Endocrinology-Diabetes | Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Questions

Possible parathyroid tumor or myeloma?

I recently figured out a way to get on my patient portals. The last time I had labs done the nurse practitioner left me a message to stop taking my calcium supplements and I messaged her back that I don't take any and never heard reply. So I started getting copies of all of my labs and looking over the history of other tests I have had. My GERD is so severe that when I had a barium X-ray and they laid me flat the barium came out of my nostrils. So I am supposed to be scheduling Nissen surgery after 29 years of severe GERD. As part of the studies they want to do, one of them is an acid test, and once they place that staple I cannot have an MRI for at least 30 days. But when I looked at my labs from my endocrinologist, my family doctor, and several emergency room visits, my calcium has been high for some time, my vitamin D has been low, my albumin has been high, and my protein has been high. When I brought this to the attention of my family doctor he ordered me a scan of my neck. With all the other health problems I have been having I did not mention that for the past month and a half I have been unable to sleep on my side of the bed, and my husband and I have been married for 20 years. I have hip pain so bad that I cannot sleep on my left hip or I cannot walk. I am unable to sit or stand or walk for very long during the day because the pain has gotten so bad. I'm pretty sure they're doing a scan of my neck to look for a parathyroid tumor and it may not be a good idea to have Nissen surgery right now. But I think those blood levels and my hip pain could also be suggestive of bone density loss or even myeloma. I don't know if I should forgo the acid test for now in case someone is going to want to do magnetic imaging of my hip. I haven't seen my endocrinologist for 3 years because she always has her patients see her nurse practitioner. She doesn't have an appointment available for 6 months and I am going to lose my Medicaid insurance March 1st due to the end of the PHE. I really have no one to talk about these medical problems with, and no one to advise me where to go from here. All of these specialists have their own thing they are focusing on, as if I am a body part, but I am trying to look at the whole picture. I don't really know what my question is except maybe what should I be concerned about and what should I do from here?

Female | 50 years old
Complaint duration: Hard to say
Medications: Lopid, Tirosint, omeprazole, Zegerid OTC, lamictal, prazocin, mirtazapine, buspar, propanolol, welbutrin xl, xanax, emgality pen
Conditions: Low Thyroid, Fatty Liver, High triglycerides(side effect of seroquel), severe GERD, IBS, migraines, kidney stones/lithotripsy 3-4X per year

1 Answer

Hello,

I am sorry that you are going through this.
The first step in the evaluation of the cause of high calcium will be some special blood and urine tests. This will help in differentiating whether the problem is parathyroid or something else (eg. malignancy). With how severe your GERD is, I think it will be a good idea to get the acid test done, so you are prepared for surgery. In the meantime, you can have the rest of the labs for your calcium issue. I also think that you should atleast have an X-ray of your hip.
The above advice is strictly based on the history that you presented. With the lack of physical exam and old records, I am unable to tell for sure that this will be the best course of action.
I would love to see you in the office. Please call (512) 387-4224 or visit our website to make an appointment.
https://bluebonnetendocrinology.com/

BR
Dr. Lalani