1. < Diabetes & Endocrine System

Parathyroid hormone: I'm considering my treatment options

Posted by tsch @tsch, May 6, 2022

Read through most of the comments about hyperparathyroidism, but did not see any situations like mine: I have absolutely no negative symptoms or pains, but last blood test showed PTH of 174. I have known it to be elevated since January 2020. Endocrinologist plan is to monitor as I have had all diagnostic tests and all are normal. Wondering if I should think more about surgery since there is clearly a problem with at least one parathyroid gland.

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soulsign | @soulsign | Jul 6, 2022
In reply to @soulsign "I’ve had osteoporosis for a while and now have a parathyroid adenoma. Started prolia and md..." + (show)
@soulsign

I’ve had osteoporosis for a while and now have a parathyroid adenoma. Started prolia and md says not a great candidate for surgery. Have seen surgery done under twilight sedation.

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Good idea. Just found out about adenoma so think I’ll wait awhile. Best wishes to you.

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bonaroo | @bonaroo | Jul 10, 2022
In reply to @hopeful33250 "Hello @soulsign I'm sorry to hear that you are not considered a good candidate for parathyroid..." + (show)
@hopeful33250

Hello @soulsign

I'm sorry to hear that you are not considered a good candidate for parathyroid surgery. I have that problem as well. I have a paralyzed vocal cord and the risk of causing a problem to the other vocal cord makes it a more tenuous procedure.

Have you contacted a large medical facility to see if they have the medical staff to perform the surgery? I'm thinking of a university medical school or a facility like Mayo Clinic.

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Have you looked into Norman Parathyroid center in Tampa, FLA.?

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1 reply
Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Jul 10, 2022
In reply to @bonaroo "Have you looked into Norman Parathyroid center in Tampa, FLA.?" + (show)
@bonaroo

Have you looked into Norman Parathyroid center in Tampa, FLA.?

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@bonaroo

I appreciate the suggestion. I have looked into the Norman Center in Tampa. As it is quite a distance from me, I have decided it would not be the right fit for me if there were any complications. My medical history is more complicated than just a parathyroid disorder.

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fluoride | @fluoride | Nov 26, 2023
In reply to @plstroud "The weird twist to this is that my PCP deferred to the endocrinologist's determination and she..." + (show)
@plstroud

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.

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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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marceen | @marceen | Nov 27, 2023

Watch and wait solution from docs isn't a best choice!. The bone loss can add up because of the action of the Parathyroid hormone.......check your calcium levels. .

Norman clinic was great.............I felt better after one week and hopefully the bone loss will at least be stopped.

Pubmedplus is a great site for researching....................also, check pubmed for side effects of "drugs" for bone loss.......there are many many and some docs like this as it is an easy way. Very expensive also.

Do your own research.......................MB in Oregon

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kristierickson | @kristierickson | Dec 18, 2023

My Calcium and PTH have been consistently high. I just had two surgeries, but they were unsuccessful. The parathyroid glands were never found. There were highly suspicious nodules, turned out to be negative. I have an appointment coming up on the next action.

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2 replies
marceen | @marceen | Dec 19, 2023
In reply to @kristierickson "My Calcium and PTH have been consistently high. I just had two surgeries, but they were..." + (show)
@kristierickson

My Calcium and PTH have been consistently high. I just had two surgeries, but they were unsuccessful. The parathyroid glands were never found. There were highly suspicious nodules, turned out to be negative. I have an appointment coming up on the next action.

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yes, that is one of the problems...........my endo doc just felt my neck and did an untrasound....and just shrugged and said it was non-conclusive. The Norman clinic had a tracer and found one bad one that was an inch big. That is huge for not being able to find it????.

One of the problems is that the parathyroid can hide behind the thyroid and not be as visible.... this is shameful that you had to go through two surgeries............time to change to a "speciality clinic" that does only this kind of surgery.

marceen in the US

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fluoride | @fluoride | Dec 19, 2023

I completely agree with Marceen. And the consequences are too serious to ignore. There are specialty centers on both coasts and I think maybe Mayo Clinic also.

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riflemanz64 | @riflemanz64 | Dec 19, 2023
In reply to @kristierickson "My Calcium and PTH have been consistently high. I just had two surgeries, but they were..." + (show)
@kristierickson

My Calcium and PTH have been consistently high. I just had two surgeries, but they were unsuccessful. The parathyroid glands were never found. There were highly suspicious nodules, turned out to be negative. I have an appointment coming up on the next action.

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Seeing how you had two surgeries that failed you need professional surgeon’s who only do these types of surgeries and that would be the Norman Parathyroid center in Florida. I wouldn’t let anyone touch you but them. They specialize in correcting botched surgeries from inexperienced surgeons. My wife had the best surgery of her life from Norman center. This will be the best money you’ll ever spend.

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