Parathyroid Doc - Endocrinologist

Today, for the first time ever, I actually had a face to face appointment with Dr. Deftos. I saw him at the UCSD 'Perlman' Medical Center in La Jolla (so $9 round trip).

I've actually been 'consulting' with Dr. Deftos THROUGH some of my other Endos, that have 'consulted' with him for the last several years. Now I'm STILL having hyperparathyroidsim, even though all med changes etc that he's suggested, have been given a good try. So I am now eliminating the 'middle-man-doc' and going straight to the source.

Especially as I am slowly getting sicker and sicker.

I made sure I took in copies of all the records I could get my hand on, and there were a lot, especially labs! I was even able to take the the surgical report from 1982.

We had also been in touch via email to even make this appointment. Since he is in research, and is a 'formost' parathyroid specialist in America, you don't just call up and request an appointment. It took me two weeks just to track down his email address from my other docs.

So, I was anticipating and prepared for this appointment. I was also prepared to be 'brushed off' (he IS a researcher), or for him to refuse to take me on as a patient.

Neither was the case. He listened to me. He briefely reviewed my records. He asked me some pertinent questions. Then he lined out what he would do and how he would do it.

First of all he wanted all current Calcium, pth, tests repeated at his lab. (The blood was drawn today). Then, it they come back too high, he will have the SAME tests done at two OTHER Labs, one at a time, depending on if the results continue to come back too high.

He then spoke of, POSSIBLY, down the line, a full body CT, a second Sestamibi Scan of entire head/chest. (I kept blacking out during the first one I had 4 yrs ago-so not looking forward to that!). Then we'd go from there.

So, he accepted me as one of his patients!

I left there, having had the first set of the 3 bloodworks drawn, feeling like there might be some help after all, but it isn't going to be either fast nor easy!