I'm not sure what primary hyperparathyroidism is, but I assume the parathyroid is overactive. My husband had a severely overactive thyroid. That's probably different, though. He had most of his thyroid removed in his twenties, and took Armour desiccated thyroid for the rest of his life to make up the difference.

This might not be much help, but at least it'll bump the thread. :-)

My DH had what they call Graves Disease (hyperthyroidism) when he was 17 back in 1969 and they removed it. They didn't put him on synthetic thyroid hormones until he was in his 30's and had developed hypothyroidism. He has had all kinds of health problems because of it. I don't know how they treat it today. You might want to look it up on WebMD.

The parathyroid is different from the normal thyroid. Do you have an elevated calcium level? That's usually the telling symptom of possible problems with the parathyroid. The parathyroid tumor should always be removed because the elevated levels can cause serious health problems. It's about a 30 minutes or so procedure. I would recommend reading at parathyroid.com Get a sspecialist in the parathyroid field!

Caflowerluver, did he get the radioactive iodine treatment for his Graves? If so has he had his parathyroid monitored and his calcium levels checked carefully? Because it is quite frequent that a parathyroid tumor will form years after a radioactive iodine treatment was used on the thyroid. They are right next to the thyroid and share the same blood supply. It could contribute to his ill health. The link I provided above is a good place to find information including symptoms.

I found this article interesting when I read it recently: http://www.msn.com/en-in/health/nutrition/the-best-and-worst-foods-for-your-thyroid/ar-AAhNi6p

It may not apply to primary hyperparathyroidism, but then again, it might!

The parathyroid glands (there are usually four) are not part of or related to the thyroid gland. They are both endocrine glands, and the parathyroids are located on the back side of the thyroid gland, but that's the extent of any "relationship."

Raven, I've already read the parathyroid.com pages, and while they contain an awful lot of good information, I am bothered by their claims that they only way you can be certain that you're going to have a good outcome from surgery is to go to their clinic in Tampa. (In other words, I know that you don't have to travel to Rome to get a good Italian meal, and you don't have to go to Tampa to have a successful parathyroidectomy.)

It's also interesting that when reading allegedly unsolicited testimonials from patients, so many of them use the phrase "well-oiled machine." ("The Norman Parathyroid Center is a well-oiled machine, led by Dr. James Norman." "The Norman Parathyroid Center is a well-oiled machine who specialize in parathyroidectomy only..." "It is a 'well-oiled machine' very organized and professional." "The whole experience was a well oiled machine." Those are actual, word-for-word quotes.)

There is no doubt in my mind that I have primary hyperparathyroidism. My serum calcium levels are above normal, my parathyroid hormone level is above normal (and is higher on each subsequent test after the first), my Vitamin D level is low (but rising since I have been taking Vitamin D3 supplements), and I have at least 13 of the 21 symptoms listed on the parathyroid.com web site. I'll be seeing my primary care physician next week, but my insurance doesn't require a referral to go to a specialist.

That brings up another thing about the Norman Parathyroid Center (NPC) in Tampa -- their "consultation fee." They will bill your insurance company/companies, but they charge a "telephone consultation fee" that is not billable to your insurance. If you live in Florida, the fee is $750. If you live anywhere outside of Florida, the fee is $1,750. There is no logical reason to charge an additional $1,000 for the exact same telephone consultation just because a potential patient lives outside of the Florida state line. Also, other just-as-qualified surgeons don't charge a consultation fee -- they accept what the insurance pays, and the consultation is part of good medical care. I have original Medicare (parts A & B) and a Blue Cross PPO Medicare Supplement policy. Blue Cross pays any and all Medicare deductibles as well as the balance of the fee that Medicare doesn't pay. In other words, my medical expenses are zero. Medicare covers anywhere/everywhere in the USA, and our Blue Cross policy covers anywhere/everywhere in the world. (And if I am out of the USA, the Blue Cross policy functions as a "basic" plan -- covering the whole kit and caboodle as if I am not even old enough for Medicare.) The NPC says that the fee covers "chart prep, data entry, chart review, and phone consultation fee." They say that if a patient doesn't have insurance, or is from another country, the patient must pay cash. The fee is $11,920 and covers "the consultation fee, chart prep, surgeon fee, anesthesia, anesthesiologist, x-ray, hospital, laboratory, operating room, operating room team, and recovery room. Everything except travel and hotel. This is cheap! Remember, this is not $11,920 for the surgeons... this is for everything, and this is about half of what this operation will cost you at any other hospital in the US. There are no other hidden fees! There are no other surprises. If you have had a previous parathyroid operation and were not cured and you have zero insurance, the cost is $13,020." "About half of what this operation will cost you at any other hospital in the US." Really? The cash price for the exact same minimally invasive surgery at UCLA is $11,573 and you don't have to pay the "telephone consultation fee."

Anyway.... I originally posted because I'd like to hear from folks who have had the surgery, to find out how long it took them to start feeling better after the surgery, when their calcium, PTH, and Vitamin D levels got back to normal.

Ravencajun - he never had the radioactive iodine treatment. I think his health problems stem from going without hormone supplements for almost twenty years.

"f you live in Florida, the fee is $750. If you live anywhere outside of Florida, the fee is $1,750. There is no logical reason to charge an additional $1,000 for the exact same telephone consultation just because a potential patient lives outside of the Florida state line. "

More then likely the difference in cost is because someone living in Florida would be quicker to visit Dr. Norman's clinic then someone who lives out of state.

It is my understanding that Dr. Jim Norman is the man who developed the micro surgery for removal of the parathyroid gland. He cut down a lengthy surgery to a fast one with a quick recovery.

Did the cost you quoted for UCLA include hospital and lab costs?

Can you find a doctor in your area who was trained by Dr. Norman?

Dr. Norman has a very good reputation here in Tampa if that helps you at all.

Lindsey, those "well-oiled machine" quotes would put me off big time! And make me wonder why no one in charge realized how phony that looks.

Maddielee, yes, the UCLA cost includes the charges for the hospital, doctors, anesthesiology, radiology, lab tests, etc.

No, I don't think a surgeon needs to be trained by Dr. Norman to be good. Sticking with the UCLA connection, take a look at Dr. Michael Yeh, Dr. Avital Harari, and Dr. Masha Livhits. Read all of the "tabs" on their pages.

I'm not saying that Dr. Norman isn't good, or that he doesn't have a good reputation. But I don't like the attitude expressed on his web site that you can't find a good surgeon other than at his clinic. And just because someone developed a new procedure, or a new way of doing an old procedure, doesn't mean that they are the only one who can do it properly. The way his web site is written, it makes people feel that if they don't go to Tampa, they don't value their own life. Not a good way to make people feel.

In response to my comments about the extra $1,000 charged to folks outside of Florida for the telephone consultation, you said, "More then likely the difference in cost is because someone living in Florida would be quicker to visit Dr. Norman's clinic then someone who lives out of state." Again, I say that it shouldn't make any difference whatsoever whether the potential patient lives across the street from the NPC or in Alaska. The doctors at the NPC spend the same amount of time on the telephone conference, the same amount of time on "chart prep, data entry, and chart review." I'm willing to ponder any reasonable explanation as to why a non-Florida resident should have to pay more, but I haven't seen any so far.

Oh, Dr. Norman claims that his NPC is the best because "The Norman Parathyroid Center performs parathyroid operations exclusively--an average of 15 parathyroid surgeries per day (average 68 per week)--far more than any other surgeon, hospital, or clinic in the world ..." There are seven surgeons at the NPC, and from what I've read on the NPC site, there are at least two, if not three, of the surgeons in the OR for every surgery. So with 15 surgeries per day and 7 surgeons, how many does each surgeon do per day? Dr. Yeh performs 6 parathyroidectomy surgeries every day. In my book, that makes him every bit as qualified, if not more, than any of the surgeons at the NPC.

Honestly, I am not trying to "badmouth" Dr. Norman or his Center. But I have strong objections to doctors who use scare tactics and intimidation to bring in patients. It's simply not necessary. I would be far more impressed if Dr. Norman expressed the attitude "well, we certainly would hope that you would come to us, but I would be happy to recommend a good surgeon closer to you" to ensure that all patients would at least go to a reputable, competent, and capable surgeon. After all, not everyone can afford to pay the stupidly outrageous $1,750 telephone consultation fee, travel expenses and hotel expenses that are involved in going to the NPC. Luckily for me, money is not an object. I could easily write a check (or hand over cold hard cash) for the surgery if necessary, but my insurances (Medicare and Blue Cross PPO) will cover everything. As for travel, I can easily afford to fly to Tampa and stay in a hotel for as many nights as necessary. If I go to UCLA, I have a very nice, comfortable car in which to travel (about a 6-hour drive), and UCLA has one 100-room guest hotel (for patients and their families) on campus and another 5 minutes away.