Look – parathyroid glands
Friends, do you feel tired all the time, and is your body stiff and achy? Do parts of you sometimes get numb? Are you lethargic? Do you get lots of headaches, and have trouble sleeping? Do you find yourself forgetting things, and is it hard to concentrate? Have you noticed that life doesn’t seem such fun any more, and that you don’t look forward to doing things you usually enjoy? Do you feel anxious, or even paranoid, a lot of the time? Do the people closest to you say you’ve got a lot more grumpy and irritable lately? Have you started suffering from indigestion, when you never used to? Do you sometimes find it difficult to talk, because your tongue won’t form the syllables properly? Has your gag reflex got more sensitive? Have you got a persistent cough? Does your voice get so hoarse that you can’t sing the Tom Petty songs you’ve rehearsed with your band in San Antonio TX? (Oh, perhaps that’s just me.) Is your hair getting thinner on top? (Sorry, chaps – that one’s only for women.)
Then go along and ask your GP to test your calcium levels.
Here’s the science bit. We all have four parathyroid glands – they sit on the thyroid gland in our necks, and their job is to regulate the amount of calcium in our bodies through the production of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Normally they’re each the size of a grain of rice – but occasionally one will become tumorous, and go rogue. Far too much PTH is then produced, so that the other three glands shut down, and your calcium levels go haywire. Your body starts to leach calcium from your bones, in order to remedy what it thinks is a calcium deficiency. Not everyone who gets this has ALL the symptoms above; what they all do have is osteoporosis, but they won’t know they have, until they fall over and break something important. Even if they’re lucky and don’t fall over, they’re at risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and kidney disease. The condition just wears your body down. It shortens your life.
What’s it called? Hyperparathyroidism
What’s the treatment? Surgical removal of the affected gland.
Is it a serious operation? Nope. Takes about 15 minutes and you can go home the same day.
Does it work? Yes, and you start feeling better almost straight away. The dormant glands wake up and start working properly.
I had the operation yesterday, and though I have a headache and my throat is very swollen, I already feel much better. In fact I have No Reason To Cry. And I’m eating lots of ice cream.
I suffer from most of those symptoms but I suspect in my case that’s just life (and the effects of chronic insomnia, hypochondria, general neurosis…). Poor you! But well done for getting it sorted and hurrah that the treatment has had such an immediate beneficial effect!
The thing is, bish, that most people haven’t heard of this and a GP may not pick it up – mine certainly didn’t when I first went to her saying I felt awful. It was only by accident I found out I had it. So having a test is worth a try.
My GP certainly wouldn’t. When I went to her several years ago with a kidney problem (my ‘diagnosis’), she claimed there was nothing wrong with my kidney, told me I had bad posture (I don’t) and advised Pilates.
Six months of chronic pain later (not remotely relieved by Pilates), I finally managed to convince her to send me for an ultrasound, which showed up… a kidney problem.
The ultrasound operator asked how long I had been experiencing the pain. When I told her that it had been about 18 months by that point, she said, “Blimey, you must have a very high pain threshold. Kidney pain is second only to the pain of childbirth.” To which I think I replied, “I don’t think I have got a particularly high pain threshold – I’ve been in a LOT of pain!”
But in this case, I imagine my symptoms really are just life/stress-related. I tend to feel wonderful when I’m on holiday/have nothing to worry about!
Ha – it was an ultrasound for something completely different that revealed my rogue parathyroid gland – so, snap!
Aww. Get better soon tfd.
I had some blood tests done a few months back, as I had quite a few of those symptoms, and had drastic unexplained weight loss even tho I was shovelling food down me neck all day, as I was constantly starving. Doc couldn’t work it out and put me on mood stablisers which seemed to work, but I’ve stopped em now, only coz I couldn’t be arsed going back for another script. I know that was silly but I’ve not had any adverse effects. I’m ok now, weight increased a bit and my moods are back to normal, ie. swinging from one extreme to the other ha ha! so don’t know what it was. Someone mentioned hyperthyroidwotsit, but coz I feel ok now, I don’t know if it was. Can it come and go?
Very possibly…was one of the blood tests for calcium, though? If not, it might be a good idea to have it done.
I don’t know if they did one for calcium. I know they took a bucket load out – 3 big syringes worth. Mark came with me, and he nearly fainted – soft sod. I will keep an eye on things tho, coz like you say, Docs can miss stuff. I’ve had mis-diagnosed stuff happen before – one in particular could have been fatal, but was spotted just in time by total fluke. Don’t trusts medics me.
Glad you feeling better so quickly anyway. Good to know these things do work.
I’m so glad you’ve had the op and I hope everything continues to improve. Good to head up the symptoms.
When I had my tonsils out c.1965 they promised me ice cream but I got fish fingers. C’est la vie.
Shall expect a podcast of you singing your socks off, very shortly!
They weren’t very forward with the ice cream in 1953 either…
You went to the wrong hospitals. I had my tonsils out in 1964, the same year as Ringo had his done, and the ice cream flowed like ice cream.
Glad the op went well tfd and hope you are fully recovered soonest.
Hope you are soon right as rain.
More effort by the NHS on GP diagnosis skills would probably be the single most effective investment they could make. My father in law was given Gaviscon for his throat cancer by his GP and died not long after. My GP gave me skin cream for my skin cancer, and only very reluctantly referred me to a clinic when I turned up in the surgery armed with photos off the Internet that were a carbon copy of what I had. My partner fought for years to get her version of tired all the time diagnosed – eventually found to be Sjogrens Syndrome.
So, rant over, and delighted you’ve got your diagnosis and treatment at last. And can really have a Happy New Year!
Thanks, ghe…goodness, that Sjögren’s Syndrome sounds horrible. And those are dreadful examples of misdiagnosis. (To be fair, the G in GP stands for ‘General’)
I was really trying to cheer everybody up. But that never works.
Don’t you worry, tfd – being given an opportunity to compare medical horror stories always cheers me up! And it is indeed very heartening to hear how successful your treatment has been. Now get that Ben & Jerry’s down ya!
Ooh, thanks for the reminder
*goes back to fridge*
I agree about the ‘G’ – which is why it is so important they refer folk for tests etc when not sure. My GP seems to regard it as his mission in life save the NHS money by never, ever, referring people for tests if he can possibly avoid it! So God help us now that GPs are taking over the NHS!
Sorry to be a misery guts! **puts on Top Petty record and smiles**
Get well soon TFD!
(I’m thinking of a good Tom Petty lyric to use as words of encouragement and I’m coming up blank. Help me out, Spillers!)
I rather thought I’d done that already, SHA, with No Reason To Cry…
@ TFD, Re: No Reason To Cry – I had saw that, I was trying to think of others that I could work nonchalantly into a sentence.
In case some of you haven’t had time to listen, this song marries one of TP’s most beautiful lyrics with one of his most beautiful tunes:
Overcome me, bitter-sweetness
Put me under magic spell
Overcome me, all my sadness
Lead me on and wish me well
There’s no reason to cry…
It’s all right
And it has slide guitar too!
Nice. I’m at work right now (Shhhh!) and access to YouTube, Myspace, Facebook and other sites is blocked. Will check it out later.
I have Sjogren’s. The single most effective treatment by miles (and I’m still on it 10 years later) has been the 1000mg of flaxseed oil I take daily in gelcap form.
My commiserations with your partner. And indeed everyone who is suffering health problems.
Sorry to hear you have it too, SR. And I don’t suppose the flaxseed oil is any thanks to the NHS. My partner (glasshalffull, thank goodness) swears by the anti malarial Plaquenil.
I’ve just been started on anti-malarials and am hopeful (hadn’t seen a rheumatologist for several years which is why). My ophthalmologist put me on the flaxseed pronto at diagnosis and have gone from severe dry eyes to normal. My treatment has not been good on the whole as I’ve reacted to most everything they’ve tried. Best wishes to GHF.
So glad it’s done and over with TFD! Tra la! Hope the throat symptoms settle down quickly and you are full of the joys of spring well before the first crocuses and daffs appear.
x
Glad to hear you’re on the mend tfd!
Goodness, reading the above comments makes me glad I live in Germany (for a change)! We rarely go to the GP unless we need a sick note for work…there are specialist doctors all over the place, and in most cases you don’t even need a referral…
Really hope this surgery has sorted your problems, tfd!
I sympathise with you all, having a son with chronic illness and an ex husband with goodness knows what, I am really up to HERE with doctors and nurses but I did think of “Three men in a Boat” and the Housemaid’s Knee extract … http://www.classicbookshelf.com/library/jerome_k_jerome/three_men_in_a_boat/0/
Ha! I would never keep one of those medical dictionary thingies in the house, for that very reason – I would always think I had all the diseases. Now, of course, we have Google, so we don’t need them. I did in fact watch the same operation I’ve just had on YouTube once. But I rather wish I hadn’t.
I very stupidly watched a Caesarian on TV, having had one unexpectedly. Now I know why I didn’t feel very good afterwards!!
wishing you a speedy return to health! I’ve just got a broken thyroid, at least it’s easy to treat, hope you’re soon full of energy and ice cream
Broken thyroid? Eek! What did you do to break it?
Time for more ibuprofen and chewable calcium, and then to devise a strategy that will let me stay up till at least, ooh, 10.04…Ice cream may be needed.
was born into the wrong family I think, seems to be a genetic thing. Never mind, worse things happen at sea.
So glad you’re on the road to recovery. Very saddening to read of the problems of others.
Watched my mother have the life removed from her by MS over 22 gruelling years. Doctors missed its onset and mis-diagnosed her for 30 months – blaming overwork and stress, although she guessed correctly after 12. Doctors often miss the obvious stuff they should recognise straight away due to daft prejudices. So, it pays to be vigilant.
The godfather of my daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumour last month. The first doctor he saw told him to “stop playing video games and get some proper exercise”. Yes he’s an overweight, though loveable slob, but he was suffering from memory loss, temporary blindness, crippling headaches… At Ms Fuel’s insistance he went to an optician, who checked the pressure behind his eyes and immediately sent him to the hospital for a brain scan. He goes into hospital this week to have the tumour operated on/removed. He’s not yet twenty. Apparently, the signs are that he’ll make a full recovery, but there’s a 1 in 8 chance of it being worse than it appears.
Look after yourselves and like ghe and wilemena don’t passively accept what those docs tell you.
Good to hear you’re on the uppers!
Hi tfd, so sorry to hear you’ve not been well, but very glad to hear that the op provides a real remedy and that you’re on the road to recovery. It’s really interesting to read about the condition – I haven’t heard about it before, but will bear it in mind for friends and family,
It seems that autoimmune disease must be more common than I thought judging by the replies you’ve received above! I was diagnosed with lupus sle after 30 years of asking GPs what was wrong with me, and have most of the symptoms you describe (had to resist a moment’s hypochondria there) and raynaud’s and sjogren’s syndromes. Fortunately (in the circumstances) I have never been good at sport, so no change there, and am more inclined to thinking than acting so can cope with (ok, enjoy) being a couch potato when necessary.
And hi SpottedRichard and glassarfemptee- I was really interested to read your comments about the flaxseed oil. I am tolerably managing the dry eyes, but recently have dry mouth too, which I’m finding grim – do you know whether it works for that too? I guess I’ve been very bad in a previous, or maybe it’s my own fault for dropping out of the rheumatologist’s line of sight and giving up the plaquenil et al because of the side effects. Anyway, I will be off to the pharmacy tomorrow to give it a whirl!
Sorry, it’s amnesiac here, but am having trouble with my settings here and on the grauniad, aggravated by not being able to remember a password….
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They have hats all over the walls, and you can wear one while you’re there if you like.