Hyperparathyroidism and High Calcium levels

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!! 

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. 

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.

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

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.

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!

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

Harley

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. 

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

Went to the parathyroid.com page- and darn, if most of the first symptoms aren't exaclty like the main SE's of Arimidex  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.