Question:
What does it mean to have an elevated Parathtroid hormone?

My calcium level is normal, but my phosphorus is high. My Endocrinolgist prescibed Vitamin D 50000IU. She said that it would help with calcium absorbtion. Has anyone had this problem post op? I am 2 1/2 years post op. Thanks for your replies.    — Allison M. (posted on October 10, 2004)

October 10, 2004
Only about 95% of us have this problem. What has your calcium regimen been? How high is high? A very, very amatuer explanation of PTH would be that it's a pair of glands that live next door to the thyroid. They are all regulators of something. PTH decides who gets any incoming calcium, bones or blood/organs/muscles (soft tissue). If there is plenty of usable calcium coming in and the PTH is working right, everybody gets a fair share. Sometimes the PTH is actually broken, but that's not usually the case with WLS people. In our case, there is not enough usable calcium coming in to support BOTH bone and soft tissue. The PTH prioritizes soft tissue first, so will work over time (high PTH levels) to pull calcium from the bones to support soft tissue. We chronically do not get enough calcium or usable calcium, and so elevated PTH is rampant. This test was always out there, but was not performed on US until recent years. Now it is a recommended test and it's just part of the usual blood draw.
   — vitalady

October 10, 2004
I am almost a year post op and my last set of blood work reveal that my parathyroid level was double what it should be. My calcium is normal so my pcp isnt doing anything at all about it but watching it for now. I did read somewhere online when I tried to research it that it does somehow or can have something to do with kidney stones which I have just experienced a month ago. I guess I really dont have any answers just wanted you to know that Im puzzled by this also.
   — JennA