# Parathyroid healing normally after surgery!!



## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

I am really irritated with my surgeon today after my one month post-surgical follow up. His opinion is that "everything is healing normal" and he dischaged me from his care, "unless ...", which I really don't have a clue what that could mean!
I tried to talk with him about my parathyroids which have not been functioning well since surgery. After ending up in the ER for IV calcium after my thyroidectomy, I was taking 16-20 calcium supplements a day to feel normal. This past week, I have been able to drop back to 12-14 since starting calcitrol (prescription vitamin D) two weeks ago. My endo put me on it to help my body absorb calcium.
This is all a result of damage to my parathyroids during TT. My pathology report (which I had to get from Endo not surgeon) said that at least one of my parathyroids was removed. No word from the surgeon about what shape the others were left in. 
I did get the nurse to let me look at bloodwork my endo ordered to check into all of this, but did not get a copy. Basically, my calcium levels are in the middle of the normal range, My vitamin D was 33 (30-100) bottom of range, and Parathyroid hormone levels were the absolute bottom of the "normal" range. I will get copies of all of this when I see my endo again in two weeks!
Surgeon's response was that everything is in the normal range, parathyroids are working again, and I should gradually reduce and stop all calcium in the next couple of weeks! When I told him that I can feel when my calcium levels go down because I get dizzy and headachey, he said, "that's not calcium, that's something else. You can't keep taking all those calcium supplements." Even when I told him that the symptoms go away when I take the calcium, he would not believe me! He would not even acknowledge that the only thing not at the bottom of the range was calcium and that's because I was eating 16 pills a day at the time my labs were drawn! GRRRRRRR! 
Bottom line, I will not be meeting with the surgeon again, and my endo is treating this, not blowing it off. His suggestion two weeks ago was to try to reduce my calcium supplements unless I felt bad, then keep taking what I needed. Which is what I am doing. I forgot a couple of doses and felt really horrible a few days ago. Now I feel like I am on an up-hill battle to get back to feeling normal again. 
I knew this was a risk of surgery. I'm not mad that it happened, just upset that the surgeon blew it off in the first place, causing me to go back to the ER after surgery and that I was totally unaware/unprepared for what was going on in my body for a week after surgery until my calcium was stabilized. Is it really too much for the surgeon to admit that something is not "Completely normal?"


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## hillaryedrn (Dec 14, 2009)

You poor thing!! I am so very sorry that you are having all these problems!! Please do be careful, tho, with the calcium. Too much calcium can be life threatening. I'm not saying you shouldn't be taking it, just please do be careful! I'm glad your endo is following this. I, too, had one of my parathyroids accidentally removed during surgery but I luckily haven't had problems. Keep us informed!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

lavender said:


> I am really irritated with my surgeon today after my one month post-surgical follow up. His opinion is that "everything is healing normal" and he dischaged me from his care, "unless ...", which I really don't have a clue what that could mean!
> I tried to talk with him about my parathyroids which have not been functioning well since surgery. After ending up in the ER for IV calcium after my thyroidectomy, I was taking 16-20 calcium supplements a day to feel normal. This past week, I have been able to drop back to 12-14 since starting calcitrol (prescription vitamin D) two weeks ago. My endo put me on it to help my body absorb calcium.
> This is all a result of damage to my parathyroids during TT. My pathology report (which I had to get from Endo not surgeon) said that at least one of my parathyroids was removed. No word from the surgeon about what shape the others were left in.
> I did get the nurse to let me look at bloodwork my endo ordered to check into all of this, but did not get a copy. Basically, my calcium levels are in the middle of the normal range, My vitamin D was 33 (30-100) bottom of range, and Parathyroid hormone levels were the absolute bottom of the "normal" range. I will get copies of all of this when I see my endo again in two weeks!
> ...


Frankly, some of that stuff is out of the surgeon's field of expertise and better left to your endo in my humble opinion.I hope you are not displeased w/ the surgery for that would be another matter altogether.

Would also like to suggest that you get a ferritin test.

Please read.....
Ferritin http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081504.htm

Calcium is very dangerous. It can clog the arteries w/ calcifications leading to serious blockage which can cause heart attacks and also can cause kidney stones. So, slowly weaning off is a good idea as per your endo.

I hope you are feeling better and better each and every day. You have been through a lot.


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## prettynikki5 (Dec 9, 2009)

hey lavender 
one of my parathyroids was taken as well during my TT in June. I continue to have low calcium levels. I take 600 mg of Calcium 2x a day (Caltrate) has a little Vit D in it too. My doc advised that it can take months or more for them to heal. Sometimes they never heal and you have to supplement Calcium forever. It is a wait and see process, they advised they would continue to check my Calcium levels and once they saw my levels were good, I would start cutting bacl on the Calcium to "see" if they were healing and working again.
The dizziness and headaches are related because they are the same symptoms I have, along with finger tip numbness and tingles, leg cramps and general all over not feeling feel.


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

Thanks for the responses. I am glad to know that I am not the only one having these symptoms. I was seriously starting to doubt myself yesterday. Also, I saw my PCP last week and when I brought this issue up to her, she gave me a very confusing dismissive response. I discussed my concerns with her more, and she realized she was giving me bad information, but it has all left me very confused. I see the endo next Friday, which is reassuring since he does seem to understand the importance of this. 
I am concerned about the long term effects of taking so much calcium, and it's really hard to stay on top of a schedule taking so many different things throughout the day. I just know that my calcium levels are in the middle of the "normal" range on the amount of supplements I am taking. I don't know if there is any harm to this or not. I guess it's a good question for the endo. He seemed invested in helping me not need to take so many, but not in a way that would cause me to feel bad. I am hoping he has some suggestions.
I am very happy with the outcome of my surgery, and hate complaining about this. I think I just want everything better right now after being sick for so long. Graves disease had gradually taken so much of my life away until I was unable to function at all this summer. Looking back, I realize that I had given up on doctors being able to help me until I ended up in the ER, and had a whole team of doctors validating that I was really sick and that they had a way to help me. I am still working on trusting that process.


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