Comment from: Flower, 0-2 Male (Caregiver)Published: October 07
It was my son who was diagnosed with hypercalcemia when he was only 2 months old. He had no underlying health problems and this only came to light when he had a fit at home and couldn't breath and was shaking. By the time an ambulance came, he had gone as white as a sheet, very limp and had a vacant expression. The ambulance crew thought it was probably just a temperature convulsion but he was rushed to hospital where test after test was carried out over the course of a week. He had an ECG, an EEG, an ultrasound on his head and heart and had countless blood and urine tests. The only thing that kept coming back as abnormal was his high calcium levels which was causing him to have 5+ of these 'episodes' as the doctors called them, a day. To try and help with the level of calcium, which was only in his blood and not his urine, he was put on a drip for 24 hours to try and dilute it. It didn't work, so it had to try and be controlled other ways. My son was put on a special formula called locasol and he wasn't allowed any high calcium foods when we started weaning. Both myself and his dad were tested to see if we had passed on the condition, but those results came back negative, so we were told our son had Familial Benign Hypercalcuric Hypercalcemia. The 'episodes' lasted until he was 6 months old with as many as 7 of them a week. With hypercalcemia in children there is usually developmental problems, but thankfully my son was walking when he was 9 months old and has developed brilliantly, which really surprised the consultants. Although his calcium levels are still high he was officially discharged from hospital when he was one and was gradually introduced to a normal diet, and the only sypmtom he seems to have now are bone aches which I am trying to find out more about. He is nearly 2 now and you would never know, just looking at him, what he has been through or that he even has this condition.
Comment from: kitty, 75 or over Female (Patient)Published: January 24
For a long time I had been feeling drained. I was also under a lot of stress for a long time and when I developed what I termed flu symptoms (achy bones, headache, extreme sleepiness,) except for any respiratory or fever symptoms I was rather stumped, but did not care since all I wanted to do was sleep. I had some nausea, loss of body control in that I staggered around like a drunk and a general feeling of fatigue. I did not eat much, mind was out to lunch until my children drug me into the emergency room. Spent 5 days in hospital on double saline drips and my kidneys cleaned my blood. Calcium level was extremely high. Has been normal since. Maxide seems to be the fault, a diazide diuretic. Now, no calcium supplements, and I am on another diuretic.
Comment from: coookemstr, 45-54 Male (Patient)Published: August 17
I spent most of the month of July in the hospital. It started out with a 5mm kidney stone in the right kidney and I know have three to four more smaller ones in the same kidney. I am 52 year old male with no family history of kidney stones. On July 2, I was admitted to the hospital with severe tremors that escalated into full body convulsions. The doctor said that it might be conversion disorder with Hypercalcemia underlying. My Primary doctor disagrees with the conversion disorder as she has told me that my calcium levels are so high they are almost off the scale. I have also had three shoulder surgeries on the right shoulder due to excessive growth of bone spurs. I am currently being treated with Xanax three times a day to help control the tremors while I await further testing.
Comment from: calgal, 55-64 Female (Patient)Published: June 22
My internal medicine doctor diagnosed me with hypercalcemia this past week. I can't believe there's anything wrong because I feel as good as ever! My doctor kept asking if I had pain anywhere and did a bone scan, which showed nothing. Now my doctor's ordered a bone density test. I've been on lithium for 14 years or more and am wondering if that has anything to do with it. My doctor has mentioned surgery, but I'd like to know if there's cancer anywhere in my body that may be causing the high level. So, for now I feel fine with no symptoms, just a high calcium level, which I thought was to be desired. I hope everything will be ruled out before surgery for this.
Comment from: 55-64 Female (Patient)Published: September 24
I had a calcium level show up on lab tests three times in the high error range. Which isn't very high at all. I didn't think I had any symptoms, except that I remember my mother was always telling me to stop rubbing my legs. My legs felt the same way as when I was young and had played too hard. My parents would have called it growing pains. It made my legs feel better to rub them. I also noticed my chest was very sensitive when I did monthly breast exams for cancer. It turns out that I had an adenoma of one of my parathyroid glands. Later, I discovered a male cousin had adenomas on each one of his four parathyroid glands. I had surgery to remove the adenoma and had immediate relief following that surgery for the constant leg aching I had been experiencing for two years.
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It was my son who was diagnosed with hypercalcemia when he was only 2 months old. He had no underlying health problems and this only came to light when he had a fit at home and couldn't breath and was shaking. By the time an ambulance came, he had gone as white as a sheet, very limp and had a vacant expression. The ambulance crew thought it was probably just a temperature convulsion but he was rushed to hospital where test after test was carried out over the course of a week. He had an ECG, an EEG, an ultrasound on his head and heart and had countless blood and urine tests. The only thing that kept coming back as abnormal was his high calcium levels which was causing him to have 5+ of these 'episodes' as the doctors called them, a day. To try and help with the level of calcium, which was only in his blood and not his urine, he was put on a drip for 24 hours to try and dilute it. It didn't work, so it had to try and be controlled other ways. My son was put on a special formula called locasol and he wasn't allowed any high calcium foods when we started weaning. Both myself and his dad were tested to see if we had passed on the condition, but those results came back negative, so we were told our son had Familial Benign Hypercalcuric Hypercalcemia. The 'episodes' lasted until he was 6 months old with as many as 7 of them a week. With hypercalcemia in children there is usually developmental problems, but thankfully my son was walking when he was 9 months old and has developed brilliantly, which really surprised the consultants. Although his calcium levels are still high he was officially discharged from hospital when he was one and was gradually introduced to a normal diet, and the only sypmtom he seems to have now are bone aches which I am trying to find out more about. He is nearly 2 now and you would never know, just looking at him, what he has been through or that he even has this condition.
Related Reading: hypercalcemia | ultrasound