PTH Questions

[goofynina]

Here is to a speeeedy recovery my friend    We'll be thinking of ya 

[angela515]

Good luck. 

[Romona]

Hope all goes well!

[okarol]

Best wishes MattyBoy 

[Joe Paul]

Hoping for a quick & successful recovery 

[RichardMEL]

hmm well my PTH is rising and the powers that be (the bean counters, not my doc) aparently won't authorise sensipar for me because I'm not a patient that cannot be operated on.

Anyway I have also heard that taking fish oil capsules can help with lowering PTH levels (and also creat) it also lowers blood pressure a little. One of my dialysis nurses told me one patient halved his PTH JUST by taking fish oil....

Anyone have comments on this?

[Razman]

I have been taking  OMEGA 3 Fatty  Acid Supplements  for  about  4 years now.  Some of the Brand Names are GNC: Salmon Oil , Jamieson Salmon Oil or Maxepa ( the brand used in the study ) which is available through a company called Nutrition World Mail Order .  1-800-493-2328 .
Studies have shown that by taking Omega 3 fatty acids you may slow the progression of  IgA Nephropathy.    I know a person with a creatine level of  86 and his doctor has him taking  12 pills a day.    I only take  6  but  I figured that it won't do any harm and I would rather try it than look back and wish I had.

[lruffner]

ok, I just had my PTH test done and my numbers don't even come close to anyone's on here. Can someone help decipher it? They said the normal PTH level should be 65 and mine was 68. How bad is that in comparison with anyone else's?

[Zach]

Anyway I have also heard that taking fish oil capsules can help with lowering PTH levels (and also creat) it also lowers blood pressure a little. One of my dialysis nurses told me one patient halved his PTH JUST by taking fish oil....

Anyone have comments on this?

I think that's a load of hooy with regards to PTH.

I've been taking 1400 mg of Omega-3 daily for several years and it has not brought my PTH down.

Only adding Sensipar with my usual Zemplar IV did the PTH come down.  But I also need to make sure the PTH doesn't go too low, so I don't develop Adynamic Bone Disease.

PTH target range: 150 to 300 pg/mL

http://www.kidney.org/Professionals/Kdoqi/guidelines_bone/Guide13C.htm

Always stay vigilant.
 

[monrein]

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fish-oil/NS_patient-fishoil

Here is the Mayo Clinic's grading of various health claims made for fish oil.  I've been taking it for years but it is important to be sure that you are taking a GOOD quality fish oil from non-polluted sources.  They are not all created equal.

[Zach]

Solgar is an excellent source of nutritional products.

http://www.solgar.com/

 

[BigSky]

Fish oil does have some benefits but one might double check with their doctor on fish oil as it is said to increase the risk for bleeding.

[monrein]

Fish oil does have some benefits but one might double check with their doctor on fish oil as it is said to increase the risk for bleeding.

I would always check with my doctor before adding any medication or supplement to my regimen.  That's always good advice in my opinion.  I told the surgeon that I was taking fish oil prior to my fistula surgery and my permacath insertion and before my renal artery angiogram due to the purported risk of bleeding.  I was very surprised that all three times they said no matter so I just worried.  Everything was fine however, no prolonged bleeding and post dialysis I seem to clot pretty quickly.

Everyone is different however and I think it is wise to always make sure any doctor you deal with knows all the meds we take.  I make sure they have it in writing and I also make sure to go over it verbally with them whenever possible.

[RichardMEL]

I only took fish oil for a bit in the end - my blood pressure went way low and I found that was interfering with my dialysis (and it concerned me it was heading under 100 and the fish oil was the only thing that changed). As I finally got onto sensipar which did wonders for my PTH and got my calcium into the normal range for the first time in like forever (or maybe that's the renegal?!) that I have been happy without the fish oil - though I did give it a go. My PTH went down from 60 or so to a low of 21, then it has gone up a bit to 44... we're keeping an eye on it.

[Erin8607]

My PTH level ran over 3,000 for quite awhile. I had my parathyroid taken out in 2007, they removed all of it, sometimes they will stick part in your arm so you maintain a low level PTH but I guess my doctor didn't want to put anything in my arm because of my access troubles. The surgery was not the easiest I've ever had done, but not the most difficult either. I have about an 8" slice around my neck, which I hear is pretty unusual for the surgery. Usually its only 1-3" but my surgeon had a difficult time finding part of my parathyroid.

[M3Riddler]

My questions concern the effects of Kidney failure, IE; PTH levels.

1. Do all people who's kidneys fail, have high PTH's as well as the other effects of a high PTH's?

2. Does everyone get calcification of the bones and organs.

3. Does it always progress to the point of having to be in a wheelchair at some point, if you have it for a long enough time?

4. Knowing that everyone is different, how long does it take for the calcium to be drawn out of the bones to form calcium deposits, bone loss, etc...?

Recently I began having more symptoms of ESRD such as a high PTH, high Phosphors level etc... and my understanding is that the side effects are not preventable, that we are only capable of slowing the process down.

5.Do I understand this correctly?

I have been told that we are looking for me to start dialysis after I have my gallbladder taken out (scheduled for July 7).  My Neph. and the DaVita center that she works with is working on getting the NxStage machine as well as getting me set up for Home Nocturnal Dialysis.  Those are the choices I made after researching the web and forums like this one.  Because NxStage isn't usually used for Nocturnal Dialysis, I may have to chose one or the other, but am crossing my fingers that I can get approved to get both.

I appreciate any feed back in reference to the above questions and any other info anyone wants to share regarding the subjects I have mentioned.

wreepete

Wreepete,

Did you ever get setup with NxStage?   I know DaVita will not allow nocturnal with NxStage. You are lucky if you can go extended.  All it takes is your nephrologist to write for it, but for some reasons, the docs are afraid of the mighty DaVita Admins!!!!   Longer Dialyis is Better!!!!!