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ParathyroidAtlanta, 1472 Montreal Road Suite 303, Tucker, GA (2025)

If you have high calcium symptoms, like fatigue, bone pain, rapid heart rate, etc., and your calcium level is high, you can find your solution here.

08/11/2025

Catching a Silent Condition: How Routine Tests Changed PHPT

You could feel perfectly healthy, yet have a condition quietly affecting your bones, kidneys, and heart. That’s the case with many people who have primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT).
PHPT happens when tiny glands in your neck make too much parathyroid hormone (PTH), sometimes raising calcium in your blood. Left untreated, it can cause bone loss, kidney stones, and even heart problems.
Not long ago, PHPT was usually found only after people became very sick—often with severe fatigue, brittle bones, or painful kidney stones. But the story has changed. Modern blood tests automatically check calcium levels, so most cases are caught early—before symptoms start.

In the U.S., about 233 out of every 100,000 women and 85 out of every 100,000 men have PHPT. Many of these are “asymptomatic” cases—people feel fine, but their bloodwork says otherwise. Or the symptoms may be attributed to just getting older, working too hard, menopause, or one of many other conditions. Typical symptoms include lack of energy, tiredness, muscle fatigue, memory and concentration problems, bone pain, excessive thirst and urination.

Doctors have also uncovered a form called “normocalcemic PHPT,” where calcium is normal but PTH is high. This was spotted when osteoporosis patients were tested for PTH, even without high calcium.

Early detection has made a big difference—years ago, extreme PHPT could be deadly in 60% of cases. Today, with treatment, that number is closer to 6%.

The only cure for hyperparathyroidism is surgical removal of the abnormal gland. Fortunately the operation can be done as an outpatient, with a very low risk of complications, and immediate return to a normal calcium level.

If you believe you could be silently suffering from hyperparathyroidism or want more information, please give our office a call (404-508-4320). We would be more than happy to get you into our office so you can get on top of your parathyroid health. Don’t suffer in silence, get your calcium and PTH levels checked today.

09/09/2024

“My routine lab work report shows the calcium level of 10.4, and that is just outside the range of normal. My doctor doesn't seem concerned. Should I be concerned?”

If this question resonates with you, and you have been looking online for information, you are in the right place. It is amazing to me how many patients end up searching for themselves online for more answers about their calcium level. The short answer to the question above is, “yes, you should look into this more”.

Routine lab work includes measurement of many electrolytes in the blood, including sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, among others. Calcium level is often checked routinely as well. It should be no surprise that all these electrolytes have some range of normal across an entire population. Our bodies can tolerate more variation in some of these electrolytes than others. Calcium happens to be one that needs to be more tightly controlled for the body to function optimally. The other electrolytes mentioned above might fall out of the “normal" more often, without creating a problem. The calcium level is controlled more tightly, and if the level is too high or too low, you can have more significant effects on the body even with comparatively minor extremes.

I think physicians have come to be almost expecting that some of these numerous lab values might be slightly out of range, so if the calcium level is “just a little high”, they may fail to recognize the special attention that should be paid to a high calcium level, as opposed to for example, a slightly elevated sodium or potassium.
So what does it matter if your calcium level is just a little high? Well, I think a good analogy would be a high performance engine that needs a tune up. The car can run just fine, but it cannot perform to its capability without correcting the high calcium level. Most patients with a high calcium level will have some symptoms as a result, such as weakness, fatigue, concentration or memory issues, bone pain, among others. And if left untreated for a long time, can result in organ issues, like poorly functioning kidneys, aggravation of atherosclerosis which is related to heart attacks and strokes, kidney stones, irregular heart rhythms, and the list goes on.

So if you have a high calcium level, or basically a calcium level that is repeatedly above 10, you should check to see if you have hyperparathyroidism. It is so simple to check. Simply have another serum calcium level drawn with a simultaneous intact PTH level. PTH, short for parathyroid hormone, is what your parathyroid glands produce in order to raise the blood calcium level. This is a very important function, but the PTH level should only be high if your calcium level is too low. If your PTH level is still high, or even in the upper normal range, when your calcium is high, It means that one or more of your parathyroid glands is simply working overtime, and is creating the problem of a high calcium level, just like a poorly tuned high performance engine.

If you are diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, it means we can reliably predict that one, sometimes more, of your parathyroid glands is overproducing PTH. In experienced hands, a simple outpatient operation can find and remove that abnormal parathyroid gland and restore your calcium level to normal. Period. Just like that. We can be certain of that, just based on those test results.

So if you are looking for answers about a high calcium level, get your parathyroid function checked. And if you do have hyperparathyroidism, let us help you get your high performance engine back in tune! You can find more information at our website, https://www.parathyroidatlanta.com/.

08/12/2024

I recently had a patient ask if I check the PTH level DURING the operation. The answer is, "not very often".

There are a lot of surgeons who use intraoperative PTH monitoring as a substitute for finding all four glands. Surgeons taking this approach go after the single gland that shows up on imaging, remove it, then do the blood test to see if it drops. If it drops they look no further. If it remains elevated they keep looking. This approach runs the risk of missing a second gland because the PTH level dropped some, masquerading the presence of another smaller but still overactive gland. What I and other more experienced surgeons have found is that it's best to just simply plan to find all four glands in every case. That way, you can be confident that the PTH level will drop, with only a 1-2% failure rate. I check the PTH level in the recovery room, which documents that you are cured.

03/29/2024

It's always humbling to receive letters of appreciation from patients whose lives have been favorably impacted by their parathyroid surgery. Some letters stand out, and the letter that follows is one of those.

Dear Dr. Kennedy:
I am writing to you to express my gratitude for your skillful hands and mind, which have saved me from profound misery and suffering. Over the last five years, I knew I was ill and that things in my body just were not right, but it was impossible for any of us to put the puzzle pieces together. I went from specialist to specialist, trying to understand each new symptom: pseudogout, muscle loss, weakness, inexorable fatigue, sudden 20-pound weight loss, depression with suicidal ideation, GERD, joint pain, burning bone pain, elevated blood sugar, spasms of hands and neck, difficult to control hypertension, osteoporosis, heart palpitations, dizziness and loss of balance (necessitating a cane on uneven surfaces), dry eyes and mouth, failing vision, difficulty swallowing, poor short term memory. dry skin, and thinning hair.
Despite all these problems, I soldiered on, intent on living my life to the fullest all the while accepting my mortality and decrepitude. Finally, after my routine bone density test, the pieces came together when I asked my primary care physician to refer me to yet another endocrinologist to explore my progression from osteopenia to osteoporosis. My new and third endocrinologist was the first to request both a calcium level as well as PHT which was 62 and later 71. This doctor was also the first to mention hyperparathyroidism. I researched that term and was shocked how all of my symptoms easily aligned with the list of hyperparathyroidism symptoms.
Armed with a spreadsheet, detailing the symptoms, date of onset and physician diagnosis, I was confident I would easily find a surgeon to remove the adenoma or adenomas from my parathyroid glands. I was shocked that one of the top endocrine surgeons would not suggest surgery, but watching and waiting, despite my pleas and obvious agony.
Luckily, my thorough research led me to you, Dr. Kennedy, a true healer and a compassionate man whose kindness and sincerity radiate healing energy. As a result of your skillful hands, two tumors were removed and a third suspicious gland biopsied. Today, I am healed in body and spirit. Thank you for opening this bright, new stage of my life.
In gratitude,
Charlene F. Clinton

Address

1472 Montreal Road Suite 303
Tucker, GA
30084

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Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

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+14045084320

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https://www.parathyroidatlanta.com/contact/

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