There are definitely things you can do to aid in your recovery.

The most important thing is taking calcium and Vitamin D. After parathyroid surgery your PTH levels drop very quickly, and then your calcium levels drop over a couple of days. Since your body doesn’t like big shifts in calcium, you may get symptoms of low calcium during this time (it typically starts with numbness and tingling in your hands or face). To smooth the transition from a high calcium to a normal calcium, you will want to take calcium and Vitamin D. I usually start patients on around 1500 mg of calcium daily for the first week, and then drop to 1000 mg daily the second week. You also want to get around 2000 units of Vitamin D daily to aid in calcium absorption. If you have problems with absorption (for example, it you have had a gastric bypass or have chronic diarrhea) then you will need more calcium. Make sure you spread the calcium out throughout the day (usually around 500 mg at a time works well).

Stay hydrated after surgery. You might not feel hungry right after the operation, but try to get fluids in.

Rest. Give your body time to heal. Some people wake up from parathyroid surgery and feel amazing - but this is NOT the norm. Most people need some time to recover, and some will even feel worse in the first week after surgery as their body is adjusting to the new calcium levels. Give yourself time to recover.

Finally, remember that healing is a process. Read my blog post on this.