Hey Batch,

I am in Mexico now and was finally able to drive my friend down to get some blood tests.

We were only able to get the 25 (OH) D and Calcium levels.
the 25(OH)D = 90 and Calcium at 2.9 mmol/L.

Could you help us to understand what this means for her headaches?

Many thanks,
Amanda

Amanda,

Good question and sorry to be so slow in responding.  I'm on travel and didn't have Internet access this weekend. 

For starters, you friend's serum calcium concentration is too high.  I'm not a doctor.  Your friend needs to stop taking vitamin D3 and see her doctor as soon as possible to ask for the lab test of her parathyroid hormone (PTH) serum concentration and to discuss possible problems with her parathyroid glands. 

The normal reference range for serum calcium is 2.1–2.6 mmol/L, so with a total serum calcium concentration of 2.9 mmol/L, she has hypercalcemia, too much serum calcium.  If she received a print out of her lab results, her serum calcium concentration should have been flagged as "High."  Her doctor should have cautioned her about the high serum calcium concentration as well.

A serum calcium concentration this high is not normal with a serum 25(OH)D concentration of 90 ng/mL unless there's a problem with her parathyroid glands.

Your friend needs to stop taking any calcium supplements including the Mature Multi and avoid calcium rich food types like milk, cream, cheese... basically all milk products.  Drinking 2 liters of water a day will also help flush excess serum calcium from her system. 

Is your friend taking any other medications for other medical conditions?

Regarding your friend's cluster headache... I would continue taking the 400 mg/day magnesium supplements, the Omega-3 fish oil, vitamin B complex per directions on the label, and I would add some curcumin at 500 mg/day.

Take care and please keep us posted on the results of your friend's visit with her doctor.

V/R, Batch

So! Be careful of takin doses of vitamin D3 without getting your calcium levels checked on a regular basis.

Cheers Hoppy

Hi Batch and Hoppy,

Thanks for your responses here and the quick alert that the Calcium levels were off.  It´s not been an easy task getting blood tests for my friend, in part because we live in isolation in Mexico.  I had to return from Canada to Mexico to be able to drive her down the mountain in my truck.

Fortunately, the good news is that one of my best clients in an Italian medical doctor who specialises in thyroid and parathyroid. We had a lengthy conversation with him about her Calcium levels and are sure that it is the result of too much D3 (I realise this wouldn´t have happened had their been blood tests along the way - it would have been caught earlier).  So at this point we are working together with him and he´ll supervise what´s happening with her Calcium levels to return everything to normal.

The cool thing is that my friend decided to drop everything she was taking, melatonin, benadryl, D3, etc. and there were a couple of rough nights and then suddenly now we are onto 3 nights pain free!  :) ;D

Just want to say thanks again for all the support here along the journey!

Amanda