Good morning. I am MollyB. I was just diagnosed with scoliosis. I did not know I had it. I have noticed in the past years it hurts to do things I love to do. This year I had the bone density scan which shows scoliosis and beginning of osteoporosis. I can not take calcium as my calcium in my blood is always high due to hyperparathyroidism. I want to learn as much as I can through this media. Thank you.

Hi mollyb. Not leaving the subject of scoliosis, but I did noticed you have a high Ca level due to your parathyroid. Have you considered surgery for your parathyroid? I went to Mayo in MN in June of this year and had successful surgery done there. Now we are just monitoring my Ca levels, trusting it stays in the desired range. Has anyone suggested Ca for scoliosis? @gailfaith

No one has suggested surgery as I am 69 on 5/5. I have been told not to take Ca due to my levels always being high. I quit going to the endocrinologist due to the long drive. I am curious to know if the high Ca levels and hyperparathyroidism has anything to do with the cirrhosis of the liver. If you have any suggestions, please let me know @MollyB.

Hi mollyb, I was 80 this past April when I had the surgery to reduce the Ca levels that have been high for years. Now that I am in a retirement community the Dr. here brought up he subject, but also recommended that I my age not to do anything about it! After looking at recommendations on the internet, i decided to ignore him. Recommendations that I found were to find a surgeon that does at least 3 parathyroidectomies a week, does them in 15 minutes, all successfully. I went straight to Mayo where after many tests the surgeon assigned to me did the surgery. I asked her how many she had done and she said over 45000 and that is all she does and operates 3 days a week. She did the surgery on a Tuesday afternoon and I was on the plane heading home the next morning. I had asked a neighbor who was a general surgeon, what was the surgical risk on that surgery and he said you can loose your voice. I had two of the 4 parathyroids that were enlarged, but she removed one, did blood tests during surgery and since that brought the CA levels right away (!) to within normal range, left well enuf alone with the other one. Last blood work recently, the Ca was within normal levels. However I still have to limit my Ca supplements to 600 mg/day but I do eat a lot of low fat cheese for the protein for my myotonic dystrophy also Dx at Mayo in 2013 and osteoporosis (despite the high levels of Ca previously!!!)t. Not that Mayo is easy for me to get to, it is 3 separate flights, but I think I would in go back in a heartbeat if needs be. My local endocrinologist orders the blood tests and he, my GP, and the Mayo surgeon gets the reports. Have you had any kidney stones as a result of your high levels? I did not before the surgery, but one right after the surgery because the body was trying to get rid of the previously high Ca that was also removed under anesthesia because of its size. I thought I was having a VERY, VERY mild attack of diverticulosis that I haven't had for years. However, after a week, I went to the ER where they said it was a kidney stone. No problems since.

Thank you for the information gailfaith. I have been wanting someone to talk with about this. I had an endocrinologist that wanted me to go on calcium medication Sensipar but I could not afford $300.00 a month for the meds. So she told me I was non-compliant. I also have type II diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver and heart blockages. My question is are they all inter-related somehow. I quit going to the endocrinologist as she was very rude. It is not that I don't want to take medication but if you can't pay for it, I think they should understand. I am 69 in just a few days. No one else has mentioned having surgery. My family doctor says he will wait until I start having kidney stones (which I have not had). PTH is up and down and is normal right now. I so appreciate talking with you about this as the doctor just ignores it. I live in West Virginia and don't know if we have a qualified surgery here. Please keep in touch and let me know how you are doing. Do you feel any different after the surgery.
Thanks again, MollyB

Hi MollyB, Happy BIrthday on 5/5 I think you said. And to answer your question, no I do not feel any different after the surgery, probably because I had no symptoms before surgery! @gailfaith

I had hyperparathyroidism because of a tumor on my parathyroid gland. The head and neck surgeon at University of Arkansas School of Mediciene removed it. They use a radioactive deal to know exactly where the tumor is located and a PTH level run in surgery to know for sure they removed it. Several, but not most, medical centers have this capibilty. Removing the tumor will stop the calcium from being leeched from your bones.

@jeriliz, I too was told about 15 years ago that I have scoliosis. I remember having to wear leg braces with big oxfords when I was young. They were probably to correct something to do with the scoliosis, no one ever told me why. Only recently has it become a problem as my back is giving up to degenerative disk disease and all the other problems that happen to lumbar disks. I had a laminectomy in December, 2016, and was on 3 different prescriptions for pain and muscle spasms. I have stopped taking 2 of the drugs and now only take Tramadol primarily for my arthritis. I decided feeling the pain was preferable to feeling drugged and goofy. Good luck with your scoliosis.

@mollyb1968 and @judyuty, you may be interested in joining @gailfaith on this discussion about hyperparathyroidism parathyroid conditions.

- Endocrine surgeons with expertise in parathyroid disease? http://mayocl.in/2qs4rd9

Hi Mollyb1966 again. Responding to you post of Ap27 I think of 2016 again. It has been over a year now that I had the one parathyroid removed and the Ca levels have remained within the normal range! And as I said previously, I never had any symptoms before the surgery, and I still have none so it is impossible to tell you if I feel any different! Remember, I too previously said no doctors I had before the surgery .......and I moved twice and had to change my primary physicians each time....., no one except my current physician even mentioned it, but he recommended no action do to my age and the risks of that surgery. As you may remember, I went and had the surgery done with absolutely no problems at Mayo!