When I first got diagnosed with smoldering myeloma back in November, I started to read about the importance of Vitamin D3 relative to cancer and multiple myeloma. While my Vitamin D3 levels were already normal, I started taking a multivitamin that had 1000 IUs of vitamin D, along with a 1000IU supplement twice a day. On my last blood test, my calcium level went out of the normal range.
I just assumed that I was becoming hypercalcemic due to the disease, since my M-Spike had also gone up. I am just now thinking that the high calcium level could very well be due to all the Vitamin D3 I've been taking ( I started taking it just after my second to last blood test).
I am now going to drop the D3 supplements and multivitamin and see what my next test holds for me in a couple of months. It's not like I don't get D3 in my normal diet as I drink a fair amount of almond milk and try to get outside a fair amount.
So, my question is, if my calcium level does drop back down, is there still a role for D3 supplements if one's D3 level is already normal? Or should one just leave well enough alone if one's D3 levels are normal, but have multiple myeloma?
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Vitamin D3 and multiple myeloma
Hi ,
I take 5000 IU vitamin D3 daily, I have had no issues so far with calcium. I also am in the sun as much as possible.
I know with multiple myeloma I was told high calcium is an indicator they look for. I have kappa light chain.
I also do magnesium and calcium daily.
I am not sure your what treatment protocol is? Are you in remission? Are you on chemo?
I take 5000 IU vitamin D3 daily, I have had no issues so far with calcium. I also am in the sun as much as possible.
I know with multiple myeloma I was told high calcium is an indicator they look for. I have kappa light chain.
I also do magnesium and calcium daily.
I am not sure your what treatment protocol is? Are you in remission? Are you on chemo?
Re: Vitamin D3 and multiple myeloma
Thanks Gmatt. I am smoldering (so no chemo at this time) and my hope is to stay that way thru supplementation. This may be a pipe dream, but I am willing to give it a shot.
My calcium was at 9.9 mg/dl for my last two tests preceding my most recent test. I started the supplements right after my second-to-last test, and then my calcium level popped up to 10.3 on my most recent test (10.1 is the upper bound of normal for my lab). I am taking other antioxidants like Inositol, IP6, curcumin, vitamin C, etc.
I will be curious to see if my calcium levels drop back down to where they were before after stopping the D3 supplements and multivitamin. It would be nice if it turns out to be this simple.
My calcium was at 9.9 mg/dl for my last two tests preceding my most recent test. I started the supplements right after my second-to-last test, and then my calcium level popped up to 10.3 on my most recent test (10.1 is the upper bound of normal for my lab). I am taking other antioxidants like Inositol, IP6, curcumin, vitamin C, etc.
I will be curious to see if my calcium levels drop back down to where they were before after stopping the D3 supplements and multivitamin. It would be nice if it turns out to be this simple.
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Vitamin D3 and multiple myeloma
Well, based on my own hunch, I stopped taking D3 supplements and a multivitamin on April 25th and just had a new metabolic panel done for some other issues.
My calcium dropped from 10.3 mg/dL (normal range is 8.5 to 10.1) to a happy level of 9.6. Something for you folks out there to consider if you are waging a supplement war against your multiple myeloma and one of your numbers starts to go south. Consider that a supplement could be the culprit and not the disease.
My calcium dropped from 10.3 mg/dL (normal range is 8.5 to 10.1) to a happy level of 9.6. Something for you folks out there to consider if you are waging a supplement war against your multiple myeloma and one of your numbers starts to go south. Consider that a supplement could be the culprit and not the disease.
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Vitamin D3 and multiple myeloma
We also suspected vitamin D3 to be the same cause why my husband ended up in the hospital for skyrocketed calcium levels. And vitamin D3 was prescribed by the doctor!!
Re: Vitamin D3 and multiple myeloma
Hi Multibilly,
Interesting info on vitamin D. How much were you taking per day?
I have MGUS and bone loss. Since I'm not a candidate for bisphosphonates, my endocrinologist told me to take 4000 IU of vitamin D3, 1000mg of calcium, and 500mg of magnesium per day. You seem so knowledgable about MGUS, SMM, and multiple myeloma, are you aware of other bone building drugs for bone loss? My doctor said we will 'revisit' a drug called Evista next visit.
My doctor said early bone loss, hypothyroidism, and MGUS are often grouped together. She is concerned that, if I do progress to multiple myeloma, my options will be limited with bone building drugs since I can't take bisphosphonates. She said the best thing to do now is to eat calcium enriched foods and get plenty of exercise to keep bones strong.
Thanks, Diane
Interesting info on vitamin D. How much were you taking per day?
I have MGUS and bone loss. Since I'm not a candidate for bisphosphonates, my endocrinologist told me to take 4000 IU of vitamin D3, 1000mg of calcium, and 500mg of magnesium per day. You seem so knowledgable about MGUS, SMM, and multiple myeloma, are you aware of other bone building drugs for bone loss? My doctor said we will 'revisit' a drug called Evista next visit.
My doctor said early bone loss, hypothyroidism, and MGUS are often grouped together. She is concerned that, if I do progress to multiple myeloma, my options will be limited with bone building drugs since I can't take bisphosphonates. She said the best thing to do now is to eat calcium enriched foods and get plenty of exercise to keep bones strong.
Thanks, Diane
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Dianem
Re: Vitamin D3 and multiple myeloma
Hey Dianem,
I read a lot about multiple myeloma. It's the curse of my personality in having to understand things like this that affect me.
But I am no expert and I'm admittedly flying a bit blind on this whole supplement thing, so please take that into consideration.
I was taking a 1000 IU D3 pill twice a day, and a multivitamin that had 1000 IUs in it. So, 3000 IUs daily. I also drink a fair amount of unsweetened almond milk, which also has quite a bit of vitamin D and calcium in it.
My vitamin D level from my lab test was already just fine before I started the supplements.
Either my latest calcium reading went down from cutting out the D3 or it was a temporary blip or lab error on one of my two lab reports. I tend to think the former just due to simple cause and effect.
It may also be that people react quite differently to D3 and you will do just great on your dose. I would suggest just charting your markers and keeping track of when you start and stop various supplements so you can quickly tell if something is happening (good or bad) due to the supplements.
I've always wondered about taking calcium supplements with multiple myeloma. Seems to me like there is already a predisposition to have extra calcium in your blood because the calcium resorption process gets screwed up by the disease. If you take calcium supplements, it seems to me that it would just add to this extra calcium in the bloodstream. I have therefore always thought that Ricardo was correct in being worried about calcium supplements (see URL below), but I also know that chemical mechanisms in the body are usually never as simple as I first make them out to be
So, another good topic to discuss with your doc.
Calcium supplements and multiple myeloma
I'm going to be chatting with a new multiple myeloma specialist in a couple of weeks to get his take on bisphosphonates and bone building supplements at this stage (my current bone density is just fine and I have no current lesions, so not expecting to hear him recommend anything just now). I'll let you know what I find out.
Bummer about what you say regarding hypothyroidism and MGUS. I am hypothryroid too. Why can't you take bisphosphonates?
If you haven't had a Dexascan, you might want to consider getting one as a baseline for your bone density.
Take care.
I read a lot about multiple myeloma. It's the curse of my personality in having to understand things like this that affect me.
But I am no expert and I'm admittedly flying a bit blind on this whole supplement thing, so please take that into consideration.
I was taking a 1000 IU D3 pill twice a day, and a multivitamin that had 1000 IUs in it. So, 3000 IUs daily. I also drink a fair amount of unsweetened almond milk, which also has quite a bit of vitamin D and calcium in it.
My vitamin D level from my lab test was already just fine before I started the supplements.
Either my latest calcium reading went down from cutting out the D3 or it was a temporary blip or lab error on one of my two lab reports. I tend to think the former just due to simple cause and effect.
It may also be that people react quite differently to D3 and you will do just great on your dose. I would suggest just charting your markers and keeping track of when you start and stop various supplements so you can quickly tell if something is happening (good or bad) due to the supplements.
I've always wondered about taking calcium supplements with multiple myeloma. Seems to me like there is already a predisposition to have extra calcium in your blood because the calcium resorption process gets screwed up by the disease. If you take calcium supplements, it seems to me that it would just add to this extra calcium in the bloodstream. I have therefore always thought that Ricardo was correct in being worried about calcium supplements (see URL below), but I also know that chemical mechanisms in the body are usually never as simple as I first make them out to be
So, another good topic to discuss with your doc.Calcium supplements and multiple myeloma
I'm going to be chatting with a new multiple myeloma specialist in a couple of weeks to get his take on bisphosphonates and bone building supplements at this stage (my current bone density is just fine and I have no current lesions, so not expecting to hear him recommend anything just now). I'll let you know what I find out.
Bummer about what you say regarding hypothyroidism and MGUS. I am hypothryroid too. Why can't you take bisphosphonates?
If you haven't had a Dexascan, you might want to consider getting one as a baseline for your bone density.
Take care.
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Vitamin D3 and multiple myeloma
Thanks Multibilly for the information.
I was diagnosed with MGUS Nov 2011 at age 56 when my endocrinologist was checking for vitamin D status. She was the one who told me several of her hypothyroidism patients also have MGUS. I was about 40 when diagnosed with low thyroid and bone loss.
Because my M-spike is 1.5 g/dL, the hemo-oncologist recommended a bone marrow aspiration (BMA), 46 x-rays, 24 hr urine, and more blood tests. Everything was normal except for the M-spike. Now, she has me getting a blood test every 6-8 months and it has remained stable. I was told my profile is typical; IgG MGUS with a trisomic (7).
The endocrinologist started me on Boniva several years ago and eventually I experienced jaw problems with tooth loss. The new drug (Evista) is typically for women who had breast cancer with bone loss. I haven't had breast cancer. She is hoping it will improve bone density problems associated with low thyroid and genetics.
Thank for all the information you have provided over the past fee months, Diane
I was diagnosed with MGUS Nov 2011 at age 56 when my endocrinologist was checking for vitamin D status. She was the one who told me several of her hypothyroidism patients also have MGUS. I was about 40 when diagnosed with low thyroid and bone loss.
Because my M-spike is 1.5 g/dL, the hemo-oncologist recommended a bone marrow aspiration (BMA), 46 x-rays, 24 hr urine, and more blood tests. Everything was normal except for the M-spike. Now, she has me getting a blood test every 6-8 months and it has remained stable. I was told my profile is typical; IgG MGUS with a trisomic (7).
The endocrinologist started me on Boniva several years ago and eventually I experienced jaw problems with tooth loss. The new drug (Evista) is typically for women who had breast cancer with bone loss. I haven't had breast cancer. She is hoping it will improve bone density problems associated with low thyroid and genetics.
Thank for all the information you have provided over the past fee months, Diane
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Dianem
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