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Elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH): How is it treated?
Diabetes & Endocrine System | Last Active: Oct 15 5:15pm | Replies (157)Comment receiving replies
Hello @anncgrl,
You are so right about hyperparathyroidism being a "weird medical experience." I've had the same problem for many years now. While I've had elevated parathyroid hormone tests and elevated calcium scores and osteopenia, multiple nuclear scans and neck ultrasounds have shown no problem and some endocrinologists have been very dismissive of me. However, I've had the symptoms associated with this disorder so I changed my endocrinologist and she did neck ultrasounds every six months and it was finally found!
Originally on the neck ultrasounds, it was thought to be a thyroid cyst but most recently found to be a parathyroid adenoma. I'm thrilled to know this. Not because I really want surgery but because I now have a name for all of these weird symptoms that you mentioned.
Your post about your successful surgery and the help it has given you is very encouraging. How did you find an experienced surgeon?
Replies to "Hello @anncgrl, You are so right about hyperparathyroidism being a "weird medical experience." I've had the..."
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First, my hat is off to you! How have you endured the symptoms for so long? Choosing a specialist fell into my lap. It turns out that the woman I was referred to, as a natural progression of referrals between doctors, had done many parathyroid surgeries.
At the time there was a very active clinic in Florida providing the surgery.
If I had not been so fortunate I would have fallen back on my old standbys...research and word of mouth.
I don't know where you live but I hope you are in the United States. I was in chat groups where many of the people suffering so much with parathyroidism were in other countries where the surgery was not available for quite some time and doctors were prescribing one medication after the other for treatment. I read enough to understand that the only cure is removal of the glands and that the reversal of symptoms occurs almost instantaneously following removal of the gland/glands. It seems particularly cruel to leave people in medical distress when the cure is so simple.
I wish you the best and hope that you will keep us informed here so that we can celebrate with you when you are free of all those nasty little symptoms.
P.S. I encourage you not to pay attention to anecdotal stories of any extreme regarding this condition. The only truth is that the symptoms disappear as if by magic. I was stunned. I could not even remember the symptoms within a very short time.