Should have had my paras out LONG ago

[Desert Dancer]

... because the most immediate effects of having them out have been: I'm sleeping again! And dreaming again! I've had terrible insomnia for well over a year now and within one week of my parathyroid surgery I began sleeping again. Beautiful, long and deep, deep sleep. I almost forgot what it felt like. Of course, now that I'm hitting that deep sleep again my dreams are back. I used to have vivid dreams every night but they stopped when the insomnia began. They're back!

Also, my energy level has shot through the roof. I've probably gotten more done in the last three weeks than in the last year combined. I no longer have to lie down and rest throughout the day, and I no longer drag myself around like a zombie.

Who knew? 

[willowtreewren]

 

Oh, the sleep sounds wonderful! 

I'm glad you have had such a wonderful result!

Aleta

[billybags]

Sounds like it has made a big difference to your life. Long may it continue.

[okarol]

There's nothing like good sleep! 

[del]

Desert Dancer how long was the surgery?  I have a feeling hubby is going to have to have his removed soon.  He is taking sensipar and that seemed to be doping the trick for a while but his levels are up to over 1400 again(normal for a dialysis patient is less than 300) with taking 90 mg of sensipar daily.  He is really nervous about any surgery and I know I am going to have to do a LOT of pep talks if he has to have the surgery.  It can't be done at the hospital an hours drive from our home.  We have to go to the capital city which is over 5 hours away. 

[jbeany]

I had mine out.  I thought the surgery was pretty easy.  The incision was quite small, and the awkward angle they had taped my bandage at was more irritating than the incision was painful.  The worst part was having to have D in the hospital when I was used to NxStage.  Ugh.  Well, that and having to eat Tums like they were grapes for the next few days as my bones kept sucking the calcium out of my blood stream.  I thought my hands and lips were going to be permanently numb for a while.  I was at something obscenely high by the time they got the surgery scheduled, like 3500, so my calcium levels had a lot of readjusting to do!

[Desert Dancer]

Desert Dancer how long was the surgery?  I have a feeling hubby is going to have to have his removed soon.  He is taking sensipar and that seemed to be doping the trick for a while but his levels are up to over 1400 again(normal for a dialysis patient is less than 300) with taking 90 mg of sensipar daily.  He is really nervous about any surgery and I know I am going to have to do a LOT of pep talks if he has to have the surgery.  It can't be done at the hospital an hours drive from our home.  We have to go to the capital city which is over 5 hours away.

The surgery itself only took 45 minutes - the sestamibi scan took about two hours - and I went home the same day. The doc discharged me with .25 mcg of calcitriol and over-the-counter calcium, twice per day. He discharged me with Vicodin, too, but I didn't need to use it. I was a little hoarse the first day but that was it. The day after surgery I did all my Christmas shopping and two days after surgery I did six hours of yard work. My calcium hasn't dropped at all - it's stayed normal - but that's because he left in one-quarter of one of the paras (rather than implanting it in my arm).

Here's a pic of the scar, with a quarter for perspective (it's only 3 weeks old, obviously it will lighten up over time):

[MooseMom]

Who knew? 

Well, thanks to you, a lot more of us know!  I'm really glad you posted this, and I'm so happy the surgery has had such wonderful results.

[cariad]

Whoa, that's a discreet scar. I thought it was part of your collar bone until I clicked on the photo.

So happy that this turned out so well for you, DD. This has made my day!

[lmunchkin]

DD, I believe my J will have to have this surgery eventually. He hasnt started Sensipar yet.  Gonna wait till next week to see what labs show his PTH.  It was over 1000 the last time.

After seeing your pic., it looks pretty small.  I think this is something he may want to do if the time comes.  He is adamant about not having anymore surgerys done.  Go figure!

Thanks for posting this.  It helps to have a visual.

lmunchkin
 

[Riki]

I had mine out in 2005. I wish I'd had the same good experience as you.  My PTH levels went down substantially, but nothing happened to my phosphorus and calcium levels, like I was told would happen.  I had a quarter of one left as well.  I asked the surgeon about implanting them in the arm. He told me he doesn't do that, and feels that doing it is malpractice.

[okarol]

How long do they monitor your calcium level after the surgery? (A member who is having the surgery today asked me via facebook.)

[Riki]

isn't the calcium level always monitored?

[Desert Dancer]

How long do they monitor your calcium level after the surgery? (A member who is having the surgery today asked me via facebook.)

My nephrologist was freaked out that I got discharged the same day because she had assured me I was looking at a minimum of 2-3 days in the hospital. I'm the first patient she's had who's done it on an outpatient basis. Thus she had me do a stat calcium/phosphorus draw each day for three days after the surgery. After the second draw she called me and told me I didn't have to go for the third draw, as my calcium/phosphorus were normal and stable, and if they hadn't plummeted by then they weren't going to.

[okarol]

isn't the calcium level always monitored?

Yeah but immediately following the surgery it can change dramatically and be a dangerous situation.

[Riki]

isn't the calcium level always monitored?

Yeah but immediately following the surgery it can change dramatically and be a dangerous situation.

ok.  I think it's too long ago for me to remember.  I know that I was in the hospital for a few days, and that my levels didn't change at all

[lmunchkin]

Yeah but immediately following the surgery it can change dramatically and be a dangerous situation.

ok.  I think it's too long ago for me to remember.  I know that I was in the hospital for a few days, and that my levels didn't change at all

Ew, ME THINKS this may not be a good thing afterall!!!!!!!!

lmunchkin






EDITED: Fixed quote tag error - jbeany, Moderator

[Riki]

lmunchkin

I don't think I had the typical response to the treatment that most do.  I generally don't.  I always have the weirder things happen, as opposed to the more normal.

[lmunchkin]

Yea, and my hubby is like you!  Things definately effect him differently than most, especially when it comes to surgery's.  I don't believe he would have it done anyway.  But let me ask, what happens if it keeps going upward?

lmunch

[Riki]

I don't remember al the ins and outs, and I'm sure someone else can probably explain it better, but I think how it works is that when the PTH (parathyroid hormone) gets to a certain point, something else in the body thinks there's too much calcium and causes the phosphorus to go up.  So, if the PTH is too high, odds are that your phosphorus is going to be too high too.  That can cause problems with bones, and calcification of arteries, among other things.  What you want is a balance between your phosphorus level and your calcium level, and that's really hard to do when you're on dialysis, cuz there's phosphorus is just about everything you eat.