Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum.  ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
 | 

calcium level v. vitamin D

by diane363, Aug 07, 2008 08:40PM
Tags: vitamin d
Previous Med. Lab. Tech.
White  Female  45 years old  5’5’’  220lb.

I went to my family doctor because of heart palpitations, accelerated hear rate, excessive sweating, tiredness, edginess, and an overall feeling of being “out of whack”.
Doctor ran the following tests:

EKG-normal- heart rate 97/min
ECHO- normal except for some palpitations and heart rate between 97-103/min
Thyroid ultra sound- revealed multiple nodules- iodine uptake scan appointment in September
Normal

T4 Free- 1.1 .70-1.48
TSH- 1.79 .35-4.94
Calcium- 10 8.9-10     (3 years ago Calcium was 10.3)
Vitamin D- 25.3 ng/ml     32-100

PTH- 48 10-65

Doctor prescribed Vitamin D supplements. to be taken once a week. My concern is the discrepancy between the below normal Vitamin D and the calcium level   My understanding is that the purpose of Vit. D is to help absorb calcium. If my calcium is at a high normal level, do I really need an increase in Vit. D? The follow up question is, with a low level of Vit. D how is my calcium so high? Where does the calcium come from if it is not being absorbed in the intestines? Do I want a calcium any higher?
I asked the doc. To run the PTH after getting the above results came back.  I was surprised that it was as high as it was considering my previous calcium level. What I don’t know is how much or how quickly calcium or PTH levels fluctuate from day to day. The PTH may not be a relevant result considering the fact that it was not done at the same time as the other lab. tests.
My final question is should I see an endocrinologist? Or am I making a mountain out of a molehill?
Member Comments (3)

by estrelinha, Aug 08, 2008 04:06PM
I think you should go to an endocrinologist, and repeat the analyses of PTH and Vitamin D-25 (active) and Vit-D-1-25 (inactive form).  You are right about Vit D,Vitamin D increases the amount of calcium in our body and usually higher calcium levels tend to have lower Vitamin D levels. Must look for your parathyroid.

by redheadaussie, Aug 09, 2008 06:14AM
What is the dosage of the Vit D you take? Why once a week? Vit D is lost on a daily basis. One of the few vitamins our body doesn't store. Did they do a blood calcium test or a urine calcium test? Calcium in the blood is all well and good as it shows you have calcium, BUT if you have a high level of calcium in the urine that means your Vit D is not doing its job, and is sending it bye-bye.
  Yes, see an endocrinologist. Too many doctors have too little knowledge in this field.
I am having severe low calcium (rather than high) and low Vit D issues (even after taking supplements) so I know where your concerns come from!

by estrelinha, Aug 09, 2008 09:11AM
The calcium level in urine is very important here and also the measure of phosphatemia and phosphaturia (in urine). Vit D must be activated to work (skin, liver  and kidney), so it's important to measure both forms of Vit D to see what is going on.  If you have bone decalcification, need to do X-ray. There are many possibilities, so test Ca levels (urine and serum, PO4, Alkaline phosphatase, and 25- (OH) D3 levels. As been said it is time to go to an ENDO.
Related discussions
Post Comment
To
Comment
Post Comment
Recent Activity
meg321 I am LIVING with this desease but it will not controlling m...
highlandtrekkingman joined this community
Welcome them!
53 mins ago
jimi1822 commented on The Season Is Finally...
1 hr ago
kitonthemoon commented on On the Death of a Fri...
2 hrs ago
AppleBr commented on Stem Cells Could Repair Damaged Ret...
3 hrs ago
Ultrsound results
3 hrs ago by Lucy1956
remar commented on In a bad state of min...
3 hrs ago
Cherie762 commented on MY 2 Month old has RS...
4 hrs ago
RSS Expert Activity
What You Don't Know About Breathing...
Nov 24 by Steven Y Park, MD
Thanksgiving
Nov 23 by Thomas Dock, Vet. Technician
Snoring As Your Internal Smoke Alar...
Nov 22 by Steven Y Park, MD
Community Members