After Your Operation

When will bone pain go away?

 

Bone pain after parathyroid surgery

Most people with bone pain that is due to their parathyroid problem will experience an immediate improvement following parathyroid tumor removal (usually within an hour of the operation). This can be life-changing! This is usually people who have had a parathyroid problem for 8 years or longer, those with big tumors, and those with osteoporosis.

Does the bone pain come back?

A few patients notice that some pain returns a week or two after the operation. The reason for this is not clear, but is likely a result of bone remodeling (rapid healing) that occurs after parathyroid surgery. Over time, this remodeling leads to improved bone density, but may cause discomfort. We recommend that you continue calcium and Vitamin D supplementation, and if you have not done so, start taking a daily magnesium supplement, which is important for calcium metabolism and bone health. Your bones will be much healthier with the parathyroid tumor gone – any bone pain that is associated with the parathyroid will be gone in days or weeks.

What if my bones still hurt a month later?

If your bones and joints hurt more than a few weeks after the parathyroid operation, then the pain isn’t related to the parathyroid problem. It is possible that the parathyroid problem caused (or increased) destruction of your bones and they are now damaged so that you need a hip replacement or something like that. Yes, we see this frequently. The bottom line is this: Bones hurt for a lot of reasons. If the bone pain is due to the parathyroid problem (directly) then it will be gone in a week or two. If the pain lasts longer, or comes back in a year or two, it isn’t due to the parathyroid problem. And no, you aren’t getting another parathyroid problem–that’s why we check them all.

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