Parathyroid question

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Pam
Posts: 866
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2004 8:13 pm
Location: Springfield, Illinois, USA

Parathyroid question

Post by Pam »

Hi everyone!
I am sorry I haven't posted in awhile-I have a question for
everyone...maybe one or two (or more) of you have some answers or opinions. I
was at my txplant doc yesterday and he said that one of my tests indicated that
I need one of my parathyroid glands removed. One of my numbers (I can't remember
which) was 1,284 and should be around 50. I have had a lot of fatigue,
depression, etc. ever since my txplant (1977) but more so in the past few years. :cry:
I thought it was just the meds! :wink:
He wants to remove it and I am hoping that it might help-I have been doing
research on it and it seems that it CAN help ease some of these symptoms if the
parathyroid is diseased and gets removed. I just wanted to ask if anyone has had
this procedure and if so, did it help you? It is a very simple operation
requiring only an overnight stay in the hospital...I am going to have it, but
was curious how much of a difference it makes in relieving symptoms.
I had trouble with my parathyroid while on dialysis, but it was never
followed up on because soon after they found it, I was transplanted and it was
probably forgotten. THANK YOU to anyone who can give me any info on this at
all.
God Bless!
-Pam
Art from Ontario
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2004 1:11 am
Location: Niagara, Ontario, Canada

Parathyroid Glands

Post by Art from Ontario »

Pam:
There are issues concerning Calcium loss from bones in esrd
patients with parathyroid disfunction.
The following website (although it is a vet site) gives some
insight into the interaction of the kidney and the thyroid gland, in
particular the insteraction of calcium and phosphorous in the
bloodstream.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Conten ... ourceID=52

I am 2yrs post transplant ,but have no elevated calc.
or phos. levels...........yet.
.
..art
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JMan
Posts: 3470
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 10:21 am
Location: Lives in a slightly weird bit of Shropshire called Telford!

Re: Parathyroid question

Post by JMan »

[quote="Pam"]Hi everyone!
I am sorry I haven't posted in awhile-I have a question for
everyone...maybe one or two (or more) of you have some answers or opinions. I
was at my txplant doc yesterday and he said that one of my tests indicated that
I need one of my parathyroid glands removed. One of my numbers (I can't remember
which) was 1,284 and should be around 50. I have had a lot of fatigue,
depression, etc. ever since my txplant (1977) but more so in the past few years. :cry:
I thought it was just the meds! :wink:
He wants to remove it and I am hoping that it might help-I have been doing
research on it and it seems that it CAN help ease some of these symptoms if the
parathyroid is diseased and gets removed. I just wanted to ask if anyone has had
this procedure and if so, did it help you? It is a very simple operation
requiring only an overnight stay in the hospital...I am going to have it, but
was curious how much of a difference it makes in relieving symptoms.
I had trouble with my parathyroid while on dialysis, but it was never
followed up on because soon after they found it, I was transplanted and it was
probably forgotten. THANK YOU to anyone who can give me any info on this at
all.
God Bless!
-Pam[/quote]

Hi Pam..

The problem with an overactive parathyroid is one that is usually found in dialysis patients/or pre-tx (your earlier trouble).

Its unusual to remove (as far as I know) just one gland, althugh more so now, previosuly they were often part removed or removed and a small piece re-implanted elsewhere.

Very high PTH over a long period of time basically causes leaching of calcium from your bones, causing bone diseases (eg brittle bones, renal bone disease). Not very nice.

The usual cause of high PTH is ineffective phosphate control on dialysis. The other problem is that beyond a certain point parathyroids go into an 'oeverdrive' or 'chain reaction' and continue intreasing PTH, rather than reacting to changes in Calcium and phos. as they normally do. THe solution here is to remove them.

As for the op, it IS a fairly minor op when it goes well. There is some risk to the vocal chords however as the parathyroids are located there, and they have to be 'found' (traced with a contrast dye) to make sure they are in the right place, (the neck/throat, though they can be migratory during formation) and that yyou only have 4 (normal number, though more or less has been known).

Take a look at http://www.kidney.org.uk/Medical-Info/C ... index.html

for more details.. Or PM me via this board. I had my parathyroids done a while back, just before my transplant.
"Dialysis! What is this? The dark ages!"
L. 'Bones' McCoy, ST"
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LadySycamore
Posts: 73
Joined: Tue May 18, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Philadelphia, PA USA

Post by LadySycamore »

Hello Pam.

This website will give you all the information that you will need to know...maybe even more than you expected.

Parathyroid.com
http://www.parathyroid.com/

Also, has your doctor mentioned Senispar? It's a fairly new medicine used to treat secondary hyperparathyoidism:

http://www.sensipar.com/
http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/dr ... nsipar.HTM

Hope this helps, good luck!
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