Houston, we have diagnosis...

I have officially been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism (HPT). Next steps are to determine if this is a primary or secondary condition.

One noteworthy result from the blood test was that my Vitamin D level was so low it didn't even register. Yo, I need some sun !! Normal levels range from 8.6 - 46.7 ng/dl. Mine was completely undetectable after repeated testing by the lab. The plan, you ask? I have to take a Vitamin D supplement once a week over the next two months. Now, this is no ordinary supplement - normal dosage for men and women ages 19 to 50 is 200 IU a day. Once a week, I'll pop a pill containing 50,000 IU. No, that is not a typo - FIFTY THOUSAND IU !! Biweekly blood tests over the next month will indicate if my body retains the vitamin or just washes it out through the kidneys. I was a little concerned when the doc kept mentioning that she didn't believe the level would be toxic...um, ya THINK??? Can a woman get a little confirmation here?

My serum calcium level is still running high, accompanied by low serum phosphorus - not a good combination for my bones, but a sign of HPT. The good news from that horrid pee test is that my kidneys are functioning properly, so we've pretty much ruled chronic renal failure out as the primary condition. Since that is the most severe primary condition which causes secondary HPT - that's excellent news.

Basically, treating the Vitamin D deficiency will show if my PTH (parathyroid hormone) and blood calcium levels are high because of low Vitamin D - or if my condition is truly primary HPT. Treatment for primary HPT is surgery to remove the PT glands. The doc is taking the cautious approach to ensure we're not ripping out glands only to find those overactive glands weren't the real cause of my HPT.

Geez, even I'm hearing "blah blah blah" as I read back through this. So, to summarize, my body is experiencing HPT - and we have to figure out why prior to jumping into fairly aggressive surgery. Oh yeah, I have to drink LOTS of water on top of other drinks throughout the day. I currently average 48-80 ounces every day. That doesn't include the 4 large cups of coffee I normally down at the office. The doc told me to bump the water up as much as I can. I swear, I'm gonna float away.