Tell me what needs monitoring

[KICKSTART]

please ! As you know im on my second month of Cincalcet and i know my PTH has to be done more frequently now but what else needs monitoring ? Is it calcium levels ? Or do other things have to be considered ? My PTH  has halved , well almost, i ve dropped form 1800 yes 1800 to 1000 in just over a month and i feel most peculiar. I have told my unit but its the usual , yeah , yeah , yeah its working then. I have had no calcium levels (or any other levels that may need checking done since i started on it) Im getting really funny fuzzy heads and dizzy spells and some shaky moments. Its not exertion as i was woken up twice last night feeling fuzzy and this is going to sound really stupid but i get this strange sensation in my nose , like when you where a kid and sherbert or pop came down your nose and it left a peculiar feeling. All these symptoms started when i started on the Cinacalcet , i also have a constant runny nose (no cold) and tend to break out in sweats. My gut instinct tells me its this med or possibly some levels in my body are being affected by it and not in a good way. Im going to insist on a blood test this week ..just what do i need guys ?   Thanks 

[silverhead]

I had similar concerns when Sharon's PTH levels elevated, her Neph said that testing Blood/calcium levels does not answer the problems that high PTH levels can cause, high PTH can cause loss of calcium from the bones, but this does not show in blood tests, about the only good check of the bones is a Bone Scan. As to your other symptoms, Sharon had a bad intolerance of just about every form of medicine to treat that condition......

[RichardMEL]

They should be taking into account the PTH "triangle" of PTH, Ca, PO4 and to a lesser extent K. It's a balance between your PTH levels and Calcium and Phosphates - too high PTH and Calcium/Phos can be leached from the bones (secondaryhyperparathyroidism leading to bone disease) so say your PTH lowers, you still need to check the impact on those other levels that they are balanced out OK. Sensipar tends to lower serium Ca levels in the blood (and as a bonus side effect, cholesterol too ) which is also something to be aware of.

Really though nephs would be monitoring those values on a regular basis anyway since it's the basic FBE that they need to ensure is in range anyway.

[KICKSTART]

Thanks guys , ive made an appt with my neph , earliest i could get is next week !!! RM , 2 things ive never had problems with are cholesterol and sodium both are way below the set levels !