low calcium 1 wk. post TT

[planetstrands]

i was released from the hospital yesterday with a calcium level of 7.5, after 6 days of total IV calcium repletion and and oral calcium. instead of making certain i would be okay on just oral meds, they discharged me, saying i would need to see the surgeon in 2 weeks, to check calcium levels. i am concerned for 2 reasons. one is that i have no sense of at what point that i should worry about my symptoms and go back, and secondly, i hava a histoty of a-fibs. i have tingling in my hands and feet and mouth from time to time. a couple of times, my hands have gotten very stiff and almost locked. everytime the symptoms get a bit worse, i take oral cal, and they improve. does anyone have a sense of what i should do? am i playing with fire, or should i ride it out?

[Justicemom]

When I had my TT three weeks ago, I was sent home taking my normal 600mg. calcium tablet plus Tums.  I was taking the Tums 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, and 2 at bedtime.  I took all of this the first week, until I went back and got my stitches out and they re-checked my calcium levels.  I was told to watch for the tingling and numbness.  If you have them really badly, you should probably call your dr.'s office.

[MJ13]

If you have tingling in you hands, toes, and lip area, you need to call your doctor ASAP!!!  Especially if  your hands are cramping up.  Mine cramped up so  bad I couldn't pick up a plastic cup.  This condition is called hypocalemcia and is very easily treated with IV and oral calcium.  However, left untreated it can lead to convulsions and cause you to stop breathing.  On my fifth night in the hospital after TT I was so bored I bored  a medical encyclopedia from my nurse and found out about the hypocalcemia. Having been there and done that, I suggest you call your doctor.  You definitely need more calcium in your system.

[planetstrands]

thanks, all! i am aware of the symptoms, so, living fairly close to a hospital, i chose to try to stick it out... (at least for long enough to let my IV sites settle down a bit from the last 6 days of IV calcium:) happily, i am not having symptoms today. taking an extra dose of oscal daily is helping. also, i added D, since i wasn't certain if oscal had D in it. anyway, i am still here, and doing better! now, i wait for the radioactive iodine and hopefully, things will level out with synthroid treatment. i DO think it was very stupid of the docs to let me go without stablizing me on oral calcium, first. they went rom checking 2x daily to waiting 2 weeks??? i don't get it.  

[medhelpjunkie]

I was just curious...you stated on your post that after the fifth day in hospital after TT.  Did you have complications.  My surgeoun told me I can stay one night however alot of patients leave same day...I don't see haow this is possible since I would think Calcium levels would need to be monitored among other things.  

[rayneweather]

You are right, the oscal doesn't have Vit D in it.  I am on Vit D twice a day as well as 2000mg of oscal 4 times a day.  How much oscal are you taking?  They were going to do 1000mg 3 times a day but my calcium dropped my 2nd day and kept increasing it to it's present dose.  Even then after I got home there were a few times I had to take some tums on top of that to stop the tingling.  Hopefully your body has build up some stores of calcium and that is why you are feeling better.  But I echo the other ladies, if it comes back bad especially w/ the hand cramping let your doctor know - they may want you to come into the hospital as an outpatient to get more iv calcium or just increase your oral dose.

Rayne

[MJ13]

Yep, I had complications with my calcium.  First started off with fingers, then toes, then lips tingling and this was less than 24 hrs after TT, which is very early according to my surgeon  There was a computer malfunction with the meds dispenser and it took them almost 8 hours to get me my calcium.  By that time my hands cramped up so bad I couldn't straighten them and couldn't pick up a plastic cup.  After my surgeon and endo raised some cane the meds started flowing.  However, it took another few days for the tingling to stop.  My calcium level refused to come up and when it finally came up a little, it dropped back down.  By the fifth night of this I was going crazy not knowing if I was ever going to get out of the hospital.  And this was less than 2 wks before Christmas.  Talk about a sucky time to be in the hospital!!  When I was released I was put on Oscal 500+Vitamin D (3000 mg/daily) and Calcitriol. I'm still on the Calcitriol.  The last time my calcium was tested it was in the normal range but at the very low end of the range. I also take 3000 mg of Viactiv with vitamin D daily.  I'm doing that on my own.  I don't have the tingling like I had in the hospital but if I lay on my side the wrong way for just a few minutes, my hands "fall asleep". This is really annoying because I'm a side sleeper and can't sleep on my back or stomach. I haven't talked to my endo about this but will next week during my next appt. BTW..the caramel Viactiv's are great...taste just like real caramels!

[hazelhurst]

I can't remember if we compared notes before, but I have the same problem--sleeping on my side, my hands fall asleep! It's anecdotal, but I now believe this is a side effect (I also have had low calcium for seven months since TT, and am now taking 1500 mg three times a day, plus calcitriol. When will it end???

[planetstrands]

yikes! i just returned from the hospital for the second time. thanks, everyone, foor encouraging me to get checked. my calcium was 7.3, two nights ago, when i was readmtted. they gave me more IV calcium, once again, but didn't keep me to ensure i was stable on oral. i ave been instructed to take more oscal, if the tingling returns, and to go back in if it persists. so far, so good... my calcium is 7.8 and the symptoms are under control. by the way, doesn't everyone need to stay in for one night with a TT? i thought it was essential, due to potential complications - low calcium, being one.