Maham Afzal, Pakistan
I remember the time when I could not even walk more than a block because of the severe pain in my bones. This started happening a little over a month after I had gotten admission in a medical college. Being a freshman, and that too in a demanding field like medicine, with these symptoms was a nightmare for me. After a while, the bone and muscle pain got so severe that I could not keep up with my studies anymore. I was stressed and depressed and started withdrawing socially. I decided to leave medicine thinking it was too much for me to handle considering the exhausting effect it had on me. I did not even give a second thought to the idea that i might be suffering from some medical condition. After months of suffering and numerous visits to many doctors, I had my blood tested for vitamin D levels. The results that came out showed severe deficiency with a level 8. After starting supplements I felt instant relief from the symptoms and finally life came back to normal after missing out on 3 months of college. Majority of the people, like I did, ignore minor signs and symptoms until they become too severe and have major effects on their lives. Providing awareness to the people all around us to be cautious regarding their health even if the symptoms they are experiencing now are mild helps to prevent the condition from accelerating and improves the quality of life.