJ and 8 oz of low sodium V-8.  In addition I eat lots of fruit

and veggies and beans so I think my potassium is high enough.

> > > > >

> > > > > Tuesday morning my BP was 123/82 and a few hours later standing in the

kitchen I felt weird and it was 180/103.  I think I took my magnesium and it

went down to maybe 150/92.  BP has been up and down the last few days.  I have

been so thirsty and have a really dry mouth like I am dehydrated, but last night

I couldn't seem to hold anything in for more than an hour before I would

urinate.  I couldn't sleep either.  BP would be 180/103 and 15 min after water

it would be 135/82 only to go back up after I urinated.  It was like I couldn't

hold on to water.  

> > > > >

> > > > > Five years ago I had a situation like this when I was eight months

post partum (breastfeeding both times, though now, my baby is strictly breastfed

and my eight month old had started solids.

> > > > >

> > > > > Due to the weight loss I started drinking Gatorade and BP has been

around 140/90 - not great, but not ridiculous.  Any thoughts as to what is

going on.  In my pregnancy I had low sodium and felt less mentally strange with

the addition of some salt into my diet.  The sodium in the Gatorade has not

seemed to be a problem and actually seems to help somewhat.

> > > > >

> > > > > My dr. appt got cancelled today and I go tomorrow.  New dr.  None of

my PA paperwork is in my military file as we were away from a base when it all

started.  Just want to be on my toes and take the dr. some good info.  Just

hoping she listens to me.

> > > > >

> > > > > Anybody ever have anything like this happen before?

> > > > >

> > > > > Around a year ago I was eating so low sodium that my BP went really

low 102/68 and pulse went high and adding some salt seemed to help.  Thanks for

listening.  

> > > > >

> > > > > -

> > > > >  42 yoWF, 6 kids, military wife whose husband is currently deployed

for a year.  diagnosed PA 2007.  AVS found hormone producing tumor on left,

couldn't sample right, told me to have adrenelectomy of left and I declined as

they could not sample right side

> > > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

When they had said mine was low, and I took extra D, I didn't notice a change in any vitals, but just overall felt like crap. That started when I took it, stopped when I stopped the D. Made me feel like I just didn't need it

>> Before I was diagnosed with PA, my vitamin D was tested and found to be off-the-charts low. My former doctor (the one I fired) prescribed a megadose of it,

which somehow raised my BP and exacerbated the palpitations I already had from low K.> > I was re-tested several months after my adrenalectomy and indeed it was still low. My current doctor is skeptical of supplementation - for one thing, most if not all of the tests done showing benefits from Vit D supplementation were done on white Northern European men over 50. Being neither northern European, male, or over 50, I told my doc that until a study comes out showing benefits of Vit D in mixed-race women under 50, I'm not taking it, because even though the tumor is gone, I'm scared of what Vit D will do. Those palpitations were really frightening.> > My doc has also noted the same thing that you did - nearly everyone he tests comes back low. One theory about this is that our sun-phobic culture has everyone slathered in sunscreen; my own experiment-of-one voids this though, as I am out in the sun a lot and refuse to use sunscreen

(I'm more fearful of slathering my skin in petrochemicals than I am of sun damage).> > My low vitamin levels (I've also had Vitamin A and B12 deficiencies) are believed to be due to malabsorbtion from damage done by years of undiagnosed celiac disease. Perhaps the years of undiagnosed low K have contributed as well - if I understand my biology, then low K could cause dysfunction in the smooth muscle of the digestive tract, which is what I suspect was happening to me for many years. I still have malabsorbtion symptoms, but it was far worse before the adrenalectomy.> > > -msmith1928> Left laparoscopic adrenalectomy 10/13/11> > > > > > >> > > > > I was active on this board about a year ago and then I got pregnant with baby #6 and between two military moves and a year long deployment for my husband I have been on very little. Â Tried to start reading again, but still have 6000 messages!> > > > > > > > > > Diagnosed with PA in 2007, Â BP was regulated with a low salt diet. Â Average below 120/80. Â Healthy pregnancy and delivery of a beautiful girl 10 lb. 12 oz - no gestational diabetes, just pure chunk.> > > > > > > > > > I am now three and a half months post partum. Â BP has been fairly

normal. Â In the 135/85 range, but I was happy as I know in the postpartum period there is some leveling out. Â About a month ago I felt odd and my bp was up to 176/100 or something like that. Â I believe I took a bath with Epsom salts (I have magnesium issues) and BP seemed normal. Â Has been normal since that time. Â About three days ago I felt like I was urinating all day long in tiny amounts. Â I also dropped 5 pounds in two days. Â I am eating a very low salt diet with virtually no processed foods. Â I take 20 MEQ of slow release K and drink 16 oz of OJ and 8 oz of low sodium V-8. Â In addition I eat lots of fruit and veggies and beans so I think my potassium is high enough.> > > > > > > > > > Tuesday morning my BP was 123/82 and a few hours later standing in the kitchen I felt weird and it was 180/103. Â I think I took my magnesium and it went down to

maybe 150/92. Â BP has been up and down the last few days. Â I have been so thirsty and have a really dry mouth like I am dehydrated, but last night I couldn't seem to hold anything in for more than an hour before I would urinate. Â I couldn't sleep either. Â BP would be 180/103 and 15 min after water it would be 135/82 only to go back up after I urinated. Â It was like I couldn't hold on to water. Â > > > > > > > > > > Five years ago I had a situation like this when I was eight months post partum (breastfeeding both times, though now, my baby is strictly breastfed and my eight month old had started solids.> > > > > > > > > > Due to the weight loss I started drinking Gatorade and BP has been around 140/90 - not great, but not ridiculous. Â Any thoughts as to what is going on. Â In my pregnancy I had low sodium and felt less

mentally strange with the addition of some salt into my diet. Â The sodium in the Gatorade has not seemed to be a problem and actually seems to help somewhat.> > > > > > > > > > My dr. appt got cancelled today and I go tomorrow. Â New dr. Â None of my PA paperwork is in my military file as we were away from a base when it all started. Â Just want to be on my toes and take the dr. some good info. Â Just hoping she listens to me.> > > > > > > > > > Anybody ever have anything like this happen before?> > > > > > > > > > Around a year ago I was eating so low sodium that my BP went really low 102/68 and pulse went high and adding some salt seemed to help. Â Thanks for listening. Â > > > > > > > > > > -> > > > > Â 42 yoWF, 6 kids, military

wife whose husband is currently deployed for a year. Â diagnosed PA 2007. Â AVS found hormone producing tumor on left, couldn't sample right, told me to have adrenelectomy of left and I declined as they could not sample right side> > > > >> > > >> > >> >>

[Guest guest]

Oh yeah, I grew up in Southern Cal too, Long Beach, and never put on sunscreen. Just burned one day, recovered for 2 days, and then burn again - all summer long

From: lvasiliu@... <lvasiliu@...>Subject: Re: vitamin Dhyperaldosteronism Date: Friday, June 15, 2012, 2:13 PM

I was also tested and vitamin D was very low although I live in SoCal and never put sunscreen on my skin.The really weird thing is that I tried supplementing with 4000U/day for 3 months and I also got more palpitations and more issues when taking it. But to my PCP surprised after taking 4000U/day for 3 months and retesting my Vitamin D level actually DROPPED (from 18 to 15)!Maybe PA and it's electrolyte imbalances will cause your body to lower Ca too by lowering the Vitamin D which is involved in Ca absorption (perhaps medical professionals on this board can offer a better explanation).So I stopped taking Vitamin D after that (I had bad nighttime palps violent heart racing and insomnia while on it).>> Before I was diagnosed with PA, my vitamin D was tested and found to be off-the-charts low. My former doctor (the one I fired) prescribed a megadose of it, which somehow raised my BP and exacerbated the palpitations I already had from low K.> > I was re-tested several months after my adrenalectomy and indeed it was still low. My current doctor is skeptical of supplementation - for one thing, most if not all of the tests done showing benefits from Vit D supplementation were done on white Northern European men over 50. Being neither northern European, male, or over 50, I told my doc that until a study comes out showing benefits of Vit D in mixed-race women under 50, I'm not taking it, because even though the tumor is gone, I'm scared of what Vit D will do. Those palpitations were really

frightening.> > My doc has also noted the same thing that you did - nearly everyone he tests comes back low. One theory about this is that our sun-phobic culture has everyone slathered in sunscreen; my own experiment-of-one voids this though, as I am out in the sun a lot and refuse to use sunscreen (I'm more fearful of slathering my skin in petrochemicals than I am of sun damage).> > My low vitamin levels (I've also had Vitamin A and B12 deficiencies) are believed to be due to malabsorbtion from damage done by years of undiagnosed celiac disease. Perhaps the years of undiagnosed low K have contributed as well - if I understand my biology, then low K could cause dysfunction in the smooth muscle of the digestive tract, which is what I suspect was happening to me for many years. I still have malabsorbtion symptoms, but it was far worse before the adrenalectomy.> > > -msmith1928> Left laparoscopic

adrenalectomy 10/13/11

[Guest guest]

Well, it looks like I started discussion, I didn't mean to! There is a lot of current ongoing discussion as indicated in this article:

Vitamin D: Popular Cardiovascular Supplement but Benefit Must Be Evaluated

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3331634/?tool=pubmed#r20063-46

If you want to be one of the first to know the answer consider joining the VITAL study (if you qualify). It is being done at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School located in the heart of Boston. http://www.vitalstudy.org/ If you decide not to join you might want to check their news letter, page 3 has recommendations for a good check list:

http://www.vitalstudy.org/images/VITAL_Signs_2011_1B.pdf

> >> > Before I was diagnosed with PA, my vitamin D was tested and found to be off-the-charts low. My former doctor (the one I fired) prescribed a megadose of it, which somehow raised my BP and exacerbated the palpitations I already had from low K.> > > > I was re-tested several months after my adrenalectomy and indeed it was still low. My current doctor is skeptical of supplementation - for one thing, most if not all of the tests done showing benefits from Vit D supplementation were done on white Northern European men over 50. Being neither northern European, male, or over 50, I told my doc that until a study comes out showing benefits of Vit D in mixed-race women under 50, I'm not taking it, because even though the tumor is gone, I'm scared of what Vit D will do. Those palpitations were really frightening.> > > > My doc has also noted the same thing that you did - nearly everyone he tests comes back low. One theory about this is that our sun-phobic culture has everyone slathered in sunscreen; my own experiment-of-one voids this though, as I am out in the sun a lot and refuse to use sunscreen (I'm more fearful of slathering my skin in petrochemicals than I am of sun damage).> > > > My low vitamin levels (I've also had Vitamin A and B12 deficiencies) are believed to be due to malabsorbtion from damage done by years of undiagnosed celiac disease. Perhaps the years of undiagnosed low K have contributed as well - if I understand my biology, then low K could cause dysfunction in the smooth muscle of the digestive tract, which is what I suspect was happening to me for many years. I still have malabsorbtion symptoms, but it was far worse before the adrenalectomy.> > > > > > -msmith1928> > Left laparoscopic adrenalectomy 10/13/11>

[Guest guest]

Or the assay is not working or your brand of Vit D does not get to blood stream. What brand were you using?CE Grim MDOn Jun 15, 2012, at 2:13 PM, lvasiliu@... wrote: I was also tested and vitamin D was very low although I live in SoCal and never put sunscreen on my skin. The really weird thing is that I tried supplementing with 4000U/day for 3 months and I also got more palpitations and more issues when taking it. But to my PCP surprised after taking 4000U/day for 3 months and retesting my Vitamin D level actually DROPPED (from 18 to 15)! Maybe PA and it's electrolyte imbalances will cause your body to lower Ca too by lowering the Vitamin D which is involved in Ca absorption (perhaps medical professionals on this board can offer a better explanation). So I stopped taking Vitamin D after that (I had bad nighttime palps violent heart racing and insomnia while on it). > > Before I was diagnosed with PA, my vitamin D was tested and found to be off-the-charts low. My former doctor (the one I fired) prescribed a megadose of it, which somehow raised my BP and exacerbated the palpitations I already had from low K. > > I was re-tested several months after my adrenalectomy and indeed it was still low. My current doctor is skeptical of supplementation - for one thing, most if not all of the tests done showing benefits from Vit D supplementation were done on white Northern European men over 50. Being neither northern European, male, or over 50, I told my doc that until a study comes out showing benefits of Vit D in mixed-race women under 50, I'm not taking it, because even though the tumor is gone, I'm scared of what Vit D will do. Those palpitations were really frightening. > > My doc has also noted the same thing that you did - nearly everyone he tests comes back low. One theory about this is that our sun-phobic culture has everyone slathered in sunscreen; my own experiment-of-one voids this though, as I am out in the sun a lot and refuse to use sunscreen (I'm more fearful of slathering my skin in petrochemicals than I am of sun damage). > > My low vitamin levels (I've also had Vitamin A and B12 deficiencies) are believed to be due to malabsorbtion from damage done by years of undiagnosed celiac disease. Perhaps the years of undiagnosed low K have contributed as well - if I understand my biology, then low K could cause dysfunction in the smooth muscle of the digestive tract, which is what I suspect was happening to me for many years. I still have malabsorbtion symptoms, but it was far worse before the adrenalectomy. > > > -msmith1928 > Left laparoscopic adrenalectomy 10/13/11

[Guest guest]

Have you wife keep an eye on your skin. I can always identify an ex surfer by looking at the back.CE Grim MDOn Jun 15, 2012, at 5:57 PM, Bingham wrote: Oh yeah, I grew up in Southern Cal too, Long Beach, and never put on sunscreen. Just burned one day, recovered for 2 days, and then burn again - all summer long From: lvasiliu@... <lvasiliu@...>Subject: Re: vitamin Dhyperaldosteronism Date: Friday, June 15, 2012, 2:13 PM I was also tested and vitamin D was very low although I live in SoCal and never put sunscreen on my skin.The really weird thing is that I tried supplementing with 4000U/day for 3 months and I also got more palpitations and more issues when taking it. But to my PCP surprised after taking 4000U/day for 3 months and retesting my Vitamin D level actually DROPPED (from 18 to 15)!Maybe PA and it's electrolyte imbalances will cause your body to lower Ca too by lowering the Vitamin D which is involved in Ca absorption (perhaps medical professionals on this board can offer a better explanation).So I stopped taking Vitamin D after that (I had bad nighttime palps violent heart racing and insomnia while on it).>> Before I was diagnosed with PA, my vitamin D was tested and found to be off-the-charts low. My former doctor (the one I fired) prescribed a megadose of it, which somehow raised my BP and exacerbated the palpitations I already had from low K.> > I was re-tested several months after my adrenalectomy and indeed it was still low. My current doctor is skeptical of supplementation - for one thing, most if not all of the tests done showing benefits from Vit D supplementation were done on white Northern European men over 50. Being neither northern European, male, or over 50, I told my doc that until a study comes out showing benefits of Vit D in mixed-race women under 50, I'm not taking it, because even though the tumor is gone, I'm scared of what Vit D will do. Those palpitations were really frightening.> > My doc has also noted the same thing that you did - nearly everyone he tests comes back low. One theory about this is that our sun-phobic culture has everyone slathered in sunscreen; my own experiment-of-one voids this though, as I am out in the sun a lot and refuse to use sunscreen (I'm more fearful of slathering my skin in petrochemicals than I am of sun damage).> > My low vitamin levels (I've also had Vitamin A and B12 deficiencies) are believed to be due to malabsorbtion from damage done by years of undiagnosed celiac disease. Perhaps the years of undiagnosed low K have contributed as well - if I understand my biology, then low K could cause dysfunction in the smooth muscle of the digestive tract, which is what I suspect was happening to me for many years. I still have malabsorbtion symptoms, but it was far worse before the adrenalectomy.> > > -msmith1928> Left laparoscopic adrenalectomy 10/13/11