Sunshine? (Vitamin D)

I've been reading & trying to learn as much as I can about UC over the past few days, and a consistent suggestion is to make sure Vitamin D levels are sufficient.

I've been thinking a lot about the months leading up to my diagnosis, and the biggest was a major lifestyle change for me. Instead of spending 4-5 days a week with at least 1.5 hours of good sunshine exposure and being very physically active, I went back to being a litigation attorney. Once my hours started getting crazy again (this is starting back in Feb. of this year) I started training only on the weekends, and I started eating lunch at my desk instead of going for my lunch walk to get lunch and then walk back.

I realized I was going house - car with tinted windows - parking garage - office -garage - house almost every day...and when I got sick, I wasn't even going out on weekends.

I just forced myself to leave my office for my lunch hour, get lunch, and eat it in full sun. Probably about 20 minutes of full sun exposure on head/neck arms.

I just got back to my office and I feel better. Placebo? Maybe. Vit. D problem? Maybe. I'm very curious to know if any of you have gone with sun exposure rather than supplements for this. Of course, I'm in southern California so we can do that year round! In the meantime, I'm going to go back to forcing myself to eat lunch outside, away from my office. 10 hours a day inside an office (even with the pretty view I have) is probably too much and not natural.

I walk to work and home daily so I was startled when my doctor told me that my D levels were deficient.

This isn't directly on point, but did you know that Marin county has an abnormally high rate of breast cancer and there's some thought that it's due to lowered vitamin D -- caused by people wearing sunscreen! In other words, they're wealthy, educated, and health-minded so they get out in the sun a lot but they also take care not to burn. So instead they get breast cancer. I suspect that's why the doctors up here in SF have started monitoring Vitamin D more closely.

I believe it! I only really do sunscreen on my face, as I do lots of outdoor sports and have a decent color on me so everything else is good for just over an hour. If I'm going to be out more than that, I do sunscreen, but that is the unusual beach day or long day hike or bike ride.

It just makes me wonder...we know so little, really, about body processes and chemistry...

To bad my doctor friends are ob/gyns, urologists, and orthopedic surgeons. I need to find me a grad student or resident to do a study...

I'm getting my blood work back tomorrow, and if the level isn't in there I can have my GI order it and walk across the hall and get it done. I'll probably have him order a ton of stuff - may as well check every vitamin/nutrient the can so we can see where I'm at.

It seems I'm determined to hit my insurance out of pocket max before Jan 1!

If sunshine cured UC I'd be a happy woman because I always spent time in the sun, playing tennis, gardening. I did use sunblock heavily with tennis however.

I am currently resting with 7 stitches in my shoulder (ouch) from a skin cancer removal. Last one removed was 2 years ago from ankle area. At the ankle cancer removal I suspected 6mp, it is a stated possibility, and as said I use sun block always because I'm fair (another UC trigger).

I grew up in Florida, getting sunburns in the 60's before sunblock was invented, so I expect more skin cancers to arrive. Now I prefer to wear clothes over skin not sunblock, not liking the chemicals in it that can become transdermal.

Sunshine is good for you. Get some but not too much.
I suspect stress may have been one cause for the OP along with no positive benefit from sunshine to counteract it.

I also think this is stress related. However, it is true that D deficiency is an epidemic in this country. I live in a very sunny area, hike, and do not have any health problems, and I'm D deficient. In fact half of my family and friends are D deficient. Up you intake, get tested, and tested again to be sure the treatment is working.

Sue

Oh, I'm positive stress was a huge contributor. I was just wondering what everyone else's thoughts were on what I felt like was an immediate reaction in my energy level.

I ate lunch outside again today and I think it helped. There is a NIH study (that I'll never find again, I was up late digging around the site the other night) that said something about a north to south pattern of UC occurrence, so that was interesting. I did find a Healingwell thread on it here - https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=2502478

I am vitamin D deficient and i've been taking a supplement every day to help get my levels up. I have been feeling well but I am not sure if it has anything to do with the vitamin D. I live in California and I get quite a bit of sun, always have, I am not sure lack of vitamin D contributed to developing this condition but maybe the supplement is helping...

my UC also started a short time after not getting nearly as much sun as I had been, since I have been feeling better supplementing calcium+VitD I have been able to walk to and form the store for an extra 30m in the sun daily. Luckily it's 80F here so I can still do it w/o freezing.

Matt,

Welcome to the forum.

It's interesting that you're able to pin your flare or diagnosis with not getting enough vit. d, there is an strong correlation in the scientific studies regarding low vit. d3 and IBD, but many of us haven't been able to personally make that connection. So kudos to you!

As to your other question about a flare, for most of us it is a combination of any of these things:

- increased BM's

- increased urgency with or without cramping

- increased mucous

- bleeding

- changes in BMs, in terms of consistency - whether it be constipation or for most of us the other direction - diarrhea

- increased bloating and gas

- pain and inflammation in the intestinal area or even the left area under the ribs

As to what can be done?

That depends upon what you are currently doing: as to meds, diet, supplements?

There are things IMO that you can control, which will have a direct impact on your disease, the symptoms you experience and their severity.

I was able to control my UC into remission through various supplements, probiotics, diet modification, and LDN , low dose naltrexone.

 

For more info on the protocol which has put me into remission, please go to this link: https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=1666318 , and look at the 11th post.

I hope you feel better and let us know how we can help you.

 

Matt,

It sounds like you are getting better, since you are going less, your appetite is improving.

I understand you're still bleeding.

What meds or supplements (other than vit. d) are you currently on?

 

I live in sunny Florida. Outside all the time. Supplement with 5000IUs of vit D . Still low on the D. I guess I'm not absorbing the stuff.

boilermaker81982 said...
Hey beat UC - I noticed on one of your posts on another thread that you mentioned getting 'seasonal' flare-ups, which appears to be wintertime for you based on your post above.

I was curious - how often do these flare-ups occur for you... once a year? Twice a year? And when they occur, do you simply use Prednisone to treat the flare-up? I am wondering because I may be possibly going through the same thing, and I was curious as to whether there is a generally-accepted 'minimum' time requirement between flare-ups that doctors look at to say "yes, this maintenance therapy is working" or "you aren't spending enough time in remission, so we have to try something else".

Appreciate any advice you can offer!

Thanks,
Brian

Brian,
Unfortunately, most of the time, I am either in a flare or recovering from one.
I try to be optimistic, but many of the maintenance drugs don't seem to work at all.
As far as the seasonal aspect, I get flares in the summer as well, they seem to have a mind of their own and no matter how I try to live a normal life, this disease is ultimately very debilitating, which is something only other UC patients (and if you're lucky, your doctor) understand. Most of the year I cannot leave the house and there's a huge fear of ending up in the hospital. I wish I had better news for you, best of luck.
For me, periods of remission are short and sweet : )

Post Edited (beatUC) : 11/3/2012 8:39:02 AM (GMT-6)