Michelle Williams, treated for hyperparathyroidism

• Michelle had been battling a number of other chronic health issues related to her heart and lungs, but she noticed some new symptoms of worse fatigue and brain fog.
• Doctors conducted several tests and monitored her calcium and figured out that her parathyroid levels were affecting her calcium.
• She was offered treatments with medication, but since she was already on several types of medication, she didn’t want to add to that with more pills. Plus, the medication would not really have solved the problem the way surgery would.
• Michelle has written grants and gotten help from organizations to help pay for the extremely high costs of her medications.
• Doctors were concerned about surgery for Michelle based on her other conditions, but they were able to collaborate to make it a successful surgery to remove two of the four parathyroid glands.
• The surgery was also delicate because the glands are near the voice box nerves, and Michelle is a singer. But there were no issues with that.
• She credits her family, her faith, and the work of Dr. Buczek to help her live an active and healthier life.

Dr. Erin Buczek, head and neck surgeon, The University of Kansas Health System

• There are four rice-sized parathyroid glands in the body, and they are very hard to see with scans.
• They live behind the thyroid, but they have nothing to do with the function of the thyroid. Their only job is to regulate calcium in the body.
• Diagnosing issues with the parathyroid glands can be very tricky because the symptoms can also be tied to other issues.
• Bloodwork and labs are very important to helping identify this condition.
• Surgery is really the only treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism. And removing one or two parathyroid glands means the remaining ones will be able to compensate in most cases.
• You can treat the calcium levels in the bloodstream with medication but, it's really more of a “Band-Aid” than it is a true fix for the problem, which is surgery.
• Hyperthyroidism can cause pain over all parts of the body. When someone has an elevated calcium level, it can affect everything.

Monday, Aug. 5 at 8 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. Only one in 10 children has their cholesterol tested like they should, and some parents don't even know it's recommended. Learn more about the ongoing debate over pediatric screening and why some doctors aren't convinced it is necessary. Plus, see one extreme example of what happens when a child's cholesterol goes through the roof.

ATTENTION MEDIA: Please note access is with Microsoft Teams:

Join on your computer or mobile app

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 235 659 792 451
Passcode: 6CSfGE

Download Teams | Join on the web

Or call in (audio only)

+1 913-318-8863,566341546#   United States, Kansas City

TVU Grid link: UoK_Health_SDI

Restream links: Facebook.com/kuhospital

YouTube.com/kuhospital

Send advance questions to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.