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Parathyroid hormone: I'm considering my treatment options
Diabetes & Endocrine System | Last Active: Dec 19, 2023 | Replies (29)Comment receiving replies
The weird twist to this is that my PCP deferred to the endocrinologist's determination and she had not checked them again until just this February. I think she was surprised that they weren't in the normal range. She had checked my calcium, potassium, etc. on a yearly basis as part of normal checkups (basic metabolic panel) and since they were normal she didn't do the extra PTH test. I guess a lot of doctors would make the assumption that if the calcium level is normal, no need for the extra PTH test.
Replies to "The weird twist to this is that my PCP deferred to the endocrinologist's determination and she..."
Also you should be aware that many specialists in hyperparathyroidism make the point that a calcium level in the so called normal range may be too high for older adults. If the PTH is even high normal and the calcium level is much above 10, then they consider surgery reasonable. The Norman parathyroid center has a lot of good articles re parathyroid disease. If it’s ignored, it can cause a lot of damage
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@plstroud,
I had a similar situation. During my annual physicals, my calcium levels were only slightly elevated, not enough to indicate the possibility of hyperparathyroidism. After several years of my PCP telling me that the slight elevation in the calcium level was probably the result of having my blood drawn when fasting and that the elevated levels were probably a result of dehydration, I decided to drink 16 oz. of water before my next series of blood draws was done. When the calcium level was still somewhat high, I told my PCP that it probably wasn't a result of dehydration and she then checked the PTH level and found it to be 145.
From there, I went to an endocrinologist. It is good to keep advocating for yourself.