I have hyperparathyroid problems. Is surgery always necessary?

DR. FARLEY AT MAYO CLINIC DIAGNOSED ME AND DID SUCCESSFUL SURGERY ON TWO NODES HE FOUND..IT IS BEST TO CONTACT A REPUTABLE SURGEON AS HE IS TO DIAGNOSE YOU AND TO LET YOU KNOW IF SURGERY IS IMMINENT.......

I just saw an endocrinologist and I am elderly so he said I'm not a good candidate for surgery and there is nothing else they can do. There must be some alternative for me.

JEANINE, I AM 83 AND I HAD MY SURGERY THIS PAST MAY......GET A SECOND OPINION.....

Thank you so much. I'm having some ultra sounds so will see what he says and I really will get a second opinion!! Thanks again. Glad you came through it okay.

jeannen: If you decide to have the surgery, rest assured that it is the most simple and painless operation ever. I was able to go out for dinner that same evening, and I don't even have a scar. But it is imperative that you find an experienced surgeon who has done many of these surgeries.....Good luck to you!

Thank you so much!

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?

Hi @ivytrail and welcome to Connect. If you would like to make an appointment at Mayo Clinic, please call one of our appointment offices. You can also request an appointment online. The contact information for Minnesota, Arizona and Florida can be found here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

Appointment schedulers will ask questions to help direct you to the best specialist, either at Mayo or closer to home.

@hopeful33250 has experience with hyperparathyroid and may be able to share her experience and offer you support.

Back to you @ivytrail how are your symptoms at this time?

Hello @ivytrail. I would like to join Ethan, @ethanmcconkey, in welcoming you to Mayo Connect. While I have not had parathyroid surgery yet, I do have hyper parathyroid problems including bone pain, osteopenia, fatigue, low levels of Vitamin D, etc. As Ethan mentioned, would you care to share what your symptoms are?

We have some existing discussions on Connect regarding this topic. Here you can meet others who have this disorder, many of whom have had the surgery,
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/elevated-parathyroid-hormone-pth/. I would like to invite @sennertd, to post with you about her experiences with this surgery.

Here is some general information regarding hyperparathyroidism from Mayo's website, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyperparathyroidism/symptoms-causes/syc-20356194.

As you are interested in minimally invasive surgery, I thought you might find this interesting as it talks about this focused parathyroidectomy at Mayo,
https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/endocrinology/news/role-of-focused-parathyroidectomy/mac-20431037
Do you currently have an appointment with Dr. Leyden at Mayo?

Thanks so much for your posts and helpful info. I have the classic elevated Calcium and pth, but no symptoms except for osteoporosis. Primary Dr. was willing to hold off on bone meds for the last 4 years, my worst T- score was -2.6 at the right femoral head. I started resistance training/weight lifting 4 years ago and Dexa was holding steady. However, most recent Dexa a week ago: lumbar T- score went up to -1.1, right femoral down to -2.8, left femoral held steady at - 2.5. For the first time, my forearms were checked and were -3.7 & -3.8. Calcium has been 10.2- 10.9 over the last 5 years but now is 11. Pth was 62 in 2017, now is 75.
From what I'm reading, this sounds like primary hyperparathyroidism.
My primary Dr said to get an Endo consult, which of course I want. But I'm also researching surgical methods and medical centers that do high volume parathyroid surgeries in case I need it. I would be interested in hearing from people who have had this surgery at Mayo.
I don't have any appointments yet, this developed last week.
Thanks in advance for sharing!