Hypocalcemia

Question: I have post thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. How long before my parathyroid glands come back to life? That is, if they aren't already completely gone (I understand it's a possibility). I also don't seem to be absorbing the calcium they are giving me, even though I'm on calcitrol, magnesium and a vitamin d supplement. What are other ways I can help myself heal?

Answer: How long has it been?

Question: Has anyone ever come across a lactating ferret with Hypocalcemia? Yes the vet did diagnose hypocalcemia. She had been supplemented during pregnancy and after the birth, she only showed symptoms anything was wrong when the kits were 6 days old. Just a slight stagger in her walk. I rushed her immediately to vets and she was hospitalised, had blood samples done which confirmed diagnosis and underwent treatment of calcium shots. She picked up for a few hours but deteriorated again in the evening and the vet tried another calcium shot amongst other things which she failed to respond to and she passed away. The vet assured me that there was nothing that could have been done to prevent it as I had done everything and more that could be done for her but a week later I'm still beating myself up about it and I wondered if anyone else has had a similar experience. The vet said its practically unheard of in ferrets and it was a case of very, very bad luck. Yes I have another jill who is nursing and has taken on the foster babies, both mother and babies are doing brilliantly and the babies are rapidly growing and Cassie is fit as a fiddle. As for the ferrets nutrition I feed all my ferrets (26 of them) on vitalin ferret food as the base of thier diet which is available to them 24 hours a day. In addition I feed raw mince, chicken legs/wings, occasional day old chicks and liver. Pregnant/lactating jills also get kitten milk and duck soup, which is why I find it hard to understand how her calcium levels could have got so low. I took her to vets the second I saw something was wrong and believe me I'm checking on the ferrets to the point of obsession. The vet said I noticed symptoms which most people wouldn't even notice. Yes I am well aware that day old chicks are not a staple diet, as I said I feed the occasional day old chick as a supplement/treat not as the basis of the ferrets diet

Answer: I've never had a pregnant female ferret, but know for a fact that once they get an illness, you had better take them to the vet ASAP. Sounds like you did. I'm not sure what could have been done. Sometimes the disease can get the best of ferrets. Now about the babies. Are you taking care of them? Feeding them? I've only had ferrets as pets, not as a breeder. I hope another female has "taken to them" if at all possible. Dooks!

Question: Whenever i get very angry or mentaly stressed i get into hypocalcemia seizure what can i do to stop it? Hi i need help whenever i am extremely angry depressed or just stressed out i get seizures tremors jitteriness i cannot control my limbs and depending on my mental state the seizures are less or more strong what can i do to prevent this

Answer: Higher stress levels affect both the mental and physical health of a person. Deep breathing is a simple relaxation technique which can be used to effectively lower stress levels at any time.There are many deep breathing relaxation techniques which when followed will make you feel relaxed.More details and remedies at http://deeplyrelax.com

Question: What causes hypocalcemia in acute pancreatitis?

Answer: Acute pancreatitis is sometimes associated with tetany and hypocalcemia. It is caused primarily by precipitation of calcium soaps in the abdominal cavity, but glucagon-stimulated calcitonin release and decreased PTH secretion may play a role. When the pancreas is damaged, free fatty acids are generated by the action of pancreatic lipase. Insoluble calcium salts are present in the pancreas, and the free fatty acids avidly chelate the salts, resulting in calcium deposition in the retroperitoneum. In addition, hypoalbuminemia may be a part of the clinical picture, resulting in a reduction in total serum calcium. In patients with concomitant alcohol abuse, a poor nutritional intake of calcium and vitamin D, as well as accompanying hypomagnesemia, may predispose those with pancreatitis to hypocalcemia.

Question: why would hypocalcemia cause bleeding disorders? and why would hyperkalemia lead to brachycardia?

Answer: you need calcium to coagulate blood---so anyone with hemophilia would lack a normal, healthy amount of calcium in the plasma. hyperkalemia can lead to bradycardia (aka slow heart rate) because it is a key component in the action potential cascade---too much potassium leads to excessive hyperpolarization across the cell membrane and this affects heart pumping in a decreased amount.

Question: Why is there hypocalcemia in acute pancreatitis?

Answer: Huh? Hypoglycemia is a medical term referring to a pathologic state produced by a lower than normal amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. The term hypoglycemia literally means "under-sweet blood" (Gr.hypo-, glykys, haima). Hypoglycemia can produce a variety of symptoms and effects but the principal problems arise from an inadequate supply of glucose as fuel to the brain, resulting in impairment of function (neuroglycopenia). Derangements of function can range from vaguely "feeling bad" to coma, and (rarely) permanent brain damage or death. Hypoglycemia can arise from many causes and can occur at any age. The most common forms of moderate and severe hypoglycemia occur as a complication of treatment of diabetes mellitus with insulin or oral medications. Basically Low Blood sugar levels.. and Acute pancreatitis is rapidly-onset inflammation of the pancreas. Depending on its severity, it can have severe complications and high mortality despite treatment. While mild cases are often successfully treated with conservative measures or laparoscopy, severe cases require invasive surgery (often more than one intervention) to contain the disease process.

Question: My dam has hypocalcemia and can't feed her 5 pups anymore? Could someone please help me with more details. I have had to separate the mother and puppies and am hand feeding the pups. They are 3 weeks old and just starting on solids. I finally got my vet to give her a shot of something to dry her milk up but when can she come home to her babies?? If they try to suckle will her milk come back? I am so sad they are separated as they should be together

Answer: I wouldn't let her suckle them.Just wean them - they are old enough.After they have been on solid food for a week,let the mom see them,but if they start to suckle,separate them again.Is the mother still at the vet? She should be able to come home if her eclampsia has been successfully treated.You just have to keep the pups from nursing

Question: what is the mechanism by which hypocalcemia causes tetany? thanks, but how and why does dissociation of calcium cause sensitization of Na channels??

Answer: calcium ions are drawn away from their association with the voltage-gated sodium channels thus sensitising them. The upset to membrane potential is therefore caused by an influx of sodium to the cell, not directly by the hypocalcaemia. As a result, too many action potentials are sent to muscles causing spasm.

Question: what are the causes of hypocalcemia and its rationale? pls. help me... thank you

Answer: lack of calcium

Question: What are signs of hypocalcemia? Today I ran a fourth of a mile and after that my head was pounding for about two hours and i felt like killing myself! Ahhh and I had pains in my neck, i was dizzy, tired, and Iam just curious!?. I hate milk and I drink it like once a month and barely ever have dairy should i be scared?!

Answer: i dont think you should be worrying unless you have had your menopause.calcium level of the female body drops drastically after that and calcium suppements are necessary. i havent been drinking milk for the last 3-4 years.i really dont like it.but i dont have hypoglycemia. there are so many other sources of calcium as well though the best source is milk.you could try cheese if you like. have loads of green vegies and other sources of vitamin D. give your skin exposure to early morning sunshine. all this will boost the calcium level in your blood. and heavy exercise all of a sudden almost always causes body ache. you dont need to worry about that..! regular exercise makes your body get used to it. then it dosent feel so uneasy.

Question: Just Diagnoised with Hypocalcemia, and have some weird symptoms going on right now, what should I do? I got stressed, and now have really bad leg cramps, left side of neck hurts, head is just spinning, but really hate hospitals. I have been scarred and burned by doctors before, and I am stumped. Took a asprin, just in case, but what else should I do for these symptoms, are they hypocalcemia related?

Answer: Symptoms could be a lot of things...some are dangerous to delay treatment for. On the other hand, hypocalcemia can cause muscle cramps...for that you'll need to take a calcium supplement (at least)! See your Doctor...please! Remember that the heart is a muscle, too! kjl

Question: what are the signs and symptoma of hypocalcemia?

Answer: Hypocalcemia is an abnormally low level of calcium in the blood. It may be caused by low levels of parathyroid hormone (hypoparathyroidism). Other causes of hypocalcemia include vitamin D deficiency, kidney failure, acute pancreatitis, or insufficient magnesium and protein in the blood. Symptoms often do not occur with mild hypocalcemia. As hypocalcemia becomes more severe, the following symptoms may develop: Abnormal heart rhythms Muscle cramps, muscle twitching, or seizures Inability to detect touch accompanied by burning, pricking, tickling, or tingling sensation (paresthesia) of the hands, feet, lips, and tongue Hypocalcemia is treated by determining and treating the cause of the low blood calcium. Oral or intravenous calcium is given to restore the blood level to normal.

Question: My recent bloodwork showed that I had hypocalcemia and a lymphopenia.....? I'm currently waiting for more blood results but was wondering if anyone has had these two weird things or if there are any suggestions as to what could be causing them??? My doc thinks it may be something to do with my parathyroid but all the lit I've read doesn't make sense! I had blood work run initially because I have had 3 episodes of terrible muscle and joint pain (similar to flu symptom) with an elevated temp. These episodes have happened in a period of 2 years since I moved to the tropics in Australia (from the US) and they usually last for about 3 days. There are no other malaise symptoms along with the muscle cramps and joint pain. Any info would be fabulous! thanks! thanks for that! I'll keep you posted re the blood results. Should know something in a few days. She requested another ca+ level and she also requested cd4/cd8 flow cytometry (have you heard of that test before?) along with the parathyroid hormone test. Can calcium levels fluctuate like that to cause the muscle pains? Oh and I noticed that flare ups occurred when my body/mind were undergoing high stress. Initially I thought I contracted one of the tropics viruses (like ross river or dengue). Thanks for the input! I appreciate it!

Answer: These aren't so weird. Hypocalcemia is a deficiency of serum calcium, the calcium in circulating blood. It could account for the muscle pain. Lymphocytopenia is a decreased number of lymphocytes, a white cell that makes up about 25% (15% to 40%) of our total white count. A deficiency is associated with nutritional deficiency, malignancy, infection and mono to name a few. Now, the parathyroids secrete a hormone that regulates the concentration of calcium in the blood amd also ensures normal neuromuscular irritability. Acute parathyroid malfunction (hypoparathyroidsim) results in tetany (cramps, twitching and severe muscle spasms) and you're not having that so yours, if you have it, may be mild at this point. This condition can also be asymptomatic. It could still be a parathyroid issue and your doctor may have ordered a serum phosphate (phosporus) along with the calcium. In hypoparathyroidism, decreased calcium will be accompanied by increased phosphate. Was a urine calcium also done? How about a CT? I'm trying not to zero in on any one thing just yet. I feel that the additional labs you're waiting for will be helpful. Is there any way I can follow this?

Question: Has anyone had a dog nurse her litter despite hypocalcemia (milk fever?) successfully? What did you give her? My dog delivered yesterday, this morning was panting, nesting (digging in her blankets) whining and acting frantic, I took her to the vet, who administered 2 injections of calcium, and said her calcium was low (hypocalcimia, aka "milk fever"). This quieted her down, but the panting will not subside. She is nursing a litter of 4, and the vet noted she is really producing a ton of milk. She gave Cal-tabs and advised two a day, I started feeding her cottage cheese with her feedings, and I just want to know how other people have handled it? Can you make it through calcium problems in the mother and still nurse? I hate to think of having to make her stop nursing. Is panting the least of my worries, and she'll be ok? I know to watch for tremors and if she acts worse again. I want to know how to keep a handle on it. A friend with dogs suggested giving her TUMS...can you give too many when a dog is nursing? The dog by the way is a beagle, two years old, this is her first litter.

Answer: you don't want to add more calcium to her diet than what your vet has reccomended. if you think she's getting into trouble again take her back immediatly. the panting is a sign, but if she's been doing it continously it may be the least of your worries. this can turn dangerous for mom very fast. you should call the local er vet and ask them and when and if you should bring her in to have her calcuim rechecked. they can do it right there in the office. sounds like you're doing all you can, and bred her ok. but keep in mind she's had trouble now and should be spayed after this litter for her own health. good luck

Question: Explain how hypocalcemia condition would affect activity at an excitatory cholinergic synapse.?

Answer: Hypocalcemia is a deficiency in calcium. Calcium ions are required when transmitting a nreve impulse, as it is their entrance through ion channels that triggers the fusion of vesicles to the membrane and the release of neurotrasmitters. A deficiency of calcium, means a lack of calcium ions, hence the action potential cannot jump across the synapse as there are no neurotransmitters released, causing muscular spasms.

Question: why does the hypocalcemia causes CNS stimulation plz can u answer?

Answer: low ca levels lower the threshold for neural firing. In the peripheral nervous system this manifests as tetany and in the Cental nervous sytem the manifestation is convulsions( quite rare)