I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: del on August 05, 2010, 06:47:45 PM
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Over the past few months hubby's PTH has been steadily increasing. It is now up to 1300. Normal reading for dialysis patients is less than 300!! You are not treated here until your readings are over 1000!! He is supposed to start sensipar - we have the script filled . His dialysis nurse called and left a message on Monday that he was to start taking it but she wanted to talk to us first. She has been on sick leave since then and we have not had a chance to talk to her . She is supposed to be back to work on Monday so we are going to wait until we talk to her before he starts taking it.
Hopefully the sensipar will work and he will not need surgery.
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Sensipar usually works pretty well.
But you need to watch out for a low serum calcium because it reduces calcium absorption in the gut.
8)
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Good luck with Sensipar. That stuff made my wife have a sour stomach. She had to take Phenergan with it.
She eventually had to have a parathyroidectomy last January after her PTH went over 2000 for several months despite everything we did. Her parathyroids were the size of shooter marbles. They are only supposed to be pea sized. She had to have 3 3/4 glands out of the 4 removed. Get it under control now. Once those glands go crazy and get big they don't like to shrink.
She is in the 100's now and feels a lot better.
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Hubby has been taking sensipar for 2 weeks now with no side effects at all!! He had calcium and phos checked last week and everything was perfect. He will get his PTH checked when he does regular monthly blood work on Monday. Hopefully the level will have gone down some!!
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He's lucky. I can't take sensipar, known as cinacalcet hers in the UK. I've developed an alergy to it.
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I can't believe they let PTH rise to 1000 before it's treated! that's a dangerous level.
My dr started me on sensipar 3x/week as soon as myPTH climbed to the low 400's.
Sensipar works beautifully.
But like zach says, keep a close eye on calcium levels.
Sensipar lowers both calcium and phos levels so more calcium might be prescribed, and less binders.
For the most part, my phos is in the low 3 sometimes lower) thanks to sensipar so I'm able to enjoy cheese and nuts at least once/day :bandance;
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Good to hear that hubby's numbers are looking good. And it is great that he has had no side effects. He is a pretty tough guy and has a great caregiver!! That is a good combination. :2thumbsup;