I am a 64 year old female who recently had a complete thyroidectomy on Nov. 10, 2015 which was performed by Dr. Harari. My journey began four years ago when an ultrasound of my thyroids showed a small nodule on the right thyroid. A referral was made by my primary doctor to an endocrine specialist in USC who reviewed the ultrasound report and concluded that the nodule was quite small and was not of any significance. I was put on Levothyroxine medication for a period of six months as my thyroid tests were somewhat off. No further treatment or tests were performed after the first ultrasound four years ago. Sometime in August 2015, I was in my primary doctor’s office for routine follow up visit to discuss results of my usual lab tests for high cholesterol, high BP, diabetes, etc. While in the doctor’s office, it suddenly dawned on me just of out the blue, to ask my doctor about my ultrasound of four years ago. I told my doctor that I was wondering what had happened to the small nodule on my right thyroid, whether it was still there or has disappeared. My doctor decided to find out and ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound came back and showed that the nodule found four years ago got bigger in size, and there were two new nodules on the right and two on the left. All in all, there were 5 nodules. The radiologist recommended a follow up ultrasound in six months. My primary doctor then filed away the report in my folder. So, I went home and thought about that report. I felt very uncomfortable and I felt that something wasn’t right. After a couple of weeks, I decided to go back to my primary doctor and told him how I felt and that I wanted to see an endocrinologist for a second opinion. I then made an appointment with Dr. David Ahn, a UCLA doctor in Santa Clarita Valley where I live. I showed him the report and he immediately ordered a biopsy of the biggest nodule on the right thyroid. A biopsy was done In October 2015 and it showed that the nodule was cancerous. I was pretty upset by the results but Dr. Ahn was very emphathetic and told me that he will refer me to an endocrine surgeon in UCLA Westwood. He assured me that these doctors are among the finest in the world and I would be in very good hands. I was made an appointment to see Dr. Harari in mid October 2015. I immediately liked Dr. Harari. I liked her demeanor and she gave me the impression that she knew exactly what she was going to do with my case, her action plan, her pro active stance and her decision to remove both thyroids which was exactly what I wanted to hear. I also liked the fact that she performed her own ultrasound and didn’t only rely on the ultrasound report done previously. The surgery was then scheduled for Nov. 10, 2015. Before my appointment with Dr. Harari, I was quite nervous not knowing my fate and the outcome of the surgery and of course, going under the knife would make anyone afraid and nervous for that matter. When I left Dr. Harari’s office, I felt reassured and calm that I was going to be in good hands and that Dr. Harari was a good surgeon. The surgery was performed on Nov. 10, 2015. The check in went very smoothly, the preparation for the surgery was done, the anesthesiologist talked to me and so did the nurses of Dr. Harari’s surgical theme. They were all very professional and reassuring that I was in very good hands as they said that Dr. Harari was very detailed and really required perfection from her surgical team.:-) Lastly, Dr. Harari came and spoke to me before the surgery and asked how I was doing and everything. I’m thinking to myself, I’ll be fine with this surgery. The surgery was performed and the only hardship I had was in the recovery room. I don’t do well at all post surgery. I felt so ill, and my body hurt all over. But, I do react this way even with my previous surgeries. I was taken to my room and was quite restless during the night but the nurses were so good, so kind and attentive to my needs when I called them. Both the daytime and night time nurses were awesome! The following morning, the surgical team came and asked how I was doing. I was discharged from the hospital in that afternoon. I went home and recuperated. Eleven days later, I saw Dr. Harari for a follow up visit. She discussed the results of the pathology report and it was found that both thyroids had cancerous nodules. So, Dr. Harari’s decision to remove both thyroids was spot on. I was happy that she made that decision early on. She was right. Otherwise, if she removed only the right thyroids based on the biopsy report, then I would have gone in for another surgery to remove the left thyroid. I was thankful that Dr. Harari had that insight and expertise to come to a decision to remove both thyroids. I am also very thankful to Dr. Harari, the surgical team and the entire UCLA staff or doctors and nurses for giving me the best possible care ever. Everything was first class and UCLA Santa Monica is a world class hospital. I would also like commend Dr. David Ahn, my UCLA endocrinologist who continues to follow up on my medical care post surgery. Right now, I am fully recovered and back to my normal activities. Thank you so much Dr. Harari and the UCLA team!! I am forever grateful..

I am a 54-year-old male retired firefighter from Ventura CA. I was having hand pain and numbness in November 2015. My hand ortho referred me to his spinal surgeon partner for an MRI of my neck. It was during this MRI that a nodule was noticed on my thyroid, which had nothing to do with any of my hand/neck issues, just discovered by chance. I saw my personal physician who ordered an ultrasound, which showed nodules in both lobes of the thyroid. Due to the sizes of the nodules, she ordered biopsies to be taken. The biopsies came back positive for papillary thyroid cancer even though my blood work came back normal. I was referred to Dr. Harari at UCLA. The pre-op appointment went well. I was immediately impressed with Dr. Harari, her staff and the UCLA facility. Dr. Harari conducted another ultrasound herself and found suspicious lymph nodes near my clavicle. I was sent to UCLA Santa Monica to see Dr. Katrina Beckett for biopsy. I was again impressed at the facility, Dr. Beckett and staff. My surgery was on January 7, 2016 with Dr. Harari at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. The pre-op staff was wonderful. I met with the anesthesiologist, Dr. Harari’s interns and Dr. Harari before surgery. Prior to surgery she planned to remove the total thyroid, lymph nodes below and to the side resulting in a 5-hour surgery. During surgery, 3 suspicious lymph nodes were biopsied, which all came back clear of cancer. This shortened the surgery to 3 hours. Dr Harari believes all the cancer was contained to the thyroid (now removed). I made it through recovery with no issues and spent the night in the hospital. The night staff was great, and I have never been in such a quiet hospital. I spent a very comfortable night and was discharged the following morning. I started taking 200 mcg levrothyroxine the first morning post op. I had a 2 week follow up with Dr. Harari. At this point, my scar had healed to a point where it is barely visible – amazing. I am scheduled for radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) next week. Overall, this has been quite an experience and learning process dealing with an unexpected curve ball in life. My main challenges were due to being thrown some unexpected news – cancer – and then trying learn as much about thyroid cancer and outcomes. Online support groups and the internet is good, but can be overwhelming and even misleading. I fell back to trust in my medical team and their treatment plan. I did not give this trust freely, they each earned my trust by their demeanor, history and actions. I feel very blessed and fortunate to have an excellent medical team from my primary physician, endocrinologist (Dr Westhoff-Pankratz) and Dr Harari. I give UCLA a 10 out of 10.

I kept feeling tired, unable to concentrate, and depressed. I had originally been diagnosed with osteopenia and took Fossamax. Dr. Vikram Kamdar, who is a first-rate endocrinologist, kept close watch on my calcium, and PTH levels, both of which were elevated over several months. It often takes a long period of monitoring before the endocrine anomaly can be identified.

Even if you have a calcium level that’s between 10.0-10.5 (which is “normal”), double check and make sure you don’t have hyperparathyroidism. It’s so easy to miss, and I never would have know had it not been for Dr. Kamdar’s knowledge and insight. He ruled out early onset of osteoporosis and, after he noted high PTH levels, Dr. Kamdar authorized a Sestemibi scan. He subsequently diagnosed me with hyperparathyrodism and referred me to Dr. Harari,for consult.

Dr Harari performed my parathyroidectomy 10 July 2012. I wanted to add my surgical experience because I didn’t see any comments about her talent and vast knowledge about the endocrine system. I couldn’t have been more confident in a surgeon: my confidence was well-placed. She is personable, provides a succinct overview of the surgery process, recovery, and possible complications. Her comments were clear, concise, and easily understandable. She is absolutely brilliant, and I learned a lot from her about this under-diagnosed condition. Dr. Harari discovered one enlarged parathyroid prior to surgery.

During surgery, she noted that I had growths on all four parathyroids and removed 3-1/2. She made a minor incision that, only two months later, is invisible. No one knows I had surgery unless I point it out to them. Post-surgery, I had a sore throat for only two days.

The parathyroid glands control calcium levels, so make sure you have a lot of calcium citrate (not calcium carbonate, such as Tums: the body doesn’t digest that form of calcium well). If you have a parathyroidectomy. I usually take about 7 grams per day, but check with your doctor first so you will know the appropriate doses for you: everyone’s different. I also take calcitrol to balance my vitamin D level. I also take renegel to lower my phosphorous levels which became quite high after surgery.

A note of caution: you may feel some tingling in your extremities after surgery, which means you have low calcium after the surgery, I felt pins and needles throughout my body: the feeling was similar to having “pins-and-needles” in your feet. If this happens to you after surgery, go to your doctor or ER right away. Your calcium levels may have dropped too low. This condition depends on your own body chemistry and not everyone has this experience. Also, your phosphorous level may increase significantly, so expect to have a blood test very soon after surgery.

I will have to take calcium–and perhaps renegel and calcitrol–for the rest of my life: it’s a small price to pay in exchange for how great I feel now. I’ve taken a lot of supplements all my life, so I hardly notice taking a few extra calcium pills every day.

If you’re looking for an excellent endocrinologist and endocrine surgeon, Dr. Kamdar and Dr. Harari are a dynamic team who take excellent care of their patients. I will never be able to thank them enough for all of their careful attention and how much better I feel because of them.

I am a teacher in Los Angeles and I just had parathyroid surgery removing two parathyrod. I also have nodules on my thyroids. During last year’s annual physical, the calcium level was high and my physician was suspicious that my parathyroid was out of whack. She always knew I had nodules on my thyroids for years and it was always a borderline in my blood tests. I was sent to my endocrinologist, I had to have a scan, nuclear imaging, and biopsy. Then I was referred to a surgeon, where I met Dr. Harari. She’s a wonderful doctor, she is very caring and I liked her the instant I met her. After a while and more tests, I had to go into surgery. I never doubted, or was scared or nervous, I always had the feeling I would get healthier. I had fantatic care at the UCLA Santa Monica Hospital. After surgery, I had a sore throat for a couple days, I went back to school after 5 days and went to Hawaii two weeks later. It’s been about a month later, my voice is back stronger, a faint scar is there on my throat, eventually wrinkles will cover it. I love the care I received from the doctors and nurses at the hospital. It was a great experience!

I’m a 53 year old female who had a trauma accident 5 years ago. A couple months after accident I started shaking and had major anxiety. Labs were run and my calcium came back at 11.3. My drs never addressed it and was told that they did not know what was wrong with me and put me on a therapeutic dose of Xanax. Spent the next year going through Xanax hell and tapering off of it. Every year from there on out my calcium would come back in the mid 10’s. Again no dr. Would address why it was high even though I questioned it. I continued to not feel right. Had UTI’s gained weight, fatigued, heart palpitations, blurry vision, thirst, depression and anxiety. Drs. Kept blaming my accident. I was also diagnosed with osteopenia. That brings me to June of 21012. Labs done and calcium was in the 10’s still and vit D was 23. Was told to start on vitamin D for the osteopenia and the low D levels. Fist month on 2000iu I felt good. As I continued the next month I started to get nauseated and fatigued. Peeing constantly and so thirsty, became anorexic and pretty much non functional, anxiety was through the roof and was having racing heart and pounding heart.. Found a new GP and he tested me and finally said my calcium was high 10.9. He tested my PTH and came back 67. He told me I had parathryoid disease and would probably need surgery. I searched and found Dr. Harari at UCLA. My prayers were answered and they scheduled everything. I had the sestambi scan which showed the adenoma and then saw Dr. Harari same day and had an ultrasound which again confirmed the scan. We scheduled surgery and within a month later had a adenoma removed on Oct. 23 2012. Dr. Harari and the UCLA staff and team where wonderful. I stayed the night since I had traveled 3 hours. I had the best care! They monitored me and were on top of it. once released my calcium had dropped and I had moments that I needed to talk to Dr. Harari. I was very impressed that she would call me and go over my issues. She even called me one night late when I had talked to the oncall dr. She was concerned and wanted to know what was going on. I highly recommend her and UCLA for this surgery. She did a great job and my incision is hardly noticeable. I am 10 weeks since surgery and am doing great. This was a life changing surgery for me. It didn’t happen overbite but after about 3 weeks I had considerable improvement and I continue to get better everyday. Thank You Dr. Harari and UCLA!

I was diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism about 14 years ago. My internist’s recommendation was to continue to monitor the blood calcium levels and watch for symptoms. Overt symptoms did not appear, with the exception of what I believed was an episode of kidney stones. As the calcium level increased I was referred to an endocrinologist who recommended continued monitoring. I got bone density scans periodically with normal results until about two years ago when the bone density dropped into the osteopenia range. My doctors felt this was consistent with readings for a woman my age—73, and were not alarmed. In August of 2011, my endocrinologist ordered a CT scan of the neck, but said he didn’t see anything unusual. He recommended continued monitoring. In the spring of 2012, I began experiencing bouts of general malaise and fatigue with increasing arthritis pain. By June, my joint pain had increased and I was having bone pain in my legs resembling shin splints. Finally in August I went to see my internist who ordered blood tests. She called me the next day to say that my calcium level was higher than it had ever been at 11.4 and could be the cause of my pain. She recommended that I increase fluid intake to decrease the symptoms and to see my endocrinologist right away. I made the appointment, got the blood tests required for my visit, but the appointment had to be postponed for several weeks due to an emergency in the doctor’s family. When I inquired about the results of the blood tests I was told the calcium level wasn’t too high and that I shouldn’t worry about it.

Frustrated, I began researching my condition on the Internet. I found that the symptoms can be subtle, easily mistaken for other illnesses, and realized that I had been having many of these symptoms for some time. I was impressed with the web site of UCLA’s endocrinology team and especially impressed with their research on hyperparathyroidism, which suggested that surgery is just as helpful in mild cases as it is in severe ones. I wasted no time in making an appointment with Dr. Avital Harari.

Dr. Harari’s exam was very thorough and included a multi stage CT scan as well as an ultrasound. She was able to detect an enlarged parathyroid gland and recommended surgery to remove it. My surgery went very well. Dr. Harari was careful to utilize safeguards to prevent damage to the vocal cords and within days many of my painful symptoms had started to subside. My experience with Dr. Harari and her team couldn’t have been more satisfactory. She was very responsive, encouraging email correspondence and responding quickly with the information and help I needed. The hospital staff was professional and very caring. I am recovering nicely.

But that’s not the whole story! During the initial exam, Dr. Harari discovered two nodules on my thyroid gland. She ordered a biopsy, which proved to be inconclusive, but she determined my risk of thyroid cancer to be about 50%. I opted to have the thyroid removed. Both surgeries were done at the same time. I have had hypothyroidism and have taken thyroid hormone supplement for nearly 40 years so taking additional hormone is not a burden. The incision scar is almost gone now—seven weeks out of surgery. I’m feeling better than I have felt for a long, long time. The pathology report on the thyroid indicated that one of the nodules was cancerous, but it was very small and encapsulated. An ultrasound of the lymph nodes in my neck showed them to be clear and no further treatment is recommended. I am very, very grateful for Dr. Harari’s skill and thoroughness. I believe she saved me from a much more serious illness by her careful examination and care. She’s my hero!

Mollie Vanderzyl, Retired School Administrator
Riverside, California

Well, just got back from my consultation with Dr. Harari and all I can say is that I was quite impressed! What took month and months to figure out, she figured my PTH and a game plan in a matter of minutes. She had all the right answers. I am happy to have an expert in this surgery especially when there are very incompetent surgeons out there. This is a very different type of medical problem and not everybody has the experience necessary so do your homework!

It is the day after my parathyroid surgery performed by Dr. Harari. less than 24 hours after my surgery I am feeling great! I have not had the need for any pain medicine since I left the recovery room yesterday, and have been up and about without any problems. I have been looking forward to the removal of the bad parathyroid since it was diagnosed months ago. Dr. Harari took every step to ensure what and where the problem was located and did so successfully.
Thanks guys for guiding me through the process

Hi, I’m a 71 year old male who just wasn’t feeling right. I made this comment to my internist and he did my usual 3 month blood, I’m type II diabetic. He found my calcium level was 13. I was retested and confirmed. Now the problem, I had my Thyroid removed 38 years ago and have a LOT of scar tissue. Dr. Harari and others made sure I had every test possible to locate the bad parathyroid, including a test to be sure I had 2 vocal cords. The result was unbelievable, surgery at noon, lunch at 4 and wanting to be released at 5pm. I spent the night to be sure my calcium level was constant and was released the next day went home for lunch and on to work. No pain, no discomfort, no scar, I was glued, and at UCLA Santa Monica I felt I was in a hotel not a hospital. Everyone was great!!!!!