(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . WAYWO: What I’m Working On, Really Open Thread and Health Public Service [1] ['Blue Choir Singer', 'Citizen Earth'] Date: 2026-10-11 ************************************ Welcome to What Are You Working On, where we discuss (and often display) our handiwork, whether yarn and fabric crafts, woodwork, metalwork, art, or anything else “crafty”. ********************************** Usually WAYWO means What Am I working On, for this diary, it is a little round up of projects I’m working on as well as a medical public service announcement. That wasn’t what I had in mind when I signed up for the diary a couple of months ago. Since then, though, I found out I have hyperparathyroidism. Actually I’ve had it for at least 27 years. It is one of those disorders that keeps getting worse over the years. It is wildly underdiagnosed and ultimately kills you. The average amount of time to get a correct diagnosis is 8 years. Now the public service announcement on hyperparathyroidism. A few facts: it primarily affects women who are usually (not always) older. Symptoms are vague and frequently put down to old age. Even though mine started when I was fifty. Usual symptoms: Fatigue, keeps getting worse; achy bones and muscles; depression and anxiety; brain fog; loss of concentration; failing balance. You can see why this is misdiagnosed as mostly just old age. My doctor, who I like despite recent failings, finally gave up on trying to figure out what was wrong with me and said that I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I told her I didn’t accept that. She shrugged and said, “Well, what do you think it is?” I told her I’d look. In my medical records, one thing stood out: high Calcium for years. Not crazy high but always 9.8-10.5 (in the US range usually is between 8.5 to 10). That continuing high calcium seemed odd, especially for a 77 yr old woman. I looked at my parathyroid tests, which interestingly have been tested 12 times since 1999. Results were always ignored due to lack of understanding on how hyperparathyroidism works. When my calcium is near the top, the parathyroid should be in single digits. My parathyroid is usually is between 55-70. The parathyroid situation works as a teeter totter. The parathyroid regulates the amount of calcium in your blood. So if your calcium is at 10, the parathyroid should be mostly shut down because the body has plenty of calcium. And where is this too much calcium coming from? Your bones. You will definitely have osteoporosis. Final defining test is a DEXA scan that looks at the osteoporosis in your non-dominant forearm. In all cases, it will show severe osteoporosis. What happens to a person with hyperparathyroidism? You keep getting more tired, more gut issues, more brain fog. Ultimately the calcium will affect your heart and you will die. Period. The reason your parathyroid stops regulating the calcium properly is due to an adenoma, a benign tumor, on one or more of the parathyroid glands. There are 4 parathyroid glands, each the size of a grain of rice, that sit on top of your thyroid. There is only one solution, surgery. The bad parathyroid must be removed. After that the other parathyroid glands will start working properly. My surgery is November 10 with a surgeon who only specializes in thyroid and parathyroid surgeries. Much of my last couple of months has been focused on this health issue, as you can imagine. However, despite sleeping 10-12 hours per 24 hours, I continue to work, if slowly, on my projects shown below. a Fair Isle sweater for my husband Photo Winifred Halsey beginning wall hanging for a friend with cancer Photo Winifred Halsey Wall hanging I’m working on that is part off Sue Spargo’s Under the Sea project Photo Winifred Halsey You’ve seen this before. Moving slowly on it. Photo Winifred Halsey Lest you think I never finish anything, a couch throw for a Sister-in-law. Photo Winifred Halsey If anyone wants more information on hyperparathyroidism, please let me know. As always: What Are You Working On? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/10/11/800110791/community/waywo-what-im-working-on-really/ Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/