I have hyperparathyroid problems. Is surgery always necessary?

Are there surgeons at Mayo who do the minimally invasive surgery that looks at all 4 parathyroid glands? I'm specifically wondering about whether they test the hormone output of each individual gland during surgery, or do they just remove one and check the blood level of pth to see if it's gone down? Has anyone that has had Dr. Leyden as their surgeon like to share what their experience was like?

Have you posted with @sennertd (I mentioned her in my post above)? She has had surgery. Perhaps you read her posts already. If not, just click on her name (with the @sign) and then read her posts.
Let me know if you have any more questions. I know surgery is a major decision to make and I hope you are able to be confident that this is right for you.

Are there surgeons at Mayo who do the minimally invasive surgery that looks at all 4 parathyroid glands? I'm specifically wondering about whether they test the hormone output of each individual gland during surgery, or do they just remove one and check the blood level of pth to see if it's gone down? Has anyone that has had Dr. Leyden as their surgeon like to share what their experience was like?

Sorry I am so delayed in responding, I haven't been on here for a while. Dr. Leyden is an excellent surgeon, one of the best. I had Dr. Dy and was very happy but I wouldn't hesitate to use any of the Mayo Endocrine surgeons. They do only check one gland, not all 4, because of scar tissue. If they get in there and there is hyperplasia or the PTH doesn't drop, then they will continue checking. That was an initial concern of mine also, that they wouldn't check all of them, but they have research behind why they do what they do. They have the team approach at Mayo, not only consulting with other surgeons but also the endo's and any other physician if they find other problems. It is nice because the best physicians in the world are under one roof. With your DEXA scores, I would get something scheduled asap. I felt better as soon as I woke up from surgery. The pain was gone, the brain fog, the constant urination. It was unreal how fast the body recovers. I only had osteopenia and I will have a bone scan in March to see if it's gone. Fingers crossed!