[Ylide (OP)]

Question for the docs:

So the girlfriend had her thyroidectomy yesterday and the surgeon ended up removing her lower 2 parathyroid glands as well.  (he said they were inexorably stuck to the thyroid)  She'll be on medication to make up for the thyroid hormone deficiency, but what can she do to keep her calcium levels regulated?  Also, what other long-term effects can she expect from lacking a full set of parathyroid glands other than dysfunction in calcium regulation?  How can she avoid these effects?



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[bezoar]

Usually, you can remove three out of four of the parathyroid glands and the remaining one can handle the load.  If not, she can take calcium carbonate and Vitamin D supplements.

[chris]

Absolutely right. There are 4 parathyroid glands located behind the thyroid. You should be fine with 2 functional glands, but it is always worth checking calcium levels subsequently to ensure that all is well.

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx

[puddintame]

Had three removed many years ago and doing fine.  Do have calcium levels checked every couple of years.[]

[Ylide (OP)]

Great, thanks for the info.  I have another question.  =)

She finds out on friday what the pathologist decided about the malignancy of the tumors in her thyroid.  If it's cancerous, she needs to go on radio-iodine treatment.  If not, she can start taking thyroid hormone medication.  My question is, why can't she take the thyroid hormone meds while on radio-iodine?  I suspect it has something to do with the hormones taking up the iodine and shuttling it around the body (which is bad considering it's radioactive) but I'm not positive on this one.  



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