A question about my mum

[Leenie0811]

Morning Everyone,

Just a quick one really my mum has hypothyroidism and has been on meds for the last couple of years but earlier this year she started with complications which resulted in her going back to the doctor. She has told me that she has a problem with her parathyroid; her calcium levels are really high and she has had to go for bone scans and a load of other tests.

The endocrinologist shes seeing has said she could be a contender for surgery given all the issues shes having (I'm sure she doesn't tell me them all so I don't worry) but I wanted to know if anyone has had the surgery and what she might be expecting?

She lives with my two brothers so she isn't alone but if I needed to take time off to help her out I would need to arrange it with work.

Thanks,

Leenie x

[MaisieGray]

This NHS North Bristol information about hyperparathyroidism and surgery for the condition, will tell you a little about your Mum's condition and what's required. If you know which hospital your Mum will be attending, you could search online for their own information but it probably won't differ a great deal, if at all, from this one. The parathyroid glands - there's 4 of them - are each the size of a grain of rice. They get their name from being located close to the thyroid gland but other than that are nothing to do with the thyroid gland or with your Mum's hypothyroidism. As each of the parathyroids are tiny - scanning will identify which is/are causing the problem - the scale of the surgery is focused in a small area, and the front of the neck is a clean part of the body so risk of infection is low. Your Mum will have a small scar that will fade over time. For any surgery, with hypothyroidism it is important that your Mum's hypothyroidism is optimally medicated beforehand - are her thyroid hormone levels good? Likewise, being hypo can impact nutrition, has your Mum's key vitamin and mineral levels been tested and is she supplementing for any deficiencies that showed up? Folate, ferritin, Vit D, Vit B12 along with her TSH, FT4 and FT3 are the important ones.

nbt.nhs.uk/our-services/a-z...

[Leenie0811 in reply to MaisieGray]

Thank you for the information the link you sent was really good, I feel a lot less worried if she needs the surgery now As far as I know her calcium levels are really high but shes got very low iron and has been put on tablets to control it. I'm not sure about her other levels she hasn't said anything so I guess they must be normal. They had her dose sorted for hypothyroidism and has been good for a while too so I think those levels are okay.

She went for an ultrasound this morning and they said one of the parathyroid glads was small and think that could be the problem. I hope she gets it sorted soon because its horrible to watch her struggle so much

[bantam12]

I had parathyroid surgery a few years ago I also ran a parathyroid forum. It's essential your Mum finds a surgeon who is very experienced in pth surgery, its generally a fairly straightforward op as long as the adenoma is easily located, one night in hospital is usual so they can keep an eye on calcium levels and treat if they go to low, this isn't uncommon.

Our forum hyperparathyroid.forumotion.co.uk has lots of info plus new guidelines and list of surgeons, the actual forum is no longer active but I will answer any questions if I can.

[Leenie0811 in reply to bantam12]

Thank you for sharing, the specialist shes been to has ordered so many tests to get to the bottom of the issues shes confident he knows what he is doing. I can't remember his name but we live in Cumbria so very much the north of England and this guy covers all over the county and beyond. From what she has told me he has been the only one to really investigate - I don't go to a lot of appointments with her it is usually my grandma as I struggle with time off work.

Do you have a surgeon on your list who is based in the north west?

She struggles with arthritis in her feet and knees so I was worried the high calcium levels would bother her further. We write stuff down before her appointments to make sure she gets the most out of it (and so she remembers) Thanks again for your info

[bantam12 in reply to Leenie0811]

If she has a good specialist who is doing all the tests that's half the battle as many have no pth experience. It's probably wise to go with the surgeon her Consultant recommends because it sounds like he's on the ball.

We do have a list on the website but it hasn't been updated for a while and I can't personally recommend one.

If your mum isn't suitable for surgery or decides against it there is medication that helps to normalise levels.

[Leenie0811 in reply to bantam12]

Thank you, it is good to know she is getting all the right tests too. She had issues last year and wasn't getting anywhere so we encouraged her for a second opinion - thankful it has worked.

Thanks again for all the info