Wellness

[mousiegirl]

Apparently, if one's calcium level is high 10.5 or over, hypercalcemia, the glands can be the issue,  Has anyone had experience with this?

[Desertdi]

Years ago, a relative had a parathyroid gland removed in out-patient surgery.    It was a swift recovery.

[IMW]

Had high levels, repeated test all was well.

[Jasmine19]

Yes. I had hyperparathyroidism 5 years ago and had a parathyroidectomy. The parathyroid glands are situated in the neck behind the thyroid. These glands are responsible for regulating calcium. If you have too much calcium in your blood, the parathyroid may be pulling it out of your bones. 

My overactive parathyroid was causing osteoporosis which led to a “fragility” fracture of my wrist. It also caused a kidney stone due to too much circulating calcium.

Anyone who has repeated elevated serum calcium should request a PTH (parathyroid hormone) blood test.

[mousiegirl]

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@IMW wrote:

Had high levels, repeated test all was well.

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@IMW   What was the distance between the first and second test?

[feline groovy]

I've had idiopathic (no known cause) hypercalcemia (high blood calcium level) for the last 13 years.  I had a Dexa scan at age 43 that showed thinning of my left hip bones which then led to all kinds of testing.

But the most common reason for hypercalcemia is hyperparathyroidism and the removal surgery is only about 20-30 minutes.  The Norman Parathyroid Center in FL pioneered the procedure; there's a huge amount of info on their website.

[software]

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@IMW wrote:

Had high levels, repeated test all was well.

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I have a liver diagnosis that depletes my calcium, so I take a supplement.

Whenever I've had a high level of calcium, I've asked for it to be repeated, the 2nd time it's accurate.   Odd that it happened to you as well

[AuntMame]

I had a slightly elevated calcium level. I had been going to the doctor because I always felt exhausted and not myself. The test was repeated not once but twice and both times my calcium was normal. However an ultrasound and then a CT scan revealed a HUGE parathyroid tumor. It was removed and I tell ya after a couple weeks I felt like a new person with a new life. The transformation was incredible.

About a year after the surgery I had a DEXA scan that revealed that even though my bones had reabsorbed calcium after the surgery--parathyroid tumors leach calcium from bones, causing chronic bone pain and GI problems--I was still on the verge of osteoporosis.

So this is nothing to mess around with. If you have a parathyroid tumor it needs to be removed. If the tumor continues to grow it can leave you with not only osteoporosis but susceptible to cancer. 

[Still Raining]

I had a fluctuating level, mostly low, and there is a simple blood test for the parathyroid.  I also also had to do a 24 hour urine test.  In the end my appeared to be cancer related.