lab results-calcium-protein

Hi, just got my lab results from 2/4, the letter says my PTH level is elevated at 83

I am currently taking 1200 mg of calcium and 1000 mg of  Vitamin D, they said to add another dose of calcium , which would be 600 more could that be too much? I am concerned only because I have a history of kidney stones.

They also said my Prealbumin is low at 15, I am getting in my 65-75 grams of protein daily, which is what my plan calls for, how much does everyone else do? I am 16 weeks out from surgery. 

No, that wouldn't be too much.  The ASMBS recommends 1500-2000 mg daily.

You're taking calcium citrate, right?  Not carbonate?  Calcium citrate doesn't cause kidney stones, but calcium carbonate can.

What's your vitamin D level?  1000 IU is a very low dose of D3.  I've looked at lots of people's labs and only known two that could maintain a level of 80 or above (where we need to be in order to absorb calcium properly. according to the Linus Pauling Institute) on less than 10,000 IU a day, and both of them took 5000 IU a day.  Many people need much more.  I have to take 50,000 IU D3 three times a week to maintain a good level.

If your D level is low, you won't absorb calcium well, no matter how much you take. 

What is your vitamin D level?  A low Vitamin D level, High PTH level means your body is leaching calcium from your bones.

How much protein one needs varies, I'd suggest you try upping it to 100 grams per day and see how that works for you.

I am taking calcium citrate,( great to know that has no involvement with kidney stones thanks Kelly

The vit d results I found on line are Vit D 3 (1,25) DOH-37

Vit D3 (25OH) is 30.7. Any advice is appreciated. Kathy

We want the Vitamin D 0,25 hydroxy test, not the Vitamin D 1,25 dihydroxy test.  I can't remember right now the difference, but the 1,25 dihydroxy test doesn't give us any useful information.

Check out the Linus Pauling Institute and the Vitamin D Council for information about the benefits of a vitamin D level that is at least 80.

What happens when it's lower than that is that we don't absorb calcium well.  But it's very important to keep a good level of calcium in our blood, because if that level gets too low, our muscles can't contract properly, and our heart is a muscle, and if it cannot contract, as in beat, we will die.  So our parathyroid gland produces extra parathyroid hormone (PTH), which causes calcium to leach out of our bones to keep the level in our blood good.  Our body assumes it's better to have a beating heart than to have bones.  If this continues, we end up with osteoporosis.

If your D level is 30 (and we are looking at the total D level, not D3, not D2, the total), you need to take some D3.  Lots of D3.

Great explanation!

Thanks again Kelly I put a call into the PA at the Bariatric Center. Is the Vitamin D you take prescription or over the counter?

You can't get D3 by prescription.  You can get D2, which is not absorbed well.  D3 you just buy over the counter.  I buy the 50,000 IU D3 capsules from vitalady.com.  I need three of those a week in order to maintain a vitamin D level of about 100.

There is an activated form of vitamin D that is only available via perscription. We use it in dialysis routinely and it is a tablet. It is essentially what your body produces after the vitamin D passes thru the liver and the kidneys to be turned into the form that the body actually uses. In End Stage Kidney Disease (ESRD) the kidneys are no longer able to convert the D into an active form. I have NOT seen this used outside of dialysis, but I wonder if it wouldn't be a viable option as it is "dry" and theoretically would be readily absorbed.It is available as a tablet or IV and is dosed in MCG ( micrograms).
Just thought I would share.

What's it called?  Usually what docs prescribe is Drisdol, which is D2 in oil.

And what's the dose on it?  usually vitamin D is dosed in IU, not mcg.  Do you know how those would compare?