Yes yes yes! It was honestly one of the scariest things symptoms that I had (and still have.) I also have a number of health conditions, including a neurological condition so I'm not sure what to attribute my tinnitus to, however, since my surgery my tinnitus has gotten markedly better. I have gone to an audiologist and do have some slight degree of hearing loss but nothing significant. My ears would ring so bad that I couldn't sleep and couldn't stand to be in a quiet setting. The best advice I can offer - as a temporary solution until you can correct your parathyroid issue - is to use water sounds. Whether it's a tabletop fountain or one of those noise therapy machines. It will help.

Thanks so much for your reply. I've searched all the medical sites for any reference to tinnitus and Hyperparathyroidism, but kept hitting dead ends.

Having been a musician all my life, and working in audio production now, this has been quite a concern of mine and I was hoping that there could be some relief if hyperparathyroidism is the cause. I'm still awaiting the second calcium test results but suspect that, since it's been a week & a half since the blood draw with no news, the "next step" - PTH - must now be in process.

It's a relief to hear there might be improvement - if all plays out as I suspect. Thanks so much!

Well, I appear to have one of those "cases" that evades the usual diagnosing by a General Practitioner. Maybe someone has had similar experience and can provide some thought:

2008: Regular checkup with bloodwork shows serum calcium at 10.3...remark from doc: "don't take any calcium supplements". Not being at all aware of the parathyroid, I (and doc) dismissed.

Late March 2010: bloodwork shows calcium at 11.7...this prompted my GP to request followup testing after a month.

Late April: Calcium 10.3...PTH at 42. Since both were "normal", the same advice as 2008 was given.

My understanding is that although 10.3 on the calcium is only on the "high end" of normal, and the PTH is a mid-level 42, these wouldn't be a problem except that when these occur together this is an indication of hyperparathyroid activity. (The assumption being: if I have a calcium level of 10.3, then the parathyroid should go quiet and a PTH level no higher than 25 should be observed). Along with the variability of calcium between 10.3 and 11.7, I'm still suspicious.

I've requested referral to an endocrinologist for review of the tests.

Anybody else have this sort of experience? I'd like to "nail down" what's going on so I can figure out "what next?"

I have had a similar experience and so I was not diagnosed for quite some time after my hypercalcemia was first discovered. My calcium was discovered to be 11.7 in Feb 09. My doctor re-tested and found my calcium was still high. She then tested my PTH and calcium. Calcium was high but PTH was normal, so I didn't have hyperparathyroidism (according to her.) She decided to recheck the calcium 3 months later and it was only 10.2, so it was in normal range and she told me everything was fine. To give her credit, she was a doctor at my student health center at OSU and generally sees kids who have colds and has probably never seen another student with hypercalcemia. However, this was the same consensus among three other PCPs, numerous ER doctors and even two endocrinologists. They all agreed that since my parathyroid hormone was never high, I didn't have hyperparathyroidism. EVEN AFTER I prepared a large document with plenty of medical publications that stated that a high calcium associated with any PTH other than very low indicates hyperparathryoidism.

Sorry so long, but advocate for yourself as you will run into a lot of doctors, even endocrinologists, who are unable to diagnose you.

My last calcium level was 11.8 which prompted my Dr to send me for a PTH level which came back 86.8. I knew my calcium levels had been slightly high for awhile,however,no Dr seemed to care about this. I also thought that maybe it was because I took Tums with calcium for heartburn rather frequently. I looked back at my lab slips and my calcium has been elevated since 2002. Between 2002 and 2008 they ranged between 10.4 and 10.7. In Feb of this year it was 11 and my Dr still did not address it. I actually thought I had Fibromylagia all this time. Always tired, my muscles hurt all over, foggy thinking. I really hope that once I have surgery these symptoms improve.

Oh I also meant to comment on the tinnitus. Within the past 2-3 weeks I have had a constant sound in my ears-worse when it is quiet. I also hop this disappears after surgery! I tried to find info if that was also a symptom and from what I read it certainly can be.

Sandymomma:

Since this thread began with my query about Tinnitus, I'll go there first; I met with my surgeon in our pre-op conference today (yay - I think...diagnosis confirmed & surgery in the future) and briefly addressed tinnitus. I had the only theory running, based on another sypmtom I experience; the mettalic taste in the mouth. If there's a metallic taste as the result of a calcium-fueld overactive central nervous system, the audio analogue would be tinnitus. Running this past my endorcine surgeon was more-or-less confirmed as one of many - even numerous - symptoms that can be corellated with hyperparathyroidism. Although I should likely have some tinnitus after playing in rock bands for over 40 years, it seems to ebb and flow in harmony with other symptoms, and hopefully will be reduced as a result of surgery.

I do want to emphasize one test result - that of the DEXA bone scan. To my knowlege, noticable symptoms have been around perhaps three years. You relate elevated cacium for 8. While cautioning that everyone is different, and you can't base your case on someone else's experience, it's important to understand everything that comes with this, including osteoporosis.

My DEXA put me clearly in osteoporosis. My risk of fractures is 5 times normal. Even today, at an excellent clinic, this was not put into such clear, understandable terms. I had to research several websites before being comfortable that I'd established a clear, unbiased interpretation of the results.

I simply wish I'd been advised on managing osteoporosis up front, even if this belongs in the followup to surgery. I won't be quite as "free" about tossing myself around & hauling 50-pound pieces of gear as vigorously as before. Ask lots of questions. Because I kept asking, I found the hyperparathyroidism faster than my general practitioner would have. Who knows how fragile I'd become if I waited more years? Be your own best advocate!!

Audioman -

It is a fact that everyone who has hyperparathyroidism will develop osteoporosis if left untreated. I have osteopenia and I just turned 24. There really is no way to prevent or manage bone loss in this disease. It is inevitable. That being said - you can slightly slow the rate of bone loss through exercise. Diet does not really matter in this disease as the calcium will be sucked from your bones anyways.

The good news is that this is the only disease in which osteoporosis is reversible and even curable by means of surgery. That is in the case that you had no bone loss before the adenoma(s) began to form.

One bit of advice I give to everyone - stay active as best you can! About this time last year, I began to have so much dizziness, vertigo and tachycardia that I was in bed pretty much all day for about 5 months. Because of this, my bones thinned even more and my muscles atrophied which made my recovery (although I wasn't cured through surgery) a lot harder.

Good luck with your surgery!

Ashley - thanks for the kind thoughts on surgery...I'm really looking forward to some relief.

What really "got me" was the fact that my G.P. didn't know enough to advise me or refer to an Endo for further research when my high calcium levels were first noted. I have the feeling that if this would have been properly addressed in the beginning, I could have avoided many of the symptoms - including the osteoporosis.

The good part is that despite the many different ways that I have been affected, none have "kept me down" - although my wife now warns me I can't go jumping up & off a stage without using the stairs until I recover! I guess that at 56 I can't behave like I was 18 anymore. Maybe now I can get a "roadie" to haul my stuff, tho'!

Hello Audioman
I can totally relate to your symptoms. I have hyperparathyroidism and tinnitus, pulsatile in my left and ringing tinnitus in my right ear. I think I may be having this problem since 5 years or even longer., not sure. Your post is very old , I am not sure if you visit this page regularly but if you do kindly leave a reply. Did you get the parathyroid surgery done? and which doctor did it?