Calcium level in your labs

We all know we need to take calcium, right?  And when we get labs done, one of the things they check is the calcium level in our blood.  What we need to understand, though, is that the calcium level in our blood really tells us very little about our calcium intake/absorption.

See, if the calcium level in our blood drops too low, our muscles cannot contract.  The heart is a muscle and if it cannot contract, as in beat, we drop dead.  So if we don't take in enough calcium or don't absorb the calcium we take in for some reason (like if our vitamin D level is too low), our bodies produce extra parathyroid hormone, which sucks calcium out of our bones to keep that level in our blood good.  As long as you have bones and teeth to suck calcium out of, that calcium level in your blood will likely be OK. 

If it drops low, it may mean you have problems with your endocrine system or other potentially serious health problems, but it doesn't mean you aren't getting enough calcium.

For lab results that tell you about calcium, what you want to know is your D level and PTH.  If the D is below 80, that means you won't absorb calcium well, no matter how much you take. Doesn't mean you won't absorb any, you will.  But maybe not enough and you will be at increased risk for osteoporosis as well as other unpleasant things.

If the PTH is on the high side (even in the normal range, just on the high side), it suggests you are indeed leaching calcium out of your bones.

Some surgeons do not routinely order a PTH when they order labs.  If yours doesn't, ask for it.

At one year out, you should get a bone density scan to see the true state of your bones.  However, you don’t want to wait ‘til then to at least try to get enough calcium and keep your vitamin D level above 80.  If you get a bone density scan and find out you’ve suffered bone loss, you’re already in trouble.