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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

You are here: Home / Vitamin D / “Baby’s in Reno with the Vitamin D…”

“Baby’s in Reno with the Vitamin D…”

June 7, 2011 Filed Under: Vitamin D

The funny thing about being exhausted all the time is that it creeps up on you.  Since I’m not a good sleeper, feeling awake and alert and energized seemed to be just over the horizon.  One more night.  One more chance to sleep soundly and wake rested.

Then I started sleeping soundly, because I was purely exhausted.  I still didn’t feel better, even after weeks of getting a good night’s sleep.

I was completely engrossed in a project, writing like a fiend all day.  Surely, that was mentally exhausting.  That would explain it.  Then I finished a draft and took a break.  Still tired.

Then I tried to cut down on coffee, so of course that would explain why I felt like I was wading upstream through my day.  Everyone said it would get better after a week or so.  It didn’t.

It was subtle enough for me to find excuses for the way I was feeling:  I’m being lazy.  I’m just stressed.  My brain is busy.  I have too many tasks I don’t want to do, and I’m avoiding them.  I’m just feeling quiet right now.  Maybe this is just what being 34 feels like.

Finally, I mentioned the way I was feeling to my doctor.  She did blood work and discovered that my Vitamin D levels were low.  She put me on prescription Vitamin D, and suggested that I spend some time every day out in the sun, or even just sitting by a window when I’m working.

I’m one of those people who never leaves the house without sunscreen and sunglasses.  I keep the blinds drawn while I’m working so I don’t get distracted by whatever might be going on outside.  I sit in the shade when I am outside.  We live in Rochester.  We don’t get enough sunlight in the winter, and we’ve had a dark spring this year.  My doctor said she’s been seeing a lot of Vitamin D deficiency this year.

A simple blood test, a simple fix and I feel like my life is in Technicolor again.  It’s amazing.  On Sunday, we did yard work in the sun and I remembered what it felt like to have energy, and I felt the joy of being tired at the end of the day because I’d done a hard day’s work, not because I’d been dragging myself along.

So, now I’m making an effort to get some sunlight in my day.  What a lovely fix it is!   Sitting outside to soak up the sun in short, responsible intervals is the perfect time to read (I set a timer and put sunscreen & sunglasses on when my recommended sun time is over).

Of course, I can’t get this song out of my head.  Yo.  Cut it.

8 Comments

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    June 7, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    I was diagnosed with love vitamin D about 2 years ago. Took until just a month ago to get my levels back up to acceptable standards and that was with taking 5,000 IU’s twice a day! I am also low in vitamin B12. It sure interesting how much that can affect your day. Glad you are seeing such good results so quickly. Have fun soaking up the sun…I try to do the same although its been pretty darn cloudy here in Boise.

    Reply
  2. Noelle says

    June 7, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    You get your power from the sun – just like Superman!

    Reply
  3. Jen says

    June 7, 2011 at 5:57 pm

    It’s definitely a huge problem for anyone living in the northern half of the continent. You guys don’t get much sun during the fall and winter months, and (people’s lifestyles being what they are now vs. then) nobody is outside enough during the brief, sunny summer. Back when everybody used to be a farmer, stuff like this wasn’t a problem. Now studies are showing that sunscreen actually does more harm to a person’s health than good, and doesn’t actually prevent cancer. The body definitely needs sunlight. Vitamin D supplements are ok, but the body can produce so much more of it’s own vitamin D (which is actually a hormone and not a vitamin http://www.e-afaa.com/132.e-afaa) with just 10-15minutes of sun on the hands and face each day than a person can get popping pill after pill. In your case (and that of folks living in similar locations) you do need that supplement. It will probably take your body a while to replenish it’s stores, but I’m glad you’re feeling better and have a knowledgeable doctor who took you seriously!

    Reply
  4. Jen says

    June 7, 2011 at 5:59 pm

    P.S. Totally one of my favorite songs!

    Reply
  5. Jen says

    June 7, 2011 at 8:23 pm

    Since the link I posted earlier doesn’t seem to be working, here’s http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/vitamind.aspx

    Reply
  6. Karen Essex says

    June 8, 2011 at 11:19 am

    Allie, my doc put me on Vitamin D after a blood test. Then my chiropractor asked me to double that dose (to 3000mgs/day taken consistently). After about a week of that, I felt really clear in the head and have continued to do so these many months. I sleep better too. BTW, I laughed when I read “maybe this is what 34 feels like.” NO, this is what a WRITER feels like!

    Reply
  7. courtney says

    June 9, 2011 at 2:23 am

    I’m glad you pinpointed the problem! I think my Vitamin D levels are probably fine, judging by the massive sunburn I got last weekend.

    Reply
  8. The Modern Gal says

    June 11, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    It’s amazing how a lack of energy can make your whole life so much harder. I’ve struggled with that at times during my own life. Sun and exercise definitely helped!

    Reply

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Okay, fine. Her jacket is reversible and we kinda Okay, fine. Her jacket is reversible and we kinda match. I admit it. Alright? We all knew this was coming. None of this should be a surprise to any of us. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogjacket #peoplewhomatchtheirdogs
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We are in the habit of starting and ending our day We are in the habit of starting and ending our days side by side in our lawn chairs, while the light rises or dims. It’s still chilly at the outer edges of the day. Sometimes Roxy shivers. I bought her a sweater, but she won’t wear it. Sometimes I try to wrap her in my jacket, but she’s not having that either, so I throw her ball and try to get her run and then she comes back to her chair, warm for a little longer. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogssittinginchairs
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I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic ant I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic antique store sometime in November and didn’t buy it. But then, of course, I kept thinking about her. She’s the perfect size for my office, and I found those drawer pulls hilarious. When I finally went back in December, I told myself I was shopping for wall art, because I assumed she would be gone. But she was right where I’d seen her last: balanced on another dresser with boxes of old picture frames and tchotchkes piled on top (the true mark of a magic antique store). I didn’t even realize she had a towel rack — that she was a wash stand, not a dresser — until I asked about the price, said I’d take her, and my favorite magic antique store person asked if we needed to unscrew the towel rack to fit her in my car. I suspect this little sweetie is not from the days of necessary wash stands so much as from a country kitchen in the 80s. She was in rough shape, and not made from wood worth stripping and re-staining, but her price reflected that. I had to disassemble that door and put it back together, but I’d been in the market for some experience working with old furniture, and she made me feel brave about trying. I thought about painting her something more neutral, but I’m so glad I didn’t. She deserves to be pink. She’s not perfectly painted and needs a few touch ups. I learned some things about chalk paint and finishes. The drawers stick a bit. Eventually, I’d like to line them with fabric and when I do, I might plane the edges to smooth things out. But goodness, I love her in a way that I wouldn’t if I hadn’t spent time cleaning away her cobwebs and scrubbing the grime from her hilarious drawer pulls. She’s also become a little shrine for the book I’m working on, which makes me love her even more. I’ve always been a person who sees some soul in certain things, and I’m learning to cherish that idiosyncrasy, because there’s so much joy to be found in a brave little toaster or an underdog wash stand. We’re not here in the world for all that long. We may as well love some bright little things. #furnituremakeover
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