1st let me say, that Dr. Avital Harari has saved my life, in so many different ways. I went in to be evaluated for the parathyroid issues I knew I had (blood calcium levels 11.8 with PTH levels of 84) and the CT scan of my throat barely caught something disturbing in my upper right lung. It was hardly on the scan. And it turned out to be a false alarm in the long run, but Dr. Harari ordered a CT scan of my lung to be sure, and there it was, on the opposite side and farther down….. I had lung cancer! No symptoms or indication of anything wrong with me at all. Lung functioning at 88% (and for a 68 year old who didn’t exercise much this wasn’t bad) and no cough or other indicative issues. So I was referred to Dr. Robert Cameron at UCLA and I now have 2 beloved Dr’s there. I had lung surgery to remove the upper lobe of my left lung on May 21st of 2015, followed by Parathyroid surgery on August 11th, 2015. We caught cancer in time (Phase 1) and I expect a full recovery. Now for the parathyroid issue….

To back track, there I was, dealing with the end of life illnesses and death of 2 beloved parents from 2007 to 2012. I was tired and achy and depressed and my blood pressure had started to go sky high, and I thought all of it was related to what I was personally going through. It was only in late 2013 that I started to try and deal with my own health issues. It wasn’t until 2014 that I really got a handle on anything. My Dr.s were moving very slowly.

I had had one of my 4 parathyroid glands removed in 2006 and knew what had happened to me then, but this time around everything was much worse, possibly because it was the 2nd time around for me, happening in very different ways. I had not had the depression or the extreme lethargy before. Nothing was good for me now, any more, and I couldn’t find the energy to even go to the Dr. and complain about anything. The 1st time around, I had had tiredness and aches in my joints, but nothing like this 2nd go-round. (During surgery, Dr. Harari discovered that the 2nd offending gland had actually been “clipped” by the 1st surgeon – who was not an expert at this surgery.) In other words, the gland removed the 2nd time around had a clip attached to it by the 1st Dr.!

It was made worse because of my ignoring the high blood calcium levels – originally slightly above 10 – and the failure of my wonderful GP to actually realize that this was the sure sign I had had parathyroidism return. We both thought it was my personal life’s experiences playing out on my body. So to go through the maneuvers of the health system here, I 1st needed to get an in-house referral to an endocriminologist. This done, the Dr. wanted to deal with me as an entire entity and not as a parathyroid case. She was concerned (rightly so) with my high cholesterol and other factors having to do with her speciality, but when I mentioned I would rather not have surgery again if it could possibly be avoided, I didn’t know it would delay my eventual surgery by more than 1 year. She never did tell me that I would eventually need surgery, so I had better face up to it once again. If that had ever been said, I would have moved far more quickly to a surgery.

I started by having the 24 hour urine calcium collection test followed by scans of my internal organs for kidney stones etc. Lots of calcium being eliminated but no kidney stones. Good start but bad bones it turned out. Then it was to try me on SENSIPAR, a hateful drug used normally only for secondary parathyroidism. It took months to get approval to take it and then my reaction was so adverse that I eventually took only 6 pills after all was said and done. I have since found out that this drug affects more than 1/2 of the people who take it adversely, and that it should never be used on primary hyperparathyroidism.

Eventually, when I declared I could not take this medicine because it was more like a poison than anything good for me, I was referred to 2 different groups of surgeons. The 1st was the normal one she had been using for many years near my home and the 2nd was the group at UCLA, because I BROUGHT THE GROUP TO HER ATTENTION. Interestingly, I had researched this UCLA group the year earlier as I thought surgery was going to happen once again. At that time, I thought Dr. Harari and a minimally invasive form of surgery might be a good match with me. I turned out to be correct. Certainly it was better than my original long and nasty looking scar and the 2 day stay in the hospital with attendant IV’s and tubes.

Surgery was easy, considering, and I needed no pain medication at all. I drove to the hospital, had the surgery and drove myself back home the next day! A nurse said she had never before heard of this happening. The facility in Santa Monica was great and I can’t speak highly enough of the care I received. Surgery is scary, but don’t delay it. Compared to lung cancer surgery, this is a breeze.

I didn’t heal easily from cancer surgery until I had the 2nd parathyroid surgery. The difference is unparalleled. It is only 6 weeks from this last surgery and I am doing very well, finally. I am back to exercise and trying to learn to breath again. Sometimes a struggle, I am grateful that at UCLA and in this endocrine practice, there are people who are complete PEOPLE and Doctors. Dr. Avital Harari is a delightful person and a more than brilliant Doctor. I think the scar she left me with this time around (over my last one and much smaller) is worthy of her being called a cosmetic plastic surgeon. Her work is delicate and precise.

Any questions anyone might have, please feel free to ask. I have been through this twice. I am told there is only a 3% chance that it will ever happen again, compared to a 30% chance of it happening a 2nd time. Just so you all know……

I was very impressed and comforted by the competency and friendliness of everyone involved with this surgery. The doctors, the nurses, the hospital stay, everyone was great. Having surgery and facing the unknown in any situation is nerve racking and upsetting, but the overall experience was easy. Everyone involved made such a difference on this surgery, and the scar in removing my tumor from my parathyroid is barely noticeable. Thank you so much to Dr. Harari and your staff for making me all better

Thanks to a referral from my wonderful Endocrinologist, Dr. Jelena Maletkovic, I met with Dr. Avital Harari prior to having surgery on my Parathyroid. Dr. Harari exceeded all of my expectations. She thoroughly reviewed all aspects of the surgery, including possible but rarely experienced complications. I left the office visit with Dr. Harari knowing that her insight into Parathyroid disorders was exceptional and that she would do everything within her power to ensure that the surgery was a success. I was able to have the surgery as an outpatient. Dr. Harari was able to remove the gland that was creating the high Calcium level. Due to her excellent skills as a surgeon, Dr. Harari left me with only a small scar on my neck that was barely visible. Today, evidence of the scarring is completely gone. I would not hesitate to refer Dr. Harari for anyone needing Endocrine surgery.

For a few years I have had various Gastro complaints – none of them were substantiated by ultrasound or other test. I started thinking that perhaps I was a hypochondriac! But I just felt that something was not right. My energy level also was lower than I wanted it to be. As a 61 year old woman I am still very active and not ready to slow down. Then my wonderful gastroenterologist, Dr. Lena Martyak – noticed the increase of calcium on a blood test. This set in motion a series of doctor visits and examinations ending with my meeting of Dr. Harari. On December 8 the one parathyroid that was the culprit of my increased calcium and PTH levels was removed. I was released the same day. That evening I felt a bit tired but was able to take the dog on a short stroll and had a very restful night. It took two more days to really recover from the anesthesia – including a scary spike in blood pressure the next day. The pain from the incision was minimal (only took some over the counter pain medication the first night after the surgery) and only a bit of swelling on my neck. I was very glad that I did not have to go back to work until after the weekend. But by Monday – 6 days after the surgery I was totally fine. The incision was very small and healed well. Dr. Harari placed it in a fold on my neck and it is hardly visible. At first I could not tell a great difference in my wellbeing but after about 4 weeks I realized how healthy I felt and that all my gastro issues were gone. One more thing I want to mention: Dr. Harari is one of the nicest and most competent doctors you will ever meet! She has a lovely way of putting you at ease, explain everything without attitude, and I felt in very good hands with her!

I just recently had parathyroid surgery with Dr. Harari in January 2016. The staff and Dr. Harari made me feel very comfortable and they all were very competent and caring. I used their distance service since I was coming from Reno, NV. I saw Dr. Harari and had my CT scan on Friday, had surgery the next Tuesday, saw Dr. Harari again the next Friday and then was able to fly home. Despite having problems with finding my parathyroids and having a low calcium level for a couple of weeks, everything is going fine now. My scar, about 2 inches, is healing well, still a little pink, but looking better every day. I am so glad that I chose UCLA for my surgery, as I feel that the local surgeon may have had a challenge with my case. I really wanted a place that does hundreds of these surgeries every year. Dr. Harari was very good at explaining the testing, the surgery, and the healing. Will have my lab tests repeated in March and then again in 3 months. I am hoping that my osteoporosis will be greatly improved in a year since that was the main reason for having the surgery. My primary doctor told me that I had the bones of a 70 year old and I am only 54. Thanks again UCLA Endocrine Surgery for a job well done.

Dr. Harari performed thyroid surgery on me in 2015 and would like to say that she is a great surgeon. I recovered fully within months of surgery with minimal scarring.

I would recommend Dr. Harrari to anybody who is needing endocrine surgery!