How sunless January in Aberdeen left me so ill doctors were testing me for diabetes

The New Year in the north-east has been pretty miserable for everyone – with a historic lack of sunshine it was never exactly going to be bright.

Rain, snow, cloud, high winds and weather warning after weather warning tested the patience of every resident.

Earlier this month Dyce set an unwanted record, as the nearby weather station recorded 15 consecutive days without sunshine.

My colleague Graham Fleming popped out to the community to speak to locals – most of whom frankly weren’t surprised.

Those with kids were perhaps feeling it the most, left with miserable youngsters whose time outdoors was restricted.

The lack of sunshine was certainly making people unhappy – but could it also have been making north-east residents ill?

That was the surprising revelation I had after weeks of ill health and a series of blood tests.

So what was going wrong?

It started with some muscle ache and sore joints, followed by a dull pain, well, everywhere.

Constantly uncomfortable, it wasn’t a huge deal of fun, but the discomfort worsened and sleep became fractured and far from restful.

Frankly I was knackered every day. Lacking in energy. And in a constant state of discomfort.

Doing things felt like a heavy prospect.

It started amid the heavy snow that kept people in my village pretty much stuck in their homes for days.

And it continued as the rain followed, the usual office work changing to work from home for spells.

And the morning runs – jogs really – were curtailed amid the weather and the New Year’s seemingly endless dark mornings and evenings.

So I finally gave my GP a call and was invited in for a blood test – the first of a few that finally helped work out what was wrong.

As someone who has had a little ill health – a series of TIAs a few years back gave me a scare – I do pay more attention to what’s going on than I used to.

Vitamin D deficiency the cause of problems

Initially my symptoms led both my nurse and GP to mention diabetes as a possible – maybe even likely – cause.

I can’t say that wasn’t worrying – my mum has managed her own diabetes for many years and it certainly places restrictions on her lifestyle.

And of course there are needles. Yikes.

Thankfully that first blood test ruled that out, though it did discover a phosphate deficiency.

Googling that condition, I can’t say I liked the results for that much either – though I could rule out alcoholism.

Still, muscle weakness and bone pain were among the symptoms and that sounded about right.

A course of phosphate replacement tablets made a small difference – and a fresh blood test showed levels had recovered.

And it soon turned out this was not the main issue but an apparent symptom of the real problem.

That rotten lack of sunshine. Probably a bit of my lifestyle too. But a lack of sun.

Or more correctly a vitamin D deficiency.

I shared a gentle laugh with my GP as she told me – after all it’s not like we are living in an area with a now historic – albeit hopefully temporary – lack of sunshine.

What does the NHS say about Vitamin D?

Simply put, the NHS says “Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body”.

These are the nutrients that keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy – so pretty important.

And though I never really thought about it before, medical and government advice is that “everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter”.

People at high risk of not getting enough vitamin D should apparently consider taking supplements all year round – though not too much.

So how do I try to get rid of these pains?

The answer at the moment seems to be trying to get outdoors more often – no huge surprise there.

And hopefully in some bright sunshine.

But also a four-month course of capsules designed to help with that vitamin D deficiency.

That’s just started.

The night-time pain that kept me from sleep, turning repeatedly to try and find a position that wasn’t full of discomfort, has lessened.

But the pain is still there.

Constant, if maybe slightly dulled.

Sitting in the back of my thighs. In my arms.

Clenching fists as I sit at the computer as if that will make a difference.

Still, as my colleague’s conversations with the people of Dyce revealed, this is the north-east.

They expect it to be grey and rainy a lot of the time.

I’ve promised myself I’ll get away from the desk more often.

A lunchtime stroll around the city centre perhaps. A commitment to those runs as the mornings get brighter.

And keep taking those pills. Hopefully it makes a difference.

[Source: Press and Journal]