tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post131279412574535726..comments2024-02-10T02:14:39.898-05:00Comments on Buckeye Surgeon: Baudrillard and the Hyperrealism of the ParathyroidectomyJeffrey Parks MD FACShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650563299849196122noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-73461269006407585562012-01-27T14:24:21.998-05:002012-01-27T14:24:21.998-05:00I was “asymptomatic” in the sense that I had no id...I was “asymptomatic” in the sense that I had no idea I have this disease until I had routine blood work done during a yearly exam. I was not feeling ill or depressed and had never been sick in my life or had any surgery or been hospitalized. My PCP was a very smart doctor to tell me right away that high calcium was not normal. I am a vibrant 34 year old female who was feeling healthy and fine so it was difficult to find out that I had a rare disease. My endo was surprised when further tests showed that I had osteopenia at such a young age and said surgery “may” be an option. I am very lucky that we now have the medical advances where this tumor was caught in its early stages and I just had the MIRP surgery 3 weeks ago. It was a very easy, out-patient surgery. I am cured (with a tiny scar that will soon disappear), and back at the gym where I can reverse the bone loss since I may look great and healthy on the outside, but my bones are those of a 60ish year old. I feel blessed that my PCP and Endo gave me a quick diagnosis. However, they didn’t refer me to surgery since they were only familiar with surgeons who perform the outdated surgery from 1925 that cuts your whole neck open. I self-referred to Tampa where I could be operated on by a world renowned expert who invented the new surgical method because I wasn’t going to allow this disease to ravish my body-to destroy it as the years when by as doctors just monitored my worsening condition. The “wait and see” approach doesn’t work! As patients, we can’t allow ourselves to be treated like cash cows paying for tests and blood work that only documents our worsening condition over the years. I wasn’t going to sit there and wait to suffer from kidney stones, increased osteopenia, and increased risk of various cancers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-91448850904489355262011-11-06T19:25:56.558-05:002011-11-06T19:25:56.558-05:00Hello sir, just a thought for you.
If you really ...Hello sir, just a thought for you.<br /><br />If you really looked up some of the stories and labs of the people who have the disease, you'd realize that people with mere calciums of 10.2 had tumors pulled out of them, and were suffering just as bad as say, people with say calciums of 11. The fact is, if there's a tumor there, it has to come out even if you don't agree with the blood levels, and so it all has to be rethought sadly. I have even saw a lady who had normal calcium/PTH and somehow got exploratory surgery, only to find parathyroid carcinoma there. <br /><br />There is no such thing as "mild" hyperparathyroidism anymore than there is "mild" diabetes--once you have it, it's not going away, it will only get worse, so why not fix it then? The person says they feel lousy, and it's no wonder. Blood levels of calcium and PTH can also fluctuate, which is not surprising with the disease because you can no longer control your "calcium thermometer" so to speak.<br /><br />I feel this undermines people who are actually suffering from the disease who DID have a legitimate tumor removed, yet doctors fought with them because they waited for a "magical number" to appear, which never will. I mean, you say surgeons need to be careful doing surgery too much for this, yet they are already fighting us tooth and nail about it, so I see no danger in too much surgery being done on "asymptomatic" patients anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-61400758120756179332011-11-01T01:00:22.862-04:002011-11-01T01:00:22.862-04:00I'm a follower of your posts and likely will c...I'm a follower of your posts and likely will continue--regardless of the disparities in this one (lol). However, (uh oh!)as a MIRP patient myself, now "cured" from PHPT, it actually pains me to note e how far off the mark some of your remarks hit the target. Over a year ago four highly intelligent, caring ladies (oops,I count myself as one of them) formed a PT FB page for many varying reasons. A couple thousand have joined us, more each day, and would greatly beg to differ. There is No Such Thing as Asymptomatic HPT. Want to mention in passing, we've had a couple outstanding surgeons "get it" about this disease, & "blessedly give of their time to post w/us (some anonymously, I add)--and "were not" soliciting to cut and cure anyone's PHPT. ...Oh, and BTW, could you send our way all your "Fibro" and "CFS" patients, too? Best regards <br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parathyroid-Disease-Support-Awareness/109955205759331#!/pages/Parathyroid-Disease-Support-Awareness/109955205759331?sk=wallfirebird56noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-83249873877681560952010-02-19T05:09:54.069-05:002010-02-19T05:09:54.069-05:00Hmm Well I was just searching on Google for some p...Hmm Well I was just searching on Google for some psychic readings and psychic articles and just came across your blog, generally I just only visit blogs and retrieve my required information but this time the useful information that you posted in this post compelled me to reply here and appreciate your good work. I just bookmarked your blog.Psychichttp://www.lifepsychic.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-33710450349668854122009-06-18T13:12:50.679-04:002009-06-18T13:12:50.679-04:00Great post. I was curious about your object/subje...Great post. I was curious about your object/subject dichotomy issue in this context. If the object is the treatment and the subject is the disease then the object will always have a role in defining the subject.<br /><br />In the pre-antibiotic era the mortality of something like pneumonia or a staphylococcal skin infection was high. Antibiotics have redefined those diseases.<br /><br />Diabetes is another example of a disease that has been redefined by its therapy (object defining the subject). Type 1 diabetes was universally fatal before the advent of insulin therapy.<br /><br />As the risk of surgical procedures decreases, it makes sense to me that it may be offered to patients who will derive a smaller benefit (the old risk-to-benefit ratio). Of course, I agree with your critique of this article's conclusions. What I am struggling with is the overall object/subject dichotomy in this context.<br /><br />Am I missing something?Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10720045338467900718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-67771180102850139362009-06-09T15:52:12.105-04:002009-06-09T15:52:12.105-04:00Chrissy-
Nice to hear. But the point of the piece...Chrissy-<br />Nice to hear. But the point of the piece didn't have anything to do with SYMPTOMATIC hyperparathyroidism...Jeffrey Parks MD FACShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15650563299849196122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-38954899604495387552009-06-09T11:30:04.288-04:002009-06-09T11:30:04.288-04:00Very interesting reading since I have recently had...Very interesting reading since I have recently had the surgery you specifically talk about. I was symptomatic with high blood pressure VERY high level of calcium 12 +, pain, digestion, depression, muscle weakness, feeling of doom.... I for one have in my 3rd week post op have had great results. Normal blood pressure, no pain, mood, energy, strength are all coming back. Take a look at my full hyperparathyroidectomy story on my blog at http://www.thymeinmygarden.comChrissyhttp://www.thymeinmygarden.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-71810757599508366092009-05-19T12:06:00.000-04:002009-05-19T12:06:00.000-04:00I am tired, achy and depressed a lot. Maybe I need...I am tired, achy and depressed a lot. Maybe I need that surgery (tongue firmly in cheek).Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03720850059466062550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-59158745100959362432009-05-07T10:19:00.000-04:002009-05-07T10:19:00.000-04:00Let your freak flag fly, Buckeye! Barthes is more ...Let your freak flag fly, Buckeye! Barthes is more fun, plus he was run over by a milk truck after lunching with Francois Mitterand. Baudrillard is so... lacanian -- obliterating the subject, the author. I am sitting here, giggling. <br /><br />Quality of life. Jesus.<br /><br />I've always thought that Foucault's clarion call and challenge that a field become the object of its own study -- I've always thought that would be a grand thing. It's not a prolonged bellybutton stare; It's not super subspecialization: Those are easy outs. It's more object of the gaze.<br /><br />A great post, I thought, but then, this is the kind of reified/rarefied schtuff I used to enjoy. Good fun over a beer.Bianca Castafiore?https://www.blogger.com/profile/07088130255223709497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-10304875885510574322009-05-07T01:02:00.000-04:002009-05-07T01:02:00.000-04:00Nice piece. Curious, do you do any thyroid surger...Nice piece. Curious, do you do any thyroid surgery in your practice or have the endocrine folks taken it all away?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-47479545947030983012009-05-04T10:45:00.000-04:002009-05-04T10:45:00.000-04:00You certainly let your dorkdom out of the bag!You certainly let your dorkdom out of the bag!Kellienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-52256518973731589002009-05-04T08:39:00.000-04:002009-05-04T08:39:00.000-04:00my hyperthyroid actually gives me a +3 dex modifie...my hyperthyroid actually gives me a +3 dex modifier and -3 stam because I'm up all night.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-47192062239613643192009-05-04T08:32:00.000-04:002009-05-04T08:32:00.000-04:00I'm glad your writing is not as obtuse as Baudrill...I'm glad your writing is not as obtuse as Baudrillard. I, too, wonder about this "very Baudrillardian situation" of the object defining the subject. "The surgical procedure, heretofore a response to the ravages of a disease, is now redefining the very disease that it purportedly hopes to assuage."<br /><br />Let's hope we surgeons and physicians are careful here.rlbateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15236331355857884458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-25619536886339801182009-05-04T02:03:00.000-04:002009-05-04T02:03:00.000-04:00Great post.
The primacy of symbolism over subst...Great post. <br /><br />The primacy of symbolism over substance is on of my pet peeves, but I'm sure I am susceptible to it, as well.<br /><br />And the redefining of disease, I believe, has been most striking in the psych field as treatments (lucrative pharmaceuticals which must be taken chronically) are developed and markets cultivated. Maybe patients are healthier - but is it cost effective?DKVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15449584867334837982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760353953251845523.post-75766376553355766122009-05-03T22:41:00.000-04:002009-05-03T22:41:00.000-04:00Great post. Definitely some parallels to when lap...Great post. Definitely some parallels to when lap choles were all the rage in the late 80's and 90's as well.MedZaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369686516173224979noreply@blogger.com