I am two weeks post parathyroid surgery. Labs indicate my calcium levels are normal but I feel worse now than I did before. I have pins and needles in my hands and feet and some brain fog. Not sure what to do. Are these symptoms of my body adjusting to the lower calcium levels and it is just taking a long time to get there? Pre-surgery, I my calcium levels were around 11. It has been high for several years. This is really depressing me.
It sounds like you are dealing with symptoms of low calcium. You said that your calcium level was “normal” but labs often give a range that is too wide, so a low calcium may be called normal on the lab result even if not truly normal.
In addition, if your calcium levels have been around 11 mg/dl, then your body is used to that level. A drop from 11 to the 9s is a big shift, and your body doesn’t do well with quick shifts in calcium. You will tend to feel unwell, with fatigue, weakness, and brain fog. And the numbness and tingling in the hands, face, and feet are classic symptoms of a drop in calcium.
The treatment for this is calcium and Vitamin D supplementation. I start all patients on calcium and Vitamin D right after surgery, because we know that the calcium level will start dropping in the days after surgery. I want to ease that transition by giving you lots of calcium in the first week and then tapering down. If you have not been taking calcium, then it is not surprising that you are getting these symptoms. Your body needs help with the calcium adjustment.
I usually warn patients that they may feel worse in the week after surgery, as the calcium levels are fluctuating. Once things settle out, they will start to notice improvements in symptoms. But for that first week or two, the symptoms may actually be worse.
For my patients, when they have symptoms of low calcium (numbness and tingling) in the weeks after surgery, I recommend taking more calcium. I also recommend giving yourself a little more time to heal. It will get better as the calcium levels stabilize.
