Dolly Jett has worked in healthcare since 1971. She started out as a certified nurse’s aide (CNA), then became an RN in 1986. She earned her BS/MS in 2001, became a Licensed Massage Therapist, attending her first massage school in 2001.
Despite working in healthcare and her medical knowledge, Dolly suffered for decades from a wide range of significant and chronic health problems. In 1979, she received radiation treatments for Grave’s Disease, an autoimmune thyroid disease. The treatment destroyed her thyroid, leaving her dependent on oral thyroid hormones. In 1997 she started falling and tripping and couldn’t walk on concrete. Her legs would give out. Her gall bladder was removed in 1998 because it was filled with gallstones. By around 2000 she was unable to climb stairs and couldn’t walk two blocks. By 2001, her back hurt so much that she couldn’t stand anymore. She was given morphine, which didn’t help the pain. She was also choking at night, having trouble sleeping and had massive inflammation.
During most of these years, from 1984 to 2000, Dolly was working in a Neonatal intensive care unit, working 12-hour night shifts and sleeping during the day. She had to quit that type of nursing due to her health issues and in 2001 she left hospital nursing altogether and switched to working in her own holistic nursing practice because it was less physically demanding.
During these years Dolly crisscrossed the country, following her husband’s jobs. She lived in California and Hawaii and in 2004 she moved to North Carolina. She kept seeking answers to her health problems from at least 15 MDs, chiropractors and naturopaths. She was prescribed antidepressants, which didn’t help.
Finally, in 2004, after moving to North Carolina, she went to a rheumatologist. The first thing he did was test her vitamin D levels, something no one else had done before. Her level was 7. Experts disagree on what is a sufficient level of vitamin D. The Vitamin D Council places the ideal level between 40 and 80 ng/mL with levels below 20 ng/mL as deficient. The Endocrine Society has a Clinical Practice Guideline on the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of vitamin D deficiency. This guideline recommends a minimum vitamin D level of 20 ng/mL, but to guarantee sufficiency they recommend between 30 and 50 ng/mL for both children and adults.
Low vitamin D levels have been found to be associated with many of Dolly’s symptoms, including nonspecific bone and joint pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, immune and autoimmune disorders, inflammation, mood disorders, physical functional impairment and declining cognitive function. It’s also associated with more serious diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis. Some studies have suggested a link between low vitamin D and the formation of gallstones.
Once Dolly’s vitamin D deficiency was discovered, her rheumatologist prescribed short-term megadoses of vitamin D, followed by daily sublingual doses of 5000 IUs in winter and 5000 IUs every other day in summer. Her vitamin D absorption is compromised by her lack of a gallbladder, which reduces absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
Once Dolly’s vitamin D levels were up, she regained her strength and could walk again. She could think better and her pain levels went down. She reports that she feels best at a vitamin D level of 70. At one point she inadvertently took 10,000 IUs of vitamin D for months and experienced more pain as a result.
Today, Dolly lives in the state of Washington. She still has some chronic muscle pain, though not nearly as severe as in the past, which she attributes to the long-term damage from chronic vitamin D deficiency. She still finds it shocking that it took so long for a healthcare provider to identify the cause of her difficulties.
Dolly has continued her holistic education. She earned a PhD.c in Holistic Health in 2016. Currently she’s working on a certification in Integrative Nursing Specialization. She has a private health coaching practice offering many natural modalities. You can find out more about Dolly from her website, https://yourpathstowellness.com
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