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Any one been diagnosed with Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Diabetes & Endocrine System | Last Active: Feb 17 6:08am | Replies (54)Comment receiving replies
Yes I had surgery for hyperparathyroidism in the summer of 2021. I am very happy that I had it done. It can wreak a lot of havoc on your body if it goes undiagnosed for a long time. I went undiagnosed for years even tho I saw my internist every year and I saw a nephrologist every year for kidney stones (kidney stones, fatigue, and osteoporosis (all of which I had) are hallmarks for Hyperparathyroidism). My calcium blood level was fairly high(10.2) but not super high. Finally a new nephrologist I went to said I should see an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist diagnosed me as hyperparathyroid and I was scheduled for surgery within 2 months, with a surgeon in our town who is a specialist in parathyroid and thyroid surgery. It is very important to have a surgeon who has done many parathyroid surgeries as a general surgeon may not know the best techniques. He said he thought I had the problem for over 10 years and everyone missed it, even with my stones, osteoporosis and blood tests. The surgery was not terrible at all! It’s outpatient and you have a small incision on your neck ( I can hardly see mine now), you rest at home for 2 to 3 days and you are back to normal. I have not had a kidney stone since, I am on Zometa for osteoporosis and my fatigue went away. I felt my brain was fuzzy for a few years before the surgery, that got better too. There is no pill you can take for hyperparathyroids, you need surgery to reverse the problem. If it goes undetected for a long time it can affect your heart and other organs. There is also there is a link to breast cancer which unfortunately I had in 2022. Who knows if I had been diagnosed as hyperparathyroid in a timely manner if the breast cancer would have happened. I also broke a wrist, and had 2 spinal compression fractures. The bottom line is overactive parathyroids are nothing to fool around with. If your doctor says he is watching them, after what happened to me, I would insist on seeing a reputable endocrinologist to give me an opinion. Good luck to you and to the person who is being watched by her doctor. My doctor was watching but missed it. I just don’t want others to go through what I did. Sending wellness wishes to all on this board.
Replies to "Yes I had surgery for hyperparathyroidism in the summer of 2021. I am very happy that..."
I was diagnosed with Graves disease and hyperthyroidism. I don't have faith in my endocrinologist. The last time I saw her was four months ago, and I won't see her again until February next year. I have so many things wrong with my body. Since my diagnosis of Graves disease, I have been diagnosed with BPH, fungal infections, high blood pressure, and pelvic floor dysfunction. I need to find another endocrinologist.
Yes.............these little parathyroids are hard to find and they have a different function than a regular thyroid.........yes, both are glands. Mine was "hiding" behind my regular thyroid and supposedly hard to detect. My endo doc or the hospital did not go farther in terms of tests - the gland (only one bad one) was taken out at the Norman Clinic and the main trick is finding the bad one and they have the specialists that can do that. There is a video on their web site.
Previously I went to a large hospital in Oregon and my dexa chart was going quickly downhill (the bad thyroid was causing depletion from the bones). I can't replace the lost bone material but at least the "depletion" is stopped. There is a thing called capitation in which the doctors who practice within large hospital groups want to save the hospital's p&l so they delay on the "expensive" procedures. My tumor was 1 inch which is large to miss on my little neck???? I am glad I made my own decision. Endo doc's main customers are diabetic and this is a speciality area - so do your research..............best of luck. Yes, I felt better 1 week after surgery.....a huge difference!!!
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How is it diagnosed? My calcium has been 10.2 and I have thyroid nodules but they haven't mentioned this.