Hyperparathyroidism Support Group
Hyperparathyroidism is overactivity of the parathyroid glands resulting in excess production of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Increased PTH consequently leads to increased serum calcium (hypercalcemia) due to 1) increased bone resorption, allowing flow of calcium from bone to blood, 2) reduces renal clearance of calcium, and 3) increases intestinal calcium absorption.
Hi, I'm new here & hoping to see if anyone else has had the same symptoms I'm having.
First off, I haven't been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, but I'm suspecting that's what I've got. I just got a routine blood test that came back with a calcium level of 10.6. My albumin and protein were also elevated. I've just done a second blood test where the doc's checking PTH levels and calcium, and am waiting to get those results.
I'm 32 years old & female and have struggled for the past three years with the following symptoms:
1) occasional bouts of extreme constipation (like, no BM for a week at a time or more). This happens about once a year.
2) constant low-grade nausea and loss of appetite
3) hair loss. Docs say, "oh, that's normal", but I don't think they mean HANDFULS every shower. Thinning mostly at my hairline.
3) muscle tics, mostly in the face / eyelids but elsewhere, too
4) unusual muscle soreness after exercise. I used to be a competitive distance runner, and this is NOT the "good" kind of sore. This hurts more. I exercise lightly almost every day in spite of the fact that I'm weak & fatigue easily.
5) sudden intense nausea immediately after eating sugary foods. This is a recent development (and possibly because of calcium inflaming my pancreas?)
6) speech disturbances: during periods of stress, my tongue (jaw?) will sometimes spasm suddenly while I'm talking. It's not painful, but it's embarrassing & it feels "neurological" in nature rather than muscular, if that makes sense.
I just came out of a yearlong phase of night sweats, short-term memory problems, exercise-induced itchiness (in the skin on the lower half of my body), fainting spells and acid reflux. I also was getting a recurring giant hive in the same place on my face. Most of these symptoms I've controlled with dietary changes (switching to a completely bland diet with no nightshades, vanilla or Advil) and lowering the stress in my life, but the six I've listed above are with me no matter what I do.
Has anyone here who's been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism had the six symptoms I mention above? And if you had surgery to remove the problematic parathyroid gland, did the symptoms resolve?
I'm getting the depression and brain fog that seems to go along with feeling so rotten, so often, so I'm looking for encouraging experiences, here. If I could point to one symptom that's the most affecting, it's the constant low-grade nausea & loss of appetite. Did anyone else have this??
First off, I haven't been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, but I'm suspecting that's what I've got. I just got a routine blood test that came back with a calcium level of 10.6. My albumin and protein were also elevated. I've just done a second blood test where the doc's checking PTH levels and calcium, and am waiting to get those results.
I'm 32 years old & female and have struggled for the past three years with the following symptoms:
1) occasional bouts of extreme constipation (like, no BM for a week at a time or more). This happens about once a year.
2) constant low-grade nausea and loss of appetite
3) hair loss. Docs say, "oh, that's normal", but I don't think they mean HANDFULS every shower. Thinning mostly at my hairline.
3) muscle tics, mostly in the face / eyelids but elsewhere, too
4) unusual muscle soreness after exercise. I used to be a competitive distance runner, and this is NOT the "good" kind of sore. This hurts more. I exercise lightly almost every day in spite of the fact that I'm weak & fatigue easily.
5) sudden intense nausea immediately after eating sugary foods. This is a recent development (and possibly because of calcium inflaming my pancreas?)
6) speech disturbances: during periods of stress, my tongue (jaw?) will sometimes spasm suddenly while I'm talking. It's not painful, but it's embarrassing & it feels "neurological" in nature rather than muscular, if that makes sense.
I just came out of a yearlong phase of night sweats, short-term memory problems, exercise-induced itchiness (in the skin on the lower half of my body), fainting spells and acid reflux. I also was getting a recurring giant hive in the same place on my face. Most of these symptoms I've controlled with dietary changes (switching to a completely bland diet with no nightshades, vanilla or Advil) and lowering the stress in my life, but the six I've listed above are with me no matter what I do.
Has anyone here who's been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism had the six symptoms I mention above? And if you had surgery to remove the problematic parathyroid gland, did the symptoms resolve?
I'm getting the depression and brain fog that seems to go along with feeling so rotten, so often, so I'm looking for encouraging experiences, here. If I could point to one symptom that's the most affecting, it's the constant low-grade nausea & loss of appetite. Did anyone else have this??
Do you have an extremely high protein diet? That can affect both albumin and protein.
If you do have primary hyperparathyroidism, it is most likely that your pth result will tell the tale. With a high calcium level, the pth should be quite low if your system is working properly. Make sure to have these tests run a couple of times to see if the levels vary, which is a good indicator of disease as well.
I had the muscle soreness (I like your description of "not the good kind of sore") but most of my complaints were cognitive. It's a lot better now. I also had hair loss and I think it's better but I'm 51 and I have the gene for hair loss so I need to be realistic about that one.....
Please let us know your pth result.
Eating sweets was basically a no-no for me for years. I couldn't eat most sweet things without feeling nauseous. I just thought my stomach couldn't handle sugar.
Surgery got rid of these two things for me completely. Getting my calcium levels to normal has helped with the muscle spasms and ticks. I still get them sometimes, but no where near as severe or often. Everything else is still a work in progress/mystery.
My doctor assures me these are both "perfectly normal", and I was feeling fine on the day of the draw,
Is it possible to have normal PTH and still have hyperparathyroidism? I'm going to keep going back for more blood tests on a regular basis, and at least my doctor referred me to an endocrinologist. We'll see how that goes.
Whenever anyone asks for my advice after having gone undiagnosed for a long time, I always tell them to insist on the following tests to be done at the same time; Serum calcium, ionized calcium, PTH and a 24 hour urine test for calcium loss. People can have normal calcium and and erratic PTH especially if they have calcium loss in their urine, Usually this will cover all of the bases.
Regards, Brenden.
I could've written your post. I experience all of your symptoms and then some. In addition, I have weight loss and inability to gain weight as well as bone pain. My hair loss is absolutely horrible - I'm hardly able to hide it anymore. I don't know how there is anything left on my head. My calcium blood tests are always normal, but I've had a few PTH readings that have been high. Can I ask what your vitamin D levels are? Doctors will often try to blame a high PTH on low vitamin D. I, too, am looking for some answers and am, for lack of a better word, desperate for a solution. I hope you get the answers you need. I find this group to be very helpful. Best to you.
TwoBoyz, I don't think my most recent tests had Vitamin D on them. I'm guessing mine's OK (I live in California and get lots of sun exposure), but I have no idea.
I would definitely ask for the Vitamin D level test. I thought mine would be normal, too, and it's low. It was like that over the summer when I was getting ample sunlight in addition to taking a supplement. I thought I would be well in the normal range, but I was low. It's a simple blood test - ask the doc :) Please keep us posted and good luck to you.
I want to ask about a few other symptoms: did others of you who have been diagnosed with HPTH have:
1) "Bad days" where you just hurt all over with headache & knots in your muscles?
2) Knots or swollen lumps alongside your cervical spine (back of your neck)?
3) A sensation of a swollen lump at the back of your throat, high in the back near your adenoids?
4) Foul breath that for lack of a better description smelled like poop?
I have episodes of all four of these things that tend to happen together. They'll last for about 36 hours, then go away.
I've posted before-- my PTH was "normal" the one time I had it tested but I've had one serum calcium of 10.6, another of 9.8 that was assessed at the same time as a "high normal" ionized calcium of 5.4.
If you want to pm me I and give me a city and state it MIGHT be close to mine.