Sunfish

glad you (finally) got the go ahead from your doc, though of course sorry you had to wait so long. i'll be hoping that the change will give you the boost you need! just an FYI too that - for me - while the side effects (scalp tingling mostly) were a welcome trade-off in exchange for better functioning (at one point helping me to plug along with school &/or work), i no longer have any noticable side effects, even with 15mg 3-4 times a day. so for some people they go away with time. melissa

yes, i was going to guess amitiza too. for me it was NOT a good fit as it through my nausea through the roof 24/7, but i do know of some that it has worked well for. zelnorm, miralax & colace used to be my standbys, along with mestinon, as well as enemas/ suppositories at times. about a year ago my body flipped in the other direction though so that i now have diarrhea 24/7. believe it or not i actually miss being constipated (relatively speaking)! congrats on your bargain hunting successes gals! melissa

over my almost 11yrs with a dysautonomia diagnosis this has changed for me to some degree. in earlier years i think i was pretty "normal" in that i'd have a cold or two a year, something a bit more than a cold perhaps every 1-2 yrs (a stomach virus, bronchitis, etc). some problems with ear infections too at times though figured out that was ultimately an allergy issue. those were the years that i was - while far from normal health-wise - relatively normal in terms of my interaction with the "general public" so to speak...various combinations of work, school, day-to-day errands, etc. there were certainly times when i couldn't get out at all, but overall i wasn't less exposed to things than the average joe. when i did catch something it would tend to hit me harder than others...not so much in terms of the symptoms themselves, but in that they would cause my autonomic issues to be more out of whack. i've only had one cold notable cold in the past several years (and perhaps one other tiny one that i never could definitively differentiate between a minor cold & a bad allergy flare-up) but i pin that on my greatly reduced exposure to people carrying the bugs around. and the one cold i did have was during a prolonged hospital stay so i obviously had lots of exposure to bugs there. i certainly don't stay in the house solely to keep myself from getting exposed to bugs though we - for the most part -don't let visitors in who are actively sick & wouldn't go to, let's say, a house where there are sick family members. it's not an absolute rule though b/c, at least for my situation, my docs & i agree that there are some risks worth taking. for instance a local friend who's fighting a cold would be told "stay away until you're better" b/c that's a feasible proposition. someone passing through town from the other side of the country though with little likelihood of a return visit in the near future, if "just" fighting a cold, would likely be considered a reasonable risk. we'd stay on opposite sides of the room, take extra precautions, etc, but risking a cold is worth this sort of "once in a blue moon" visit. and obviously there are lots of people running around with colds & whatnot all the time which i by no means let stop me from getting out if & when i'm able, i.e. to get to church. i wouldn't necessarily sit next to or in front of the person sneezing like heck, but i'm not about to increase the limitations i already have by getting obsessed with staying away from every possible risk factor at every moment as i don't think that's a healthy mindset wither. but i've digressed from the topic at hand....ah well . as most of you know i've been far from infection free, but all of the infections i've had over the past two years have been from inside my own body, i.e. bacteria somehow getting into my bloodstream from my gut, and/or acquired from hospital settings, i.e. MRSA. not the "typical" colds, flus, etc. not sure what relevance any of this has to anyone, but in short i guess my reply is that my fewer colds & whatnot seem - for me at least - to correspond with less ability to be out & about in the "real world". i don't really think about it b/c i'm constantly fighting infections as is that i would LOVE to trade for run-of-the mill colds or even the flu! melissa

rita - i'm not julie (as i'm sure you can see!) but i'm familiar with manual therapy as well (via dr. rowe) and it's not just for GI issues but rather dysautonomia in general. it's more important for some than for others (which can be determined by a knowledgable therapist) and can be covered my insurance under PT benefits. i worked some with the PT that dr. rowe works with/ refers to in baltimore and my insurance covered it without any questions. i had my copay, but the same as any PT appt would have been. julie (and others) will hopefully answer as well but i thought i'd chime in too. melissa

hi michele - sorry that the trip out was so rough on you. the one thing i wanted to mention to you is that for some people (me being one of them), it can be entirely okay to take midodrine lying down. if your doc has specifically told you never to do so and/or if you know that your BP spikes really high if you lay down with the midodrine then just ignore me altogether, but if you're "just" going by what the prescription insert says you may want to explore the issue. obviously it would be best to talk about this with your doc but if that's not an option & you have your own BP monitor i suppose that you could choose to make the call on your own based on a trial run at home when you have the option to be up or down. i'm NOT telling you that this is what you should do but wanted to at least give you the heads up that - if not for now - it might be something you might want to ask your doctor about for the future, i.e. during a flare up, before your period, etc. just to share my experience a bit more midodrine improves my functioning even when i'm entirely flat. i can feel when it "kicks in" so to speak....not b/c of any side effect (i haven't gotten the scalp tingling for years now) but rather b/c it improves how i feel both physically & cognitively. i do hope you are able to get home in a more comfortable fashion. melissa

In this (and all) discussion, please be reminded of the following exerpt from the Forum Rules: Respect For Others A tone of kindness is appreciated in all discussions. You agree, through the use of DINET's services, that you will not post condescending, defamatory, obscene, offensive, violent, racist, profane or illegal material on this forum. DINET encourages you to use good judgment, but please do not be judgmental in posts. You agree to refrain from flame wars, debates and the discussion of "hot topics," which are likely to provoke debates. Common hot topics include, but are not limited to, politics, abortion and religion. While I would like to allow for further discussion on some of the health care issues raised in the movie, individuals' experiences of health care delivery in different countries, etc., it needs to be done in a mature, non-judgmental, non-political manner. If this cannot be done the post will have to be closed in order to maintain the atmosphere valued by so many on the forum. Thank you, Melissa, Forum Moderator

congrats on your successes! melissa

congrats mary on making it through. i do want to encourage you - particularly after hearing how great your boss/ workplace seem to be - to not be shy about needing to sit if/ when it's an issue for you. if you're doing a great job overall needing to use a stool for a presentation, or even just having one available "just in case" is something that less people would probably notice than you even realize. if you really think you don't need it that's great, but i'd hate for you to push so far that you actually do become a fainter! and even if you're still upright but feeling poorly you aren't likely to perform as well as an employee. i'm sure that you, your boss, & everyone else (unless there's someone gunning for your position!) would rather you give a great presentation leaning a bit on a stool rather than a less-than-great presentation standing. and even just having a stool available in the corner might lessen the anxiety for you, even if you never need to use it. merry christmas to you too! melissa

i've always had varying degrees of brady - sometimes more so than others, but never a non-issue. this has been throughout years wherein my diagnosis has evolved from NCS to NCS + POTS to Autonomic Failure....and a few other assorted terms in between. all in all the classification/ diagnosis system for dysautonomias is imperfect & ever-evolving...not just per my opinion but that of several of the top autonomic docs that i've seen &/or talked with over the years. so in more cases than many realize, people don't "just" have one set of signs/ symptoms that fit exclusively into one diagnostic box. when you say "morning" do you mean after you're awake or while you're still asleep? i often get HRs in the 40s while sleeping (which has lead to a LOT of nurses waking me up to check up me during hospitalizations when i'm being monitored). if you are awake when it's happening does it correspond with symptoms? how long did the drop last for? was it sudden (i.e. HR was 60, then 30, then back to 60) or gradual (it had been in 40s & gradually moved down into then out of the 30s). are you on a beta blocker of any sort? if so, short or long acting? the brady can be part & parcel with dyautonomia. or could be a separate, less-related cardiac issue. and it may or may not require intervention. the 30s are pretty low though so i'd definitely follow up with the doc who ordered the monitor for you. i was hospitalized once in 2001 for sustained brady in the 30s & i felt pretty horrible, but it was there for several days, not just intermittantly, which is obviously a bit different. i hope you're able to talk with your doc to get more info re: what the brady may or may not mean for you more specifically. in the meantime realize that you're definitely not the only one. melissa

glad that you're breathing the "it's over" sigh of relief now & that it seemed to go well. i'll now be hoping/ praying that the same calm you had at the hearing extends to the weeks of waiting & that before you know it you'll be coming back to share your good news. melissa

along the lines of referred pain (not b/c it sounds like this is the case for anyone who has chimed in, but for future searchers or whatnot), i recently had sharp pain in my shoulder as referred pain from pneumonia. i also had pain around my lower rib (front & back) on the same side that was even worse with breathing, but i didn't have any type of cough & definitely had bad pain in my shoulder. so...things certainly aren't always as they first appear. melissa

hi gelann - sorry to hear that your daughter (and in turn you as well) is having to deal with this frustration. coughing can definitely be a trigger for syncope. while it is possible that she's still holding on to a stubborn virus of some sort, i have a few other thoughts for you. 1 - has she had a chest x-ray? if not, it probably won't show a thing, but with a cough lingering so long & other seemingly obvious causes ruled out it wouldn't be an unreasonable thing to pursue. there's always a small chance that she has a pneumonia or something else going on that would be your "answer" & could potentially lead to better treatment. 2 - is she coughing stuff out, i.e. mucus? i only ask b/c - if so - it could be cultured to check for bacteria as well as what the right antibiotic would be to treat. not all antibiotics treat all bacteria effectively so while educated guesses are made based on the clinical situation & are often effective, if there's something to culture it would give you more answers in this regard. 3 - last but not least, i can't recall if your daughter has ever had GI motility issues? either way, reflux/ GERD might be worth looking into if other things don't bring an answer. despite popular belief, not everyone with reflux has heartburn. and a persistant cough can be a symptom of reflux that needs treatment with a PPI. if she has motility issues, i.e. gastroparesis, this may be even more likely, but it's certainly not impossible even without. i hope this helps give you some new ideas & that your daughter is feeling better & able to get back to her job sooner rather than later, melissa

as rita just mentioned, there have been a lot of pretty comprehensive discussions on exercise over the years so i would highly recommend a search as you'll get a LOT more info that way. you could search for exercise, conditioning, or specific types of exercise that have been mentioned (swimming, pilates, yoga, etc). my answer would vary a lot depending on what your son's current physical abilities/ tolerance is as - throughout my over 10 yrs with dysautonomia - what i've been able to do has changed greatly. at times i was able, with meds & LOTS of fluid/ salt intake, to work out quite extensively (triathlons (swimming, running, biking), rollerblading, rowing, lifting, etc) when "stable" but that seems like a different lifetime now. as i've declined over the years things that have been doable/helpful for me at various times have largely been anything that eliminates being entirely upright for any extended amount of time. this has included a recumbant bike, rowing machine (not recommend unless someone can show you the proper technique b/c you can really hurt your back otherwise), lifting (all seated), yoga & pilates (with adaptations to limit/ eliminate standing), etc. now i can only do a few things reclined/ lying down as most of my "working out" is just daily living, but i've also been considering buying one of the small peddler things often used in PT-type settings. i also did want to mention, though (for any others reading as well), that someone being a fainter doesn't automatically rule out swimming. it's something that needs to be talked over with a doc & of course certain precautions need to be taken, but for many fainters being flat in the water eliminates the problem such that the getting to/ from the pool is what has to be paid the most attention to. it's no longer an option for me b/c of assorted IVs/ tubes in my body, but there were times that i could swim up to a mile when i couldn't walk more than a few feet without fainting (due to B/P drop). i had to use a wheelchair to get to/ from the side of the pool, had to lay down on the side of the pool after my swim before sitting back in the chair & leaving, etc. but in the pool i was happy, well, as a fish:-). i was previously a competitive swimmer so by no means am i advocating everyone trying to get out and swim a mile....just trying to illustrate that limitations on land don't necessarily translate to the water. i used to coach/ teach as well, and did some work with children/ teens with various disabilities where this was also illustrated over & over again. that said, i've given my water safety lecture on here before (so that if you do a search you'll likely come across it), but in short there ARE things that need to be paid mind. no one - even healthy folk - should be swimming alone, only certain things are actually safe to depend on for flotation devices, etc. but there are very few situations that are complete deal brakers for swimming...WITH the right facility, equipment, instructor/ helper, etc. there are a few (i.e. IV lines, large open wounds, etc) and i realize that the needed facility/ environment/ equipment/ instructor/ etc isn't always available or affordable so am not trying to minimize those limitations, but if anyone needs help brainstorming on how to get into the water don't hesitate to pick my brain. after all, i'm the resident fish, no?? and while some of them have expired, i have some credentials to go along with my fishiness too last but not least, i do really want to encourage any/ all of you to do whatever you can whenever you can in regard to exercise, fully realizing that this will mean vastly different things for different people. both in terms of what the "exercise" may be & in terms of how it may or may not change your situation health wise. considering my pretty dramatic health decline over the years, i realize that i could come across as a pretty poor advertisement for the benefits of exercise/ conditioning. but the other side of the coin is that numerous docs, nurses, PT/OTs, etc have not been shy to tell me that my decline would have likely happened much sooner had i not always pushed to be as active as i could be at any given time and that had my body been even more run down/ deconditioned that i very well may not have survived the numerous bouts of sepsis this past year. i couldn't agree more, so just wanted to mention it to illustrate that exercise/ conditioning/ activity isn't only advantageous in the hope to bring improvement but also that - for those of us who aren't as lucky in that regard - it can help slow progression &/or even help the body to be in a better place to fight off whatever might come (which, in reality, is true for anyone, even the healthiest of person). okay.....off my soapbox. i had not intended a long post here. oops . melissa

i wouldn't want you to ignore something that's different/ new for you based on my reply (you know the drill...), but years back when i was able to work out regularly a HR over 200 wasn't anything out of the ordinary for me. that said, my age put me at a higher ideal/ target HR to begin with, & at times as a varsity athlete i was actually trying to get my HR as high as possible as part of my training regimen. but at times where i was no longer to be in super competitive mode & was struggling much more health-wise & recall asking dr. grubb if there was a point wherein i should care/ be concerned about my HR. he gave me a quick lecture on not pushing too much in general, aka my needing to realize that just b/c i was used pushing myself to my max in years past didn't mean that was the best plan when i could hardly walk ten feet, but said i didn't really need to worry about my HR too much in & of itself but rather concentrate on how i was feeling, how i recovered after, etc. swimming was the specific topic of our discussion. hope you're feeling better now, melissa

lisa - i realize that i may be writing too late for you to see it before rather than after your hearing (sorry!) but i'll still give it a go. regardless i'll be thinking of & praying for you tomorrow. i just had my hearing in early september & we're in the same state so there's a small chance you'll even have the same judge...that is if your hearing is via teleconferance. but anyhoo.... even as someone for whom public speaking has always come easy, a hearing isn't the most relaxation-inducing scenario! but i'm sure you'll do fine. as others of mentioned, the most important thing is to be real. don't over or under exaggerate your symptoms, limitations, etc. you know your day-to-day reality better than anyone so do your best to communicate that in the context of the questions you are asked. hopefully your attorney - knowing what is & isn't clear in your medical records - has been able to give you some indication of what types of things may be asked of you, but ultimately it's a matter of what the judge asks in the moment. my hearing ended up being incredibly short. generally speaking i think about an hour is average but obviously it can be more or less. mine was less than a half hour from start to finish but it was the shortest my attorney has encountered so by no means should you be concerned with a longer process. there is a decent amount of procedural info/ rules/ regulations that is read by the judge throughout the hearing, primarily at the beginning & the end. after that, the judge had one technical question/ clarification for my attorney & me in regard to my work history and then essentially only had two other questions for me which were pretty straight forward. i'll be honest that i got the feeling the judge had the expectation of approving my case going into the hearing & just needed to clarify a few things that confused her in my records. i was asked to explain a bit more why i was unable to work when i first stopped working (3 yrs ago now) which we had anticipated & thus i had thought through in order to have a few concise "bullet points" of sorts. we had seen this question coming b/c as much as there was no question about my being able to work any longer back then (i never really "decided" to stop but rather was hospitalized several times & after some back & forth was ultimately never cleared to return to work), compared to where i'm at now i was practically the picture of health (enter a LOT of sarcasm)! my medical records from then are definitely clear & document all that was going on but in light of things since they can almost get lost. her one other question for me was in regard to my use of a wheelchair when my legs are themselves okay. i'm used to explaining that to people & knowing that my inability to stand for more than a few minutes on a good day is in my file in various shapes & forms i essentially just had to connect those dots for her. generally speaking there will be a vocational expert & a medical expert at the hearing or otherwise available, i.e. the medical expert is often available by phone rather than there in person. one &/or both of these individuals may be asked to give their input toward your situation. technically they are objective, i.e. not for or against you. in my case neither ended up saying a word. i'm not sure how typical that is, and while i'm not certain, i think i heard or read somewhere that you can't be denied without their being involved. thus in essence if a judge feels s/he has enough info for a favorable decision without their input that's okay, but they can't leave them out & decide against you b/c - in theory - they could have something to say that could work in your favor. but don't quote me on that! i'm not sure how helpful my experience is to you or anyone else as i know my hearing wasn't the most typical. i received a favorable decision before leaving and about 20 minutes after it started, if all the technical legalize was removed the rest of the hearing would have been all of about ten minutes, and my attorney didn't end up having to participate at all other than the technical clarification question. the judge even acknowledged to me that my previous denials were certainly errors and that people who had reviewed my file up to that point "obviously didn't appreciate the severity of the situation", something that my attorney said he'd never seen or heard of happening before. some of the procedural/ technicality stuff will definitely be the same though. but do NOT worry if you don't get a decision at the end of the hearing; if happens, but it's not the norm. overall it was a relatively relaxed atmosphere though. more like a conference/ meeting than a judicial hearing within the legal system. sending lots of good wishes, thoughts, & prayers your way... melissa

lol. every once in awhile my heritage shows through more obviously i suppose. i don't have british blood in me so to speak, but my polish grandpa & irish grandma met in england after WWII and - voila - my dad was then born in england. my grandma's sisters, cousins, etc all still live there. unfortunately (in my opinion) my dad doesn't have a cool accent b/c he was only 2 1/2 when they made they crossed the ocean, but i grew up with some british...& polish & irish & hillbilly (that's mom's side) phrasology/ customs/ culture as my norm. that's the short version! melissa

my thyroid has been tested over & over again. and then a few more times for good measure . i have a pretty prominant thyroid/ large neck so visually it catches docs' attentions when they're giving me the once over. but without fail it's one of the few things in my body that is okey dokey. whilst no direct cause/ effect can be stated, the thyroid & ANS certainly interact in regard to their involvement in multiple body systems, functions, etc. thus for those who do have both i'm sure they can play off of one another. and i can see that some thyroid disorders - without treatment or without successful/ effective treatment - could in essence cause ANS dysfunction. essentially a secondary dysautonomia. sorry for your ongoing struggles with treatment sue. i'm sure it's frustrating. melissa

definitely. as persephone already replied, hypotension is a very common side effect of narcotic/ opiate meds. as is dizziness. and a myriad of other things. as with most things different people are bothered more/ less. and as you've now learned the effect can be different for an individual at different times. for whatever reason i've not had any trouble with my BP dropping/ increased dizziness in recent years with the various narcotics i've been on but have certainly run into problems wherein my pain hasn't been treated b/c of others' fears about what meds might do to me. i can't say i blame them or that i'd have really wanted them to take the risk b/c the situations i'm referring to were times that a lower BP truly could have been life threatening for me (i.e. BP hovering at 50/20 even with IV vasoconstrictive meds & loads of IV fluids) but septic shock/ pancreatitis is NOT a good time for "no pain meds allowed". but i digress.... glad you're feeling a bit better from the med but sorry you're still in a rough spot. i know it's often easier said that done but hang in there, melissa

glad to hear that your appointment went pretty well. a receptive doc is truly invaluable in any situation large or small. midodrine can be & is certainly used intermittently. it's one of the advantages of it being a short acting med. i know i've written about it before but have no recollection of what context so would have no clue how to find or direct you to my ramblinngs!! i take midodrine 3-4 times daily now, every day (at a dose that's actually above the standard recommended/ approved amount) but have taken it at varying doses & in different ways for over ten years now, including intermittently and with varying dosages at different times/ days. my dosing has always been per dr. grubb so while it's obviously tailored for me, i know of at least several others on the forum who use/ have used midodrine intermittently as well. i have more to write but i have to get off for the moment and my computer is being moody (not letting me save what i've written thus far for later) so i'm posting this & will return later with more details..... melissa

heather - at the risk of sounding harsh, it is NOT safe for an adult woman to eat that few calories on a regular daily basis. there are rare exceptions, but they require medical monitoring & it doesn't sound like that is the situation you're in. other than with very specialized medical nutrition products, it's not possible to get the nutrients your body needs with less than a 1000 calories. if you need to lose weight there are safe/ healthy ways to do it, but extreme calorie cutting isn't one of them and is a guarantee for problems moving forward....even if you're feeing fine or ever better than normal now. i don't mean to ignore the fact that you've been feeling better but am concerned for you & your overall health. there are several reasons i can think of that you might be feeling better in the moment on your diet, or of course it's very possible there's not correlation at all. perhaps in cutting your calories you have also cut out certain types of foods? if so, perhaps there is a significant correlation between your symptoms and these items. there are some people who have drastic overall improvement without (or with less) dairy, gluten, sugary items, etc. so if you're eating different types of foods this may be the difference in how you're feeling and certainly is a great thing to learn as it can be carried over into a healthy & sustainable way of eating long term. one other possibility is that you're getting the "rush" that extreme dieting/ calorie restriction can bring, particularly in earlier stages; it's an actual physical reaction that happens to some people more than others, has been thought to play a role for some in the development of eating disorders (by no means the only issue but a contributing factor), etc. i don't know for certain but based on what i do know it's not all that far fetches to thing that this physical phenomenon could affect the autonomic nervous system in a way that you could feel better. in the short term. over time it will NOT sustain, your body will get run down, you'll end up with vitamin/ mineral deficiencies & permanant bone loss, you'll lose your ability to reproduce, etc.. and it's quite likely that you'll be passing out more rather than less. i don't like to lecture but you really truly can't keep this up. i can imagine how enticing it must be since you're feeling better, but the feeling better won't continue. i can't tell you when you'll "crash" but you will. i guarantee it. hopefully if you examine the changes you've been making other than the calorie restriction itself you'll be able to pinpoint something(s) that IS sustainable, i.e. fewer carbs, smaller amounts of food at one time (large meals can be a major trigger for sycope & other ANS symptoms in some), etc. and you can continue to feel better long term. i'm not against your losing weight in a way that is healthy but please talk with your doctor or a dietician in regard to a safe way to do so. take care, melissa

thanks gals corina, i think your singing is beautiful! and i'm envisioning the beautiful weather there b/c it is pretty darn ugly here....cold/ freezing rain all day. if it's going to be cold i'd rather it just snow! it was sunny on the day i was born (or so i was told) but not this year . i was born on a sunday though, so i always think it's kind of neat when my birthday (or anyone's birthday for that matter) falls on the same day of the week as the birth. but anyway... as many of you know my last year has been a tough one to the extent that i truly am thankful to be celebrating this birthday at all. so regardless of what tomorrow holds, for me today is a very real celebration of life. and seeing that this time last year i was in the hospital the simple pleasure of waking up in my own bed this morning is a huge deal for me. my "event" for the day was getting to church earlier, but again the fact that i've been able to do so 5 of the past 10 wks is pretty great after not being able to get there at all in almost a year. but anyway....all that to say that it's not taking much for me to really appreciate the day, or rather what it represents. melissa

happy (belated) birthday! i hope you were able to enjoy your special day & that the year to come will be a good one... melissa

hi amy! good to "see" you & a great big hello from a name that you (hopefully!) DO recognize . thanks for stopping by with an update. of course i wish that you were doing better, feeling stronger, etc. but am glad that you & the girls are doing as well as you are & of course hope that things only get better & better. little ones of that age take a lot out of even the healthiest person so don't hesitate to give yourself a pat on the back for all that you do....while the girls are too young now to articulate it themselves, they're lucky to have you! i more than understand how busy you must be, but do stop by for a hello as you're able. hugs, melissa (lina, i used to do that with kids i babysat for & they LOVED it! they used to like to bury me in the pillows to & i'd let them jump all over me once buried .)

thanks for the grin amy! melissa

thanks lois. i bucked the "norm" post gall bladder surgery...was still ultra constipated for years after. and yep, i have some depends myself though they seem to work like an umbrella for me! if i don't wear them i have a problem but when i do wear them they always seem to have been unnecessary. i cannot stand them as they are high cut enough to bother the locale of my tubes & the like but i have been thankful for them at times. sometimes b/c i can't get to the bathroom at times & a handful of times where i haven't even known that i've had to go in the first place. that's the worst. thankfully i have one less item to unhook now (gastric suction no more...yippee!!) to get to the bathroom which at least helps a bit in the "not enough time" department. every so often i'll have a day or even two wherein i don't go at all but whenever i do go it's diarrhea....ranging from 3 to 10 times a day but most often around 5. anyway....surely no one needed all that extra info on my bodily functions but ah well. you'll get over it . so glad though that you have seen some improvements. if i can't find that my vit d level has been run in the past few months i'll certainly be asking for it to be added on to my next scheduled bloodwork on the 12th. thanks again, melissa