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Low calcium after surgery

Hi all. Too early for me to said that I'm kind of doing OK 2 days after TT. I had the scary episode of low blood calcium.
Yesterday, the 3rd day after TT, I started feeling tingling in both of my hands and my eyelids around noon. By 6pm it got worse even with 3 calcium tab. My hands were numbed and bending inward. Around 8pm I looked at myself in the mirror and saw a different me. From the eyelids to around the nose and upper lip I had a weird face. All the muscles were pulling down. I called the dr. and 35' later he called back to tell me take 2 more calcium tablets. By 10:45pm I thought that my hands would be broken because they were so stiff and painful. I could not straighten my hands! I took 2 more calcium by myself and got ready to go to the ER with my husband helping me got dress. I could not hold anything with my hands! By the time we got my son ready I felt a little bit better and decided to wait another 30'. Anyway, ending up we didn't go to the ER and my hands got back to its normal shape but it took about 3 hours for the pain to go away. We looked up some websites and found out that you can take 2 calcium tablets every 3 hours if that low calcium happened. I wished I have done more research before the surgery.
This morning we went to see the dr. he removed the stitches for me already. Now I have to take 2 calcium tab. 3 times a day and will see him in a week.
I still can not sleep since the surgery. Is this the side effect of the antibiotic? Other than low calcium and sleeping things, I'm doing OK, not back to normal yet but doing dishes and prepare light lunch for myself.  I can take shower and walking with my husband around the block yesterday. Today I went shopping for some fruits. I still not drive yet.
Sorry for this long post. I can't wait to tell my story to the world. Please understand. Thanks again for all your concern and take care.
9 Responses
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219241 tn?1413537765
The thread you added to is over 3 years old.
If you want to ask a doctor a question you need to go to the doctor forums, located at the top of this page you will see Forums, hover with your mouse and you will see doctor forums.

This is mainly a forum for thyroid, parathyroid and pituitary gland problems.  
  You can ask a question but you need to post it as your own and not tagged to the end of others posts. This saves alot of confusion and helps others to help you.
Cheers!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i have taken 8 calcium teblets simunteniously per day. during the 9th day i felt little bit pain like the heart bit to my right back just up to my waist and i still have this problem but it replaces to the left side. does it the affects of these teblets? does it can do harm to my kidneys or normal side affect?  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
sorry to hear what u have been going through, i had a tt in jan of this year, the day after my surgery my doctors ordered calcium tablets for me and told the sister on the ward to give them to me, any way after waiting all day and i asking her where they were( which she always answered as they r not here yet) she went off duty i went to sleep totaly shattered, woke the next morning begin sick and feeling awfull, my mouth was so so tingly i couldnt move my hands properly and i couldnt focus, anyway turned out my calcium levels had dropped very low, i had 5 doctors running around the ward shouting my didnt i get my meds yesterday and trying to get calcium to me quick fast, anyway i landed up in hospital for 8 days on calcium iv's. when i had a bllod test 8 weekd after surgery my calcium level was 1.9, ive been taking 4 calcium tablets a day which works out at 2000mg a day, last week or so ive not been feeling very good so had my levels checked and they have dropped to 1.8, ive been given even more tablets to take now, i just wanted to know what is a normal calcium level?  how long does it usally take for it to go back to normal?
i eat high calcium food but is there anytrhing else i can do to help it along?
thank you
Helpful - 0
11852 tn?1216841443
I had an episode with hypocalcium after TT also. Mine started about 30 hours after TT with tingling in fingers, then toes and around mouth.  I knew from the good people here that I should tell the nurse I needed calcium.  While waiting for the calcium, my hands cramped up like yours and I couldn't pick up a plastic cup.  It really freaked my out and my family also.  Just my luck the day this happened the compute on the meds distributor malfunctioned.  It took them 8 hours to get my calcium to me and that was after my surgeon and endo threw a fit.  I ended up being in the hospital for 6 days because my calcium would not go up and stay up.  I live alone so they thought it would be best for me to stay in the hospital.  I ended up having to taking calcium supplements for about 2 months, but am doing great without them now.  I was so bored by my 5th night in the hospital I borrowed a medical journal from a nurse and found out that hypocalcium if left untreated can lead to convulsions and the person to stop breathing. When I read this I knew why they kept me in the hospital so long.  My dog is smart, but he doesn't know how do dial 911!

Glad you're feeling better.  I know how scared you were.  
Helpful - 0
168348 tn?1379357075
I see the other post now, too.  I am glad to have helped you ..... you have helped me too w/o even knowing it by sharing your thoughts with me .. I see, too, I am not the only one who actually feels like a huge weight is lifted and in my case, even though another one was put in its place, (the small cancers, I'm ok with it.

C~
Helpful - 0
173351 tn?1201214057
Sorry to read you've had a bad case of hypo calcemia.  Sounds scary - but you got through it!!   Mine was temporary - I had IV calcium while in hospital went home with calcium tablets that I took for a week and after another blood test I was able to stop them.  It may not be permanent - the parathyroids may be badly bruised and a little disturbed from all the action that just went on around them.

I had difficulty sleeping after surgery too - mainly 'cause it was just sooo uncomfortable though.  You could try a search on the name of your antibiotic and find the prescribing info and look for the side effects in regard to your sleep.  

Take it easy sweet - don't push yourself.  Hopefully you can enjoy some relaxation time with a good book / bubble bath / something you like???  
Best wishes!

PS. Just a tip - when I can't see one of my posts I press 'Logout' - when the thread is open and it usually appears.  Sometimes I'll have to Login and Logout again but usually a simple Logout will do it (it's funny though cause even though I've hit Logout and the thread appears I'm still logged in? Go figure).
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, at this minute I'm typing something here but can I say that I'm doing OK? Well  whatever. I'm happy that there are some of you out there understand me at this time. Thanks a million.

Cheryl, I posted something for you under the other post. But I can not see it. May be because I post this too long? It just about the finding peace inner myself. Thanks for telling me that, at least now someone can see the peaceful me, ha ha. I've always been so stressful and constantly worried about almost everything that I can not control. Anyway, will post again. Very nice of you for sharing something with me. I have to eat something now. Bye.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Sorry for your scare, glad you are doing better.
prayers,
pam
Helpful - 0
168348 tn?1379357075
So sorry you had this calcium episode .. mine was ok ... pls. keep us up to date with how you are doing!

C~
Helpful - 0
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