getbetter: First of all I can only speak for MY experience with Dr Norman.
From the first contact with him and his staff I found them to be very courteous and professional. I was not a textbook case and had many "issues" and questions. My surgery was a success and the questions I had after surgery and they were few were addressed by his nurse in a timely manner. As far as the cost it was less expensive that I thought. Yes, the consultation fee is uncomfortable for some people. I understand why he does that. He was in my ins network so my ins paid well after I met my deductible. I have no idea what other Drs charge. Good luck in finding the right surgeon....txg
From the first contact with him and his staff I found them to be very courteous and professional. I was not a textbook case and had many "issues" and questions. My surgery was a success and the questions I had after surgery and they were few were addressed by his nurse in a timely manner. As far as the cost it was less expensive that I thought. Yes, the consultation fee is uncomfortable for some people. I understand why he does that. He was in my ins network so my ins paid well after I met my deductible. I have no idea what other Drs charge. Good luck in finding the right surgeon....txg
Thanks for the inf. I am trying to change to another insurance plan which includes him as in-network. But it will be two months later. Considering the high cost of the surgery, I think it is worthwhile.
I am 3 weeks after parathyroid surgery. My calcium at 1 week after was 10.2 up from 10 before surgery and my PTH was 55 down from 92. My doctor says the levels usually drop right away. I wondered if the operation failed. Don't feel any better.
moonchild0707: Are you taking any calcium supplements? My calcium levels were high after surgery (within normal range, like yours), but I wanted them lower to feel better. What I failed to understand was, that I shouldn't take my calcium supplements at least 4 hours before any labs, DUH!. I would encourage you to take a muti vitamin also. Please note recovery is different for everyone. What type of procedure did you have and what are your major symptoms now? Give yourself time to heal. Best wishes..txg
Thanks for your post. I may have taken some supplements right before the test. Can't remember. I guess I expected the miracle cure that happens instantly as it does for some. How do u feel now? Did your calcium levels come down? Did u go to Dr. Norman? I did.
just want to see how Leida feels now
to texgranny- I had one parathyroid adenoma removed. How about you? I feel ok, except tired and the GERD hasn't gone away. Are you ther sreosn who had the surgery and they didn't find anything?
moonchild0707: Yes, Drs Norman and Politz did my surgery 16 months ago. I had hyperplasia parathyroid and three adenomas were removed. My recovery has had its's ups and downs, but I am much better than I was. Calcium and PTH are within normal limits. I had the disease for years and I think the jury is still out on how the body suffers from years of high calcium. My two bone fractures I had within three years of awaiting a diagnosis has had lasting effects and gives me great pain. I am now hypothyroid, but as I have stated many times I would have surgery again in a heartbeat and I personally wouldn't have anyone but Dr Norman and Politz do it. I certainly realize he is not the surgeon for everyone nor does he want to be. He was the right Dr for me and I just wish I had gone to him earlier. He told me I would be 80% better and I am, but like all patients we want to be 100% better. I am sorry you are still having some symptoms, recovery is so different for all of us. How many years did you have HPT and what were your major symptoms before surgery. Do you have any improvement? It has been a short time so don't throw in the towel, I believe there are better days ahead for you. Best wishes, txg
glad u r better. I'll try to be patient. Didn't have many symptoms except GERD which may have been from something else and osteoporosis.
moonchild0707, I hope you are taking med for GERD. GERD should not go untreated, please have your PCP check you out for this. GERD can drain your energy too. I also have osteoporosis and will have next bone dx scan in December. I hope it is better. Again, best of luck..txg
none of the medicines help. I am in pain.
moonchild: My husband was just diagnosed with GERD and is taking the purple pill with success. I guess you have tried it too. I know how painful this can be, but what does your pcp say about this? Have you been referred to gastro Dr? You just don't want this to turn into Barrett's Esophagus. take care...txg
Moonchild - it's possible that you have spasms of the esophagus like I have. The acid blockers may or may not help. Be sure you talk with a gastroenterologist Have you had endoscopy, swallow test, etc? Sleeping with a wedge pillow might help or sleeping in a recliner. They tell you not to eat anything for 4 hours before lying down but I have tried eating a few high fiber Wheat Thins or something similar a little while before going to bed so the acid has something to work on. I think it helps.
I hoped that the parathyroid surgery would get rid of it but since mine wasn't caused by high calcium, the surgery didn't make much difference. Overall, things are much better though. I know how awful you feel and hope you find something that works. Sometimes it takes a while for the medicines to work. mass
I hoped that the parathyroid surgery would get rid of it but since mine wasn't caused by high calcium, the surgery didn't make much difference. Overall, things are much better though. I know how awful you feel and hope you find something that works. Sometimes it takes a while for the medicines to work. mass
This is Dr Norman. We treat far more people with hyperparathyroidism than anybody else in the world. We have about 25 people on the team participating in the care of each patinet. All of us see parathyroid patients only. We do nothing else. We, like all surgeons, do not cure everybody. We do have the highest cure rate anywhere (we should since we have more experience). We cure over 99% of everybody we meet. We are always trying to make our practice better. In August 2009 our hospital (Tampa General Hospital) opened a new wing of the hospital that is dedicated to parathyroid disease only--in an effort to treat our patients even better. We have instituted new mechanisms this year to track every patient better. Realize that almost all patients are sent to us by their endocrinologists. During the years 2007 and 2008, 1167 different endocrinologists sent their patients to us. They refer their patients to us because we have excellent results, and we treat everybody like family. We are very good at this, but we are not perfect. We strive for perfection every day, and we monitor our practice and results every day. We don't even have an answering service--everybody can email me, and everybody has my home and cell phone number, as well as the home and cell phone numbers of my partners. We treat everybody like family, and strive to make the process of parathyroid surgery extremely simple and safe. There is a reason why nearly 2000 parathyroid operations are done at our center every year--because we really do want to help people feel better, and we really do want people to have their parathyroid operation done safely and successfully.
Dr Norman: Thank you for posting. I hope this is your post. I have stated many times on here I would choose your services again in a heartbeat. You were the right Dr for me ! I can't get back the years I was sick before I decided to go to Tampa, but I can sure tell people not to take the "wait and see' diagnosis so many Drs offer. This is something I will never understand. Thanks again for taking me as a patient. txg...surgery date 03/25/08