← Return to Elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH): How is it treated?

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@jboursaw

This discussion is so helpful - thanks to all. If you have the parathyroid glands removed, do you have to take any sort of med after that?

My PTH has been bouncing between 150 and 120, calcium now in normal range after taking high-dose VitD for months, VitD almost up to normal range, currently in the high 20s. 24-hour urine test is high.

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Replies to "This discussion is so helpful - thanks to all. If you have the parathyroid glands removed,..."

Hello @jboursaw and welcome to Mayo Connect. You are asking good questions regarding high parathyroid results. I'm glad to hear that your Vitamin D range is getting closer to normal. That is always good news.

Have you had any problems with osteoporosis, bone fractures or kidney stones?
Has your endocrinologist recommended that you have the parathyroid glands removed at this time?

@jboursaw I had a parathyroid removed in 2008.
Before the surgery, I was feeling horrible. I had what I can describe as waves of the flu. I would feel ok, then all of a sudden it was a wave of awful…
My blood calcium level kept inching up, and when it reached 11.2, I had the surgery.
Within 2 days I felt like a new person!
The surgeon simply told me to take a multi vitamin.

You might have to take a calcium supplement and vitamin D after getting the bad ones removed. Make sure you have a competent surgeon who will check all 4 glands and not just the one they see is bad ones the scan. My wife had 3 bad ones removed at the Norman Parathyroid hospital in Tampa Florida 4 years ago and all is well. Her surgeon in Milwaukee was only going to take out 1 that they saw on the scan. Good luck!

Mine has been high since 2020 that I know of. Endocrinologist tested for bones etc. Everything else is normal and I have no negative symptoms. Doc says calcium, kidney, and BP numbers would be very bad before any thought of surgery in my case. There is justifiable watching and monitoring.