High Calcium Level and/or High PTH Level

migblock
on 6/23/09 2:34 pm - Lake Hiawatha, NJ

I had my bloodwork done recently, and my calcium level was high. Because of this, my doctor had the lab run blood work for my PTH (parathyroid) level. This too came back high (almost twice as high as "normal").

Has anyone had any experience with this? If so, what caused the problem and what was the outcome?

I'm going for an ultrasound tomorrow morning, so they can see if there is anything abnormal -looking (like a growth) around the parathyroid glands.

I hope that anyone who has had an experience with a high calcium level and/or high PTH level will reply.

Thank you!

New Shell
on 6/23/09 7:26 pm - Livermore Falls, ME

RNY on 11/10/08

Yep, but not WLS related. When my youngest son was born in 06, my doctors discovered that I had this. (His calcium was really low a week after he was born). It's a vitimin D deficiency most likely. I ended up having nodules on one of my parathyroid glands and had surgery in 07 to remove the nodules. So after surgery I had to take 500mg of calcium supplement and 1,000 IU's of vitimin D3 because of the deffiency, daily.

Heaviest 297 / Consult 287/ Pre Op 267/ Current 189

Jupiter6
on 6/24/09 12:30 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ

RNY on 07/16/07

Note: 1000 iu was when you were pre-op--- now, post op you malabsorb a great deal of that (and all other fat soluble vitamins, like A,E and K.) Keep on top of those labs-- I found I had to take 50,000 iu to make up for my own deficiency.

"Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--
     Emergency Bowel Repair 6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.   Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift
     12/08
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA Mastopexy/Massive
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty (plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
     6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
     Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300 Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2 BMI: 24.7

debbieposner
on 6/23/09 8:41 pm

I too had this problem, and it's not related to WLS. I had surgery to removed the problem parathyroid five weeks ago, and am waiting on blood work to see what kind of special vitamin regime (calcium and D) I will need to be on.

My understanding is that there are no medical solutions--only surgery.

Jupiter6
on 6/24/09 12:29 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ

RNY on 07/16/07

Actually, it can be DIRECTLY attributed to WLS, just not exclusively. It can be a result of how we malabsorb micronutrients.

There are absolutely medical solutions. Don't cut if you don't need to.

"Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--
     Emergency Bowel Repair 6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.   Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift
     12/08
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA Mastopexy/Massive
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty (plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
     6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
     Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300 Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2 BMI: 24.7

Jupiter6
on 6/24/09 12:27 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ

RNY on 07/16/07

I had hyperparathyroid numbers too, but don't now. It's correctable. Get yourself a rheumatologist-- PCPs and surgeons really don't know much about supplementation.

Your body takes calcium from your bones when it's in crisis and believes it needs to...so you can have a "high" calcium level even if you aren't supplementing enough, if you know what I am saying.

A high PTH means that your body is not absorbing your calcium supplements. The above posters were well meaning but incorrect-- there IS something you can do.

First-- make sure you're getting 1600--2000mg elemental calcium citrate daily. Then, you add large supplementary doses of dry Vitamin D3-- and by large, I mean LARGE-- not 1,000 iu a day-- more like 50,000 iu a day. Take that for a couple months, run labs again, and see where you are. (In my case I now take it 3x a week.)

Technically, too much vitamin D can be toxic but if you are malabsorbing it-- as it appears you are-- then it would be no big deal. You really need a specialist to confirm this.

Vitalady.com sells the large D3 doses-- they are otherwise very hard to find.

"Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--
     Emergency Bowel Repair 6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.   Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift
     12/08
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA Mastopexy/Massive
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty (plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
     6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
     Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300 Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2 BMI: 24.7

debbieposner
on 6/24/09 12:39 am

Dear Jupiter,

I'm not a doctor, but my endocrinologist specifically forbade me to take any supplemental calcium or vitamin D. According to him, taking these supplements "revs the engine" of the parathyroid hormones overproduction, and rather than solving the problem, worsens it. This is what he said. He wrote a note to that effect to my nutritionist, who had been very adamant that I take supplementary vitamin D and calcium. She accepted his reasoning, given that I promised to rectify the situation with surgery before our next appointment. Anyhow, I now am taking mucho calcium citrate and vitamin D, per my endocrinologist's new, post-surgical instrux, and I do hope to have a good blood report.

For the sake of all high PTH people, I certainly hope that you are correct and that they can be spared the surgical solution.

Debbie in Newburgh

Jupiter6
on 6/24/09 1:07 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ

RNY on 07/16/07

Might be you are somehow metabolically different and have a different parathyroid concern-- but I have seen this happen here probably 15 times where the increased D brought the person's levels down into the healthy range. There can probably be other reasons for high PTH, but in a post-WLS patient it's often that they need the push of extra D to help absorb the calcium they are already getting.

Absolutely, people should check with a rheumatologist or other internal specialist who is familiar with the specific needs of WLS patients, though.

"Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--
     Emergency Bowel Repair 6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.   Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift
     12/08
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA Mastopexy/Massive
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty (plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
     6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
     Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300 Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2 BMI: 24.7

debbieposner
on 6/24/09 1:14 am

My high PTH and high serum calcium preceded my WLS by 4 years. It was only after the WLS, when it became imperative to maintain good levels, that we decided to "fix" the situation. It may be that as a long-standing issue, the medico's concerns were different than if this had developed post-WLS.

I will certainly tell the endocrinologist what you have said, however. He should have this info; certainly more and more of his patients will be having WLS (his practice has many many diabetes patients in it) as it becomes increasingly accepted in society and by the insurance companies. I'll suggest he attend a seminar.

Jupiter6
on 6/24/09 1:18 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ

RNY on 07/16/07

That does explain it! Sounds like your situation was very different-- I should have clarified that what I was saying probably only applied to those who develop high PTH *after* WLS as a result of malabsorption.

Thanks for clearing that up!

"Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--
     Emergency Bowel Repair 6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.   Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift
     12/08
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA Mastopexy/Massive
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty (plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
     6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
     Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300 Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2 BMI: 24.7

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High Calcium Level and/or High PTH Level