Anyone have there PTH removed? Need some info!!!

[Neo]

well my doc wants me to get it removed and I talked to the surgeon and they say there really isn't a downside to it and I will feel a lot better and less fatigued. But I want to know how tough it is to recover from
 the surgery. Does it leave a big scar? Please any info about it would be appreciated thanks everyone...

[Romona]

There are quite a few people here that have. If I can find the posts I'll let you know.

[Romona]

http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=690.0
If you do a search on parathyroids there are quite a few matches. Good Luck to you!

[goofynina]

I personally have not had it dont (yet)    But for the ones that have and i have seen there scars and it isnt bad, just a little 2 or 3 inch scar across the bottom of their neck.   They all seemed to recover somewhat quick, i know our very own Kitkatz had hers done not that long ago too, and she is doing good   Hope you find the answers you are looking for my friend, good luck and keep us posted 

[tamara]

Neo,

Was in hospital for about three days, the tape over my scar hurt more than the wound ! So wasn't really much pain really.Scar is relatively tiny compared to all the other scars of a renal patient.

[angela515]

I had mine done, and today the scar is hardly visible. Just the normal about of pain you would expect to have from a surgery, you can still drink and eat (which I didn't know you could or think you could when I knew they sliced your neck, lol)... healed pretty fast, and mine was cut open twice due to a thyroid issue and them needing to take 1 more para out.

Good luck.

 

[Rerun]

Have you tried the drug Sensapar?  My PTH was high and that drug brought it right down.  It basically shuts off the Parathyroids.

[Psim]

I had one parathyroid glad removed nearly a year ago. I was in hospital overnight. The surgery itself was very easy -- took a couple of days to recover from the anesthesia. The incision didn't hurt much -- my scar is only about 2 inches long. The day after surgery I felt very stoned! My neph said it was because my calcium blood levels had been so high for so long, I had gotten used to it and the sudden decrease was disorienting.

The one odd thing that happened to me was that my kidney function dropped 10% right after surgery. No one knows why. I am pre-dialysis, and I really would have liked to hang onto that 10% a little longer (I had primary hyperparathyroidism -- it caused my renal failure, not the other way around). I searched the web for loss of kidney function after parathyroid surgery though, and found nothing. So maybe losing the function right then was just a co-incidence.

In any case, I have nothing bad to say about the operation. And it can help with depression as well as your bones. Just make sure your surgeon has done it before (like a hundred times!) cause it is tricky (it's right around your vocal chords), and you really want someone who knows what they're doing. Best of luck!

[Krisna]

Hi Neo I'm Krisna,

I had my PTH removed in March 1988 when I was 16.  They became overactive as a result of taking med for my first transplant which I received in Feb. 1980.  The surgeon then cut one up and attached clips to the pieces and put them in my left arm.  So, I still have PTH hormone just not as much.  It did take a while for them to kick in again once they were taken out and replaced. 

But I recovered quickly from the surgery and the scar on my neck is barely visible. 

P.S.  I would do more research and maybe get another opinion on it because I can't imagine not having a little bit of one in me to help regulate Calcium.  I mean, I still have problems with it but that's all dialysis related.  Talk to more doctors and also more patients!

[highlite36]

Neo-

It was good to get my pth out.  Surgery wasn't bad.  The worst part was just dealing with the hypocalcemia that came afterward.  Your body just becomes calcium hungry and if you don't get enough, you start getting side symptoms.  Numbness is usually the first sign of hypocalcemia.  But once that's in order, everything else just falls into place.  Good luck with this decision!

[thegrammalady]

P.S.  I would do more research and maybe get another opinion on it because I can't imagine not having a little bit of one in me to help regulate Calcium.  I mean, I still have problems with it but that's all dialysis related.  Talk to more doctors and also more patients!

they never take all 4 out, they always leave at least 1/4 of one someplace. the parathyroids sit at each "corner" of the thyroid, however they are not anchored to anything so sometimes they float away and the doctor has to go hunting for them for removal. the surgery isn't a difficult one. the scar is usually small and hardly no t. if you didn't know what to look for you probably wouldn't even see mine.

[Krisna]

Yeah, they left part of one in me and I still had the hypocalcemia for almost a year.  I had twitching, seizures and some other symptoms I can't recall right now!  But those only lasted for a little while when it would get too low but that because my mom would never take in when I needed to go.  But now as long as I take my Calcium supplements, I'm fine!