issues over the past six months that have been overwhelming. First I got strep throat
back in February of this year. Which led to C Difficile from the antibiotics. Which led
to about twenty CT scans that caused my thyroid to go all whacko and now I have
Hypothyroidism. But I noticed throughout all these months that my calcium levels are
always elevated. Anywhere from 10.2-10.6.
I was told by a doctor in the ER to get my PTH levels checked but I never did. Sadly,
I completely forgot he had even mentioned it! Well, these past two months have been
horrible for me. I feel like I am literally dying everyday. And I mean this in the "I'm
so sick, tired and feel awful" way not the "Hey, I'm a hypochondriac" kind of way.
Any who, I digress. So I went to the ER today complaining of debilitating dizziness, numbness,
etc. It was 9:00 am and I had not eaten yet. Which I was told was not a bad thing before a
blood test. I received my results at about 1:00 pm. My calcium levels were at 10.2 even
though I had consumed none this morning. My vitamin D25 hydroxyl level was test and was a
*L 16.
The ER doctor told me that all I needed was Vitamin D supplementation. Which I don't deny. I never go
in the sun due to my SLE and do not consume any vitamin D through foods, so I kind of had
an idea that I was deficient. But I am also not stupid. I told him I was weary to take supplements
because vitamin D raises calcium levels and since mine were already at 10.2 I felt that was
unsafe. I said it sounded like a parathyroid problem. He told me that I was over thinking it and
that he believed I had anxiety. I told him to shove it.
So, this is where I am asking for help. I did research and found this:
If you have high blood calcium and low vitamin D, you must have a parathyroid tumor in the neck and you need an operation to remove the tumor. It is a tumor and it will not go away. Vitamin D levels have nothing to do with it--except to prove that the source of the high blood calcium is your bones, not your diet. The low vitamin-D levels is the body's way of preventing the intestines from absorbing more calcium. The body is protecting itself! Do not avoid parathyroid surgery because your doctor says your vitamin D level is low, and that the low vitamin D is the cause of your problems. This is silly and there is no way our body's can do this. If your doctor says that, then he/she doesn't understand the difference between the yellow blob and the blue blob in the graph above.
This is a myth, and this myth is busted. The low Vitamin D did NOT cause the high PTH and high calcium... in truth, the parathyroid tumor is making PTH which is taking calcium out of the bones and putting it into the blood. Furthermore, it is very typical for patients with parathyroid tumors to have calcium levels that go up and down... high sometimes and back to normal some times..... this is typical for patients with parathyroid tumors. The tumor doesn't regulate the calcium well, and the levels go up and down."
Is this something I should pursue with my endocrinologist? I mentioned to him before briefly my concerns
with my calcium levels to which he brushed off and said my PTH was tested back in March this year and
was fine. Which is a lie, because I carry all paperwork regarding my blood tests and they did not test it.
I have an appointment with him in September but would like to schedule sooner if my hunch is right.
Which I believe it is.
Diagnosed 2014 Hypothyroidism and Lupus
Currently only taking 0.025mg of Levothyroxine
100mg of Vitamin B12 & 250mg of Magnesium
New to it all and completely freaked out!