(no subject)
doctor again today. more blood and tests.
this is what my mom thinks i have:
Hyperparathyroidism
A person with hyperparathyroidism may have severe symptoms, subtle ones,
or none at all. Increasingly, routine blood tests that screen for a wide
range of conditions including high calcium levels are alerting doctors
to people who, though symptom-free, have mild forms of the disorder.
When symptoms do appear, they are often mild and nonspecific, such as a
feeling of weakness and fatigue, depression, or aches and pains. With
more severe disease, a person may have a loss of appetite, nausea,
vomiting, constipation, confusion or impaired thinking and memory, and
increased thirst and urination. Patients may have thinning of the bones
without symptoms, but with risk of fractures. Increased calcium and
phosphorous excretion in the urine may cause kidney stones. Patients
with hyperparathyroidism may be more likely to develop peptic ulcers,
high blood pressure, and pancreatitis.
How Is Hyperparathyroidism Treated?
Surgery to remove the enlarged gland (or glands) is the only treatment for the disorder and cures it in 95 percent of cases. However, some patients who have mild disease may not need immediate treatment, according to a panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health in 1990. Patients who are symptom-free, whose blood calcium is only slightly elevated, and whose kidneys and bones are normal, may wish to talk to their doctor about long-term monitoring. In the panel's recommendation, monitoring would consist of clinical evaluation and measurement of calcium levels and kidney function every 6 months, annual abdominal x-ray, and bone mass measurement after 1 to 2 years. If the disease shows no signs of worsening after 1 to 3 years, the interval between exams may be lengthened. If the patient and doctor choose long-term followup, the patient should try to drink lots of water, get plenty of exercise, and avoid certain diuretics, such as the thiazides. Immobilization and gastrointestinal illness with vomiting or diarrhea can cause calcium levels to rise, and if these conditions develop, patients with hyperparathyroidism should seek medical attention.
this is what my mom thinks i have:
Hyperparathyroidism
A person with hyperparathyroidism may have severe symptoms, subtle ones,
or none at all. Increasingly, routine blood tests that screen for a wide
range of conditions including high calcium levels are alerting doctors
to people who, though symptom-free, have mild forms of the disorder.
When symptoms do appear, they are often mild and nonspecific, such as a
feeling of weakness and fatigue, depression, or aches and pains. With
more severe disease, a person may have a loss of appetite, nausea,
vomiting, constipation, confusion or impaired thinking and memory, and
increased thirst and urination. Patients may have thinning of the bones
without symptoms, but with risk of fractures. Increased calcium and
phosphorous excretion in the urine may cause kidney stones. Patients
with hyperparathyroidism may be more likely to develop peptic ulcers,
high blood pressure, and pancreatitis.
How Is Hyperparathyroidism Treated?
Surgery to remove the enlarged gland (or glands) is the only treatment for the disorder and cures it in 95 percent of cases. However, some patients who have mild disease may not need immediate treatment, according to a panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health in 1990. Patients who are symptom-free, whose blood calcium is only slightly elevated, and whose kidneys and bones are normal, may wish to talk to their doctor about long-term monitoring. In the panel's recommendation, monitoring would consist of clinical evaluation and measurement of calcium levels and kidney function every 6 months, annual abdominal x-ray, and bone mass measurement after 1 to 2 years. If the disease shows no signs of worsening after 1 to 3 years, the interval between exams may be lengthened. If the patient and doctor choose long-term followup, the patient should try to drink lots of water, get plenty of exercise, and avoid certain diuretics, such as the thiazides. Immobilization and gastrointestinal illness with vomiting or diarrhea can cause calcium levels to rise, and if these conditions develop, patients with hyperparathyroidism should seek medical attention.