Question:
IF YOU HAVE NO THYROID GLAND, BE WARNED...

Make sure you DO still have your parathyroid glands and that they ARE functioning. If you do, you shouldn't have any problems. However, if you don't, and you are considering having a distal gastric bypass with a bileopancreatic diversion, please note...my primary physician and my endocrinologist have both warned that such drastic surgery will make the calcium malabsorption problem much worse, to the point of being a lifelong danger. When I first began thinking about it, there were no cases like mine, according to my surgeon. The three doctors did research on their own and added their expert knowledge and came to this conclusion. We must have calcium in our bloodstream in order for our muscles to work properly---and that includes our heart! Without parathyroid function, one must take massive doses of calcium carbonate daily just to stay alive. Don't make it worse!    — Silver N. (posted on September 10, 1999)

December 27, 2002
I had my thyroid removed two weeks ago and I ended up in the ER room for calicum level very very low, my fingers cramped shut tight, it was horrifying, but now I have to take these pills Vitamin d3 and some other stuff there that will absorb my calcium, be aware !
   — Nilda G.

December 27, 2002
Calcium supplements are important for most types of gastric bypass patients. If you're an RNY gastric bypass patient with parathyroid problems (I am), I'd strongly suggest taking massive doses of calcium citrate rather than calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate is more easily absorbed by many people (including some who never had gastric bypass surgery). With the RNY, your calcium supplements don't spend the same "quality time" with stomach acid as they did pre-op, and you really need stomach acid to maximize absorption of calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate is more easily absorbed, so it doesn't need as much stomach acid time to be absorbed by your system. I don't know if the distinction is as important for duodenal switch or bileopancreatic diversion patients, or if it's important at all for gastric banding folks. One good thing to know about parathyroid glands is that, if you lose one or more of them, the others (we typically have four of them) may well learn to pick up the slack.
   — Suzy C.