James Norman, MD

I just completed surgery at the Norman Parathyroid Center. It was just as described on their informative website,
. The personal attention, clear communications, and caring treatment I received far exceeded my experiences with other doctors.
Living in San Diego with its plentiful medical facilities, I never expected I would need to go elsewhere for medical treatment.
When my parathyroid disease was diagnosed, I visited one of the city’s top endocrinologists. He referred me to a local surgeon as well as noted (when I asked) that he knew of Dr Norman’s Center and spoke highly of it. But he left it to me to choose.
I visited the local surgeon and his approach, after some more testing, was as Dr. Norman described might occur: Wait until he could identify which gland was diseased and be prepared for a much more invasive operation. (An 8″ incision vs a ½ inch incision, a much longer operation vs 20 minutes, and full anethesia vs. twilight with no breathing tube required.)
That made little sense to me, based on Dr. Norman’s explanation on his website, and just common sense. For the first time, I realized that I needed to take responsibility for my own healthcare decisions and not blindly follow another’s recommendations. I read every detail on the website, and it seemed too good to believe. My first reaction, due to my cautiousness and skepticism (as a degreed engineer and physicist) was to question whether the site was more of an infomercial. But as I dug further it was clear that Dr. Norman was trying to convey as much information as possible in as clear a fashion as possible. He was being passionate about what they do.
It’s now 5 days after the surgery and I’m like new. Just need to take calcium pills while the other dormant glands wake up and take over.
If you have parathyroid disease, you owe it to yourself to find the doctor that performs more of this operation than anyone else. Not only is that Dr. Norman, but they also do it in a much less invasive way. Why would you go anywhere else?

Three weeks ago I flew from LA to Tampa to undergo parathyroid surgery from Dr. Norman and Dr. Lopez. The experience was outstanding. The staff was terrific. Dr. Norman is as advertised and has a very deserved sterling reputation. Highly recommended.

The Norman Parathyroid Center is a well-​oiled machine, led by surgeon, Dr. James Norman. The staff operates on 10 — 15 patients a day and clearly has expertise in these parathyroid surgeries. Everyone was courteous, helpful, and made me very comfortable. Don’t expect a lot of dialogue from the doctors, though, as their focus is in the operating room and there’s not much time for chat. Surgery went great and I returned to my Residence Inn the same day. The doctor did NOT call that evening as promised to check on me. After a month, I sent an email noting that I had developed very painful arthritis that did NOT exist prior to my surgery. I was told that it was just «coincidence» and that nothing related to my surgery or post-​surgery supplementation could be the cause of this. I was instructed to take 2000 mg/​calcium/​day and no more follow up was needed for a year. The end. Good bye. They washed their hands of me. My arthritis worsened. I’m 52, but my hands, wrists, thumbs, knees, and ankles felt like they were 92. I knew something was not right, but could not figure it out. Then… I stopped taking my calcium supplement about 9 months after the surgery. It was more accidental than planned, but I realized that my joint pain was lessening. After taking a much smaller dose of 500mg of calcium maybe 1 — 2 times per week and then not at all, my arthritis is nearly gone. I would say I’ve improved 90% and my quality of life is dramatically improved. There is a significant amount of research that indicates over-​supplementation of calcium and subsequent calcium deposits in the body can lead to increased risk of heart disease, increased risk of breast cancer, OSTEOARTHRITIS, kidney stones and many other conditions. (Just like a hyperparathyroid gland!) I figured out my problem with no help from the Norman Center so I am writing this in hopes that others who may experience this will benefit from what I have endured for 10 months. I feel like a new person. To end on a positive note, I have no regrets about going to Tampa for the surgery as I did have a diseased parathyroid gland and it needed to be removed. I credit Dr. Lopez with doing a fine job on the surgery. He and Dr. Norman could both stand to have better listening skills, though, and take to heart what their patients are telling them post-​op.

Thanks to Jim Norman, I’m cured. If necessary, beg, borrow, and steal to get to him. He’s the best there is (and a funny guy). Parathyroid surgery is simple when done by an experienced surgeon. Your local surgeon likely does not have the experience to ensure a successful surgery.