Hyperparathyroidism and High Calcium levels

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ICanDoThis
ICanDoThis Member Posts: 1,473
edited June 2014 in Bone Health and Bone Loss

This is a link to another topic that spread out over quite some time. It starts out with a concern about high blood calcium levels, and goes on to a discussion about high parathyroid levels and its relationship to bone integrity.

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/105/topic/737868?page=3

Comments

  • luv_gardening
    luv_gardening Member Posts: 1,393
    edited June 2011

    Thanks for this very informative and relevant link Sue.

  • marklee99
    marklee99 Member Posts: 6
    edited July 2011

    Your calcium should never be evelated.Your PTH is thus not working correclty to keep the calcium in the proper levels.Did they do a urine calcium,ionized calcium and other tests like phosphorus and alk phosphate?

    I would find a doctor that knows how to treat hyperparathyroidism - check out www.parathyroid.com and read up there - they have a lot of info there!! 

  • ICanDoThis
    ICanDoThis Member Posts: 1,473
    edited July 2011

    Well, one thing I learned on my journey is that parathyroid.com isn't always completely right, although they do have a lot of good information.

    I went to endocrinologist with half the website printed out, and we talked about it. She says that it is more complicated than that, and that hormones and vitamins all interact with each other as part of the bone metabolism.

    She ran all the tests you described.

     In my case, because my Vitamin D was so low (7!), my system was pumping extra PTH into my system, and that was pulling calcium from my bones. Getting my D back up over 20 stopped this process, and both the PTH and the calcium gradually returned to normal.

    If things hadn;t worked that way, she would have referred me to a surgeon for further evaluation.

    My last bone density is on the good side of the osteoporotic.osteopenic divide, rather than on the bad side, but I do have to watch it.

  • MariannaLaFrance
    MariannaLaFrance Member Posts: 777
    edited September 2011

    I candothis-  I had a very similar situation to you.  I had 3 kidney stones in my last pregnancy, and my doctor tested my PtH levels.  My PTH levels were slightly elevated, with normal calcium levels. Once I was dx with BC, I found myself an endocrinologist who specialized in parathyroid, as well as a nutritionist.  Between the magnesium I began supplementing and the Vitamin D, I raised my Vitamin D levels to around 70, and my PTH stabilized.  My endocrinologist agreed that with Vitamin D supplementation, one should see an improvement in blood calcium (if that's a problem) and PTH levels. I am glad that we got it sorted out, and am now getting tested annually for this. 

    I have a strong family history of osteoporosis, and have often wondered if my grandmother and aunt had problems with their PTH prior to their osteoporosis diagnosis.....

    Vitamin D and magnesium are my friends..... in so many ways. 

  • katsOK
    katsOK Member Posts: 142
    edited March 2012

    Hi, I am having an interesting problem.  I was operated on for hyperparathyroidism in 2007 or so... then had breast cancer in 2009.  Due to some problems the oncologist sent me back to an endocrinologist about a six months ago and now I have lots of calcium in my urine, but have low calcium in my blood and low PTH.  According to parathyroid.com that makes me hypoparathyroid now rather than hyper or normal.  I am waiting on the calcium tests and the PTH test to be redone to see if it was a random thing or not.  Hyprparathyroid is sort of rare but can cause health problems also.  Do not know what to think about all this.   The symptoms include cramps in hands and feet which I have some but always blamed it on the AL I was on.   I just had cataract surgery and blamed that on old age and maybe the chemo and it is a symptoms of being hypo also.  Mental forgetfulness is a symptom and again blamed it on chemo brain.  Lesson to be learned we can have side effects from als and chemo but could  be caused by something else entirely!  The parathyroid is one weird part of our body....

  • tenaj
    tenaj Member Posts: 1,052
    edited March 2012

    My onc found my calcium level high, then repeated it with a PTH level, sent me to an endocrinologist and confirmed diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism through more bloodwork & a 24 hr urine. I had surgery for removal of a B9 adenoma in 11/11.

  • sam52
    sam52 Member Posts: 950
    edited March 2012

    .....and it seems very common to have both bc and hyperparathyroid disease - some believe that one predisposes the other.

    I had parathyroidectomy 2 years ago.

    Hopefully all is still ok.

  • sylviaexmouthuk
    sylviaexmouthuk Member Posts: 7,847
    edited September 2012

    Hello sam52

    Fancy meeting you here. I had just been reading on the thread High Calcium Levels in the forum Not Diagnosed with recurrence or mets but concerned, thinking about how we met on there, when I discovered that someone had recently started this new thread. I think all those reading this one would pick up interesting reading on the other thread.

    To those reading this thread, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2005 and was diagnosed at the same time with hyperparathyroidism. I had surgery in 2009 and had a large benign adenoma removed and was cured. I have had no problems since. From the size of the adenoma the consultant tols me that she thought I had had it for sometime and that it preceeded the breast cancer. I am convinced that the hyperparathyroidism was somehow connected to the breast cancer. There is research about this and about which one comes first or whether both are caused by something else, such as mass x-rays in childhood.

    Sylvia

  • sam52
    sam52 Member Posts: 950
    edited March 2012

    Hi Sylvia.......you have caught me!!

    I have been very remiss about keeping in touch - just so busy. I WILL pm you very soon (promise!)Hope all is well with you.

    With love,

    Sam

  • dogsandjogs
    dogsandjogs Member Posts: 1,907
    edited March 2012

    I had a parathyroidectomy in 2004. And a lumpectomy in 2010. So since the breast cancer had been growing for 8 to 10 years the breast cancer might have caused the tumor on the parathyroid. IF there is a connection. The parathyroid tumor was B9 as most of them are.

    Since 2004 my calcium is monitored regularly.

  • sandilee
    sandilee Member Posts: 1,843
    edited March 2012

    I had a parathyroidectomy in 2009 as well.  My cancer presented in 2007, but the doc believes it had been growing for 8 or more years.

    My theory (totally made up...as I have no medical training...) is that the parathyroid enlarged because it was working overtime, telling the bones to release the calcium that the BC was directing.

    High blood calcium is a marker for BC, and the parathyroid gland is the gland that regulates calcium. It makes sense to me that the BC is first, then the hyperparathyroidism.  But it sure would be interesting if someone would do some actual medical research on this subject, as a lot of us have had this issue. Also, maybe  hyperparathyroidism is a possible indicator for BC that would give us some warning so we could be tested, or at least monitored.

  • dogsandjogs
    dogsandjogs Member Posts: 1,907
    edited March 2012

    I was told one of my para-thyroid glands had a tumor on it. This caused the gland to grow "wacko" thde doctor's exact words!  and told the bones to release calcium.  The doc did not know what caused the tumor to form.  Interesting if there is a connection to breast cancer!

  • harley63
    harley63 Member Posts: 94
    edited March 2012

    Thanks for posting this.

    My Mother-in-law had high calcium levels in her blood, and she had hyperparathyroidism.  Her parathyroids were enlarged, and the doctor took them out several years ago.  She is doing fine now, but experienced bone loss from the condition.

    Poor lady!  She just turned 83, and she thinks that parathyroids are the same a thyroid glands....

    I think everyone should know about this condition.  

    Many years ago, I also had high levels of calcium in my blood...  it was nothing, and the 24 hour urine test showed I was fine.

    Harley

  • harley63
    harley63 Member Posts: 94
    edited March 2012

    BTW, My MIL did not have breast cancer...

    Harley

  • 3boysmom39
    3boysmom39 Member Posts: 54
    edited March 2012

    so what does it mean if i have a very high 24 hr. calcium result but PTH and blood/serum calcium are in normal range? just had dexa re-done and my osteopenia is worsening, near osteoporosis ...karen

  • MariannaLaFrance
    MariannaLaFrance Member Posts: 777
    edited March 2012

    I had high levels of PTH, that were varied over a period of 2 years. I was always on the cusp of "hyperparathyroidism", with levels up at 81. (norm = 50)

    My endocrinologist helped me with this by putting me on a regimen of Vitamin D supplementation, magnesium and calcium and Vitamin K supplements. He suspected that if I got my Vit D levels up, that the PTH levels would go down.  

    This is precisely what happened.  As my levels got up into the 70 range for Vitamin D, my PTH levels leveled out to a norm, and have remained normal since that time. 

  • katsOK
    katsOK Member Posts: 142
    edited March 2012

    3boysmom39. Do you mean 24 hour calcium in urine is high? I have that and normal to low PTH and normal calcium in blood. Let me know if you figure it out! I'd like to know. I go on medication next week to see if I can bring the high calcium in urine down to normal levels. They first tried me only taking 800 mg calcium to bring it down. Kinda scary when worried about bones. I had surgery for hyper parathyroid several years ago and then my blood calcium was not super high since I spilled into the urine then too. But my PTH was high or abnormal which it is not this time. I fell two years ago and broke four ribs up high and collasped my T12 last year. But my dexa is better than it was before my parathyroid surgery. Can't figure it out.

    Kathleen

  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited March 2012

    A high urine calcium in a 24-hr sample is technically called "hypercalciuria". Often the underlying cause of hypercalciuria is unknown (unexplainable)... thus, "idiopathic hypercalciuria."

    I've had it for decades, and it's the reason I ended up with kidney stones in my previous (pre-BC) life. I solved the kidney stone problem with a major increase in my fluid intake.  Even so, I still was putting out way too much calcium in my urine.  Some endocrinologists and bone docs think that could be a major cause of osteoporosis that often goes undiagnosed.  My bone density was terrific 10 years ago, but I've become osteopenic since then.  (Of course, I went through menopause during that same interval.)

    I asked my med onco about "secondary causes of osteoporosis," and whether hypercalciuria could be a problem.  She agreed it could, so she referred me to an endocrinologist who specializes in osteoporosis and other bone disorders.  That doc confirmed that I was still hypercalciuric.  She advised that I take no more than 800 - 1000 mg of calcium as supplements each day, and not overdo the dietary calcium.  Milk, cheese, etc., is okay -- I just need to balance that dietary intake against the calcium supplements to make sure I'm not getting too much total calcium.  She also recommended I take calcium citrate rather than calcium carbonate. The citrate form is supposedly less likely to contribute to kidney stones. (It has something to do with the citrate component.) 

    In addition, the osteo doc said to keep my Vitamin D3 supplements down around 800 - 1000 IU; in other words, don't take the mega doses some women are taking. Oh, and get lots of sunshine.

    Finally, to decrease the amount of calcium I was losing in my urine, the endo doc put me on chlorthalidone, a diuretic that "conserves" calcium.  The mechanism of the drug results in calcium being retained or reabsorbed by the kidney instead of being excreted in the urine.  Within a few weeks, that drug had my 24-hr urine calcium back in the normal range.  One of the potentially bad side effects is that too much calcium is retained by the body, and the blood calcium ends up too high.  (That's why it's important not to overdo the Vitamin D and calcium supplements while on that drug.) 

    Chlorthalidone is a generic drug and it's dirt-cheap.  One alternative is a diuretic called "indapamide", which does the same thing and is also generic.

    Those of you who have normal PTH and normal blood calcium levels but are excreting too much calcium might consider asking your docs about this.  If you don't get the hypercalciuria under control, it can lead to bone thinning as well as kidney stones.

    otter

  • katsOK
    katsOK Member Posts: 142
    edited March 2012

    Thanks Otter, It is a diuretic I am to go on but do not know the name yet the doctor is sending me the prescription in the mail. I did not know about the vit D so will decrease that also. I am to try to not get more than 800 mg of calcium total so only take a small amount in supplement as I eat a lot of cheese and yogurt for protein. Sure a lot of calculating and balancing of food products now. It is the possibilty of kidney stones she is worried about with me. I am trying to drink more water as I had read it helps. Kathleen

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2012

    Went to the parathyroid.com page- and darn, if most of the first symptoms aren't exaclty like the main SE's of ArimidexFrown  I'm also in my 5th year of Arimidex, with, so far, good bone density levels.

    BUT:    Had blood test for PTH last week, waiting for results. Vitamin D blood levels dropping while taking 7,000ius a day of high quality Vitamin D3 in rice bran oil.

    I feel so worn down by all this, just worn down, out, zapped.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2012

    Just want to let you know about my experience, and hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.  My Vitamin D blood test level came back as 26.  As I was taking 5,000ius of good quality Vitamin D3, and in my 5th year of Arimidex, I was deeply concerned.  7 days later, had a payathyroid (PTH) test, and retested the VitaminD.  VitaminD came back at 78.  Calcium high.

    Thank goodness I had my routine 6 month checkup with my oncologist, who ordered a complete blod chemistry workup.  Correct Vitamin D level was 48. Calcium normal.

    So, if you get results that just seem wrong, or you have questions, I suggest asking for a retest using a DIFFERENT medical laboratory.  Clearly my PCP uses a lab that is not to be trusted.

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