hashimotos' s and thyroid my dd age 7

[tcp0421]

And should always be taken with a full glass of water. I know sometimes my Rx comes with these labels, other times it's not noted. But the empty stomach and amount of water is very important to make sure the medication is properly absorbed by the body.

auralia, I'm just the opposite...I take it in the AM because I had trouble sleeping when I took it at bedtime

OP, my apologies for misunderstanding your original post. I thought you were questioning whether your daughter's issues could be due to her Hashimoto's diagnosis. You are definitely correct that any disease/condition could manifest itself differently in each individual even though the diagnosis is the same. People here are just trying to offer our experience with this condition...Anyway, you need to do what's right for your DD regardless of what others indicate is best for them. Good luck and may this journey with your daughter become smoother as time passes!

Thank you. It means a lot to me when people take time to share what they go through. My dd's dr actually suggested that we take her to a counselor. She said there are Dr's who specialize in this type of problem as well as diabetes. We actually have to keep an eye on her blood work for diabetes as well. First few sugar counts came back on the low side. We are trying to avoid taking her to another dr who will just give her a pill for her anxiety. As a mother it is very scary not knowing what my DD is going through or how she feels. She is always tired she is very emotional over the smallest things. She is 7 but she really can't tell me excatly how she feels.

 

[SwimBikeRun]

Hang in there!

I have Hashimoto's and one of my sons has it too. The other son is also hypothyroid and suspected Hashimoto's but we caught it so early that we don't have a hard diagnosis at this point.

We're a year out for my son and his med level just went up to 75 mcg. My other son is on 50 mcg.

I'm on 125 mcg plus 5 mg of cytomel in the afternoon. I have found the cytomel to make a world of difference, but pediatric endocrinologists really don't like prescribing it.

So, while it's sort of rare for kids (though I think a lot of kids have had it - it's just more common to get the testing done nowadays) it's even rarer for boys AND two brothers.

My doctor said to be VERY cautious and on the look out for other autoimmune issues, such as diabetes, celiac, allergies, etc.

Make sure you have her vitamin D level checked!! That goes hand in hand with some autoimmune issues too! We're all deficient in my family. I know I get anxious/depressed when my vit D is low.

I wish you the best of luck. It isn't too bad. It'll get better. I'm matter of fact about our health issues and it helps my kids feel calmer (even though I might be freaking out inside!). It is what it is!

 

[buffettgirl]

Thank you. It means a lot to me when people take time to share what they go through. My dd's dr actually suggested that we take her to a counselor. She said there are Dr's who specialize in this type of problem as well as diabetes. We actually have to keep an eye on her blood work for diabetes as well. First few sugar counts came back on the low side. We are trying to avoid taking her to another dr who will just give her a pill for her anxiety. As a mother it is very scary not knowing what my DD is going through or how she feels. She is always tired she is very emotional over the smallest things. She is 7 but she really can't tell me excatly how she feels.

Low blood sugar is not a sign of diabetes in children.

 

[tcp0421]

Low blood sugar is not a sign of diabetes in children.

Do you really have to say something every time I make a comment??? If you were to read my op. I did not ask for people to argue with everything I said.

 

[buffettgirl]

Do you really have to say something every time I make a comment??? If you were to read my op. I did not ask for people to argue with everything I said.

Actually, I"m saying it for two reasons:
1) if your child has low blood sugar the doctors should be looking for something else, other than diabetes, because low blood sugar is not a sign of diabetes in children. It is simply not how diabetes in children presents since their bodies are shutting down production of insulin, and insulin is what makes their blood sugar low.
And that said,
2)you don't have to worry about diabetes, with everything else on your plate.

But, since I have kids with both hashimotos AND diabetes I clearly have no business giving you any advice, so I'll step out of this conversation.

 

[tcp0421]

Actually, I"m saying it for two reasons:
1) if your child has low blood sugar the doctors should be looking for something else, other than diabetes, because low blood sugar is not a sign of diabetes in children. It is simply not how diabetes in children presents since their bodies are shutting down production of insulin, and insulin is what makes their blood sugar low.
And that said,
2)you don't have to worry about diabetes, with everything else on your plate.

But, since I have kids with both hashimotos AND diabetes I clearly have no business giving you any advice, so I'll step out of this conversation.

As far as I know that diabetes and thyroid problems go hand in hand. Again not saying that every patient who has some sort of thyroid problem will also have diabetes.

 

[lanejudy]

...She said there are Dr's who specialize in this type of problem as well as diabetes. ...

Sounds like you are just going through your pediatrician or family doctor? Yes, you would definitely want to see a endocrinologist - preferrably a pediatric endo if you live close enough to a children's hospital. Nothing against the others, but they don't always recognize how some conditions will manifest differently in children than adults, and it sounds like you DD has a challenging case - at least right now.

I understand the challenges of helping a child who can't adequately verbalize what she feels/needs/wants. I also have a special needs child. Being emotional is a results of being tired (happens to me too), being tired is a result of the low thyroid. Once that gets stabilized she should feel much better and easier behaviors. It can take a few months and seems like forever. Trying to maintain your calm will also help re-direct her emotions properly; and I know some days that is the hardest thing to do while fixing dinner and the kids are cranky and nerves are frayed. Good luck to you both!

 

[tcp0421]

Sounds like you are just going through your pediatrician or family doctor? Yes, you would definitely want to see a endocrinologist - preferrably a pediatric endo if you live close enough to a children's hospital. Nothing against the others, but they don't always recognize how some conditions will manifest differently in children than adults, and it sounds like you DD has a challenging case - at least right now.

I understand the challenges of helping a child who can't adequately verbalize what she feels/needs/wants. I also have a special needs child. Being emotional is a results of being tired (happens to me too), being tired is a result of the low thyroid. Once that gets stabilized she should feel much better and easier behaviors. It can take a few months and seems like forever. Trying to maintain your calm will also help re-direct her emotions properly; and I know some days that is the hardest thing to do while fixing dinner and the kids are cranky and nerves are frayed. Good luck to you both!

I'm sorry I should have made that more clear. My DD does see a peds Endocrinology dr. I meant she is the one who referred us to take her to a counselor who deals with thyroid and diabetic behavior. Your very right that is is challenging when my DD has what me and dh call them "meltdowns". When she is going threw them most of the time there is nothing any of us can say or do to make her calm. Actually on one of my posts I said she was on 75 mcg's. I gave her pill to her earlier and forgot the dr just again increased her to 100 mcg's. I actually have a conference with her teacher on Monday because this year she is really struggling with her school work. Not too sure what the outcome will be with that. Her next follow up appointment is in December. The last time the dr said she needs to get another ultrasound before that appointment to check on the nodules. To see if they got bigger or if their are more that developed. Hopefully they stayed the same. That was real scary thinking they could have been cancer. Thank you for your knowledge on this.

 

[lanejudy]

Trouble focusing on school work is quite likely again related to the fatigue which is classic symptom of hypothyroid. Are her teachers aware of her diagnosis? It might help if they realize there is a physical, medical reason behind the behavior and not just a "daydreamer" or child who refuses to learn. I can tell when my thyroid levels are off, I have trouble concentrating at work.

Meltdowns are tough, and you are correct that once the child is in the midst of the meltdown there is rarely anything that really helps. Try to notice if there are triggers - is she hungry, tired (yes, likely, but more so than usual), too much stimulation, too much noise, too much bright sun. Or signs that a meltdown is coming (maybe it's only brief) - does she hide her face, get snippy, facial expression. For my DD, even certain words or phrases can bring on a meltdown and so we have to be careful of how we say something - for example "no you can't watch TV until after you do homework" instead I say "please do your homework first, then you can watch TV." Anything that will help you recognize a meltdown is coming and then you can work on ways to ward it off. Avoidance is the best "treatment" for a meltdown, and there are usually triggers or signs. During a meltdown, it's best to completely remove the child from the situation whenever possible - go to another room, go outdoors, somewhere safe and preferrably quiet; you might need to let her scream and cry and whatnot, but once she's removed from whatever started the reaction she is more likely to stop. With my DD, we've found that the more we try to talk and calm her down, it actually has the opposite effect; if I can go to another room and hold her or sit next to her, or sit her in a safe and quiet place, it let's her know I recognize she's having trouble coping as opposed to punishing. Meltdowns are about the most frustrating behaviors because the child has lost all ability to control herself and you likely are also on the verge of losing your cool because you just want it to stop.

Good luck with the next round of tests; I pray the nodules haven't changed.

 

[tcp0421]

Trouble focusing on school work is quite likely again related to the fatigue which is classic symptom of hypothyroid. Are her teachers aware of her diagnosis? It might help if they realize there is a physical, medical reason behind the behavior and not just a "daydreamer" or child who refuses to learn. I can tell when my thyroid levels are off, I have trouble concentrating at work.

Meltdowns are tough, and you are correct that once the child is in the midst of the meltdown there is rarely anything that really helps. Try to notice if there are triggers - is she hungry, tired (yes, likely, but more so than usual), too much stimulation, too much noise, too much bright sun. Or signs that a meltdown is coming (maybe it's only brief) - does she hide her face, get snippy, facial expression. For my DD, even certain words or phrases can bring on a meltdown and so we have to be careful of how we say something - for example "no you can't watch TV until after you do homework" instead I say "please do your homework first, then you can watch TV." Anything that will help you recognize a meltdown is coming and then you can work on ways to ward it off. Avoidance is the best "treatment" for a meltdown, and there are usually triggers or signs. During a meltdown, it's best to completely remove the child from the situation whenever possible - go to another room, go outdoors, somewhere safe and preferrably quiet; you might need to let her scream and cry and whatnot, but once she's removed from whatever started the reaction she is more likely to stop. With my DD, we've found that the more we try to talk and calm her down, it actually has the opposite effect; if I can go to another room and hold her or sit next to her, or sit her in a safe and quiet place, it let's her know I recognize she's having trouble coping as opposed to punishing. Meltdowns are about the most frustrating behaviors because the child has lost all ability to control herself and you likely are also on the verge of losing your cool because you just want it to stop.

Good luck with the next round of tests; I pray the nodules haven't changed.

Yes every single thing you mentioned is what is happening with us. Once we noticed her behavior change and for us to realize its not her fault. Things became a little more clearer. I did learn just recently ( now my dh needs to do the same) how to talk to her in a different and more calm. I will try to take her aside maybe in her room or my bedroom and calm her down. It may take some time but I usually can get her snapped out of it. Like I said before my dh is having a difficult time when she has a meltdown. He forgets sometimes it is because of what her body is going threw and not her acting out. As far as the school work yes the dr wrote a letter to the teacher and the principal explaining what can happen and what to look out for. There has been a few times I have had problems that my DD will come home with and right away I'm on the phone kind of reminding the teacher of her issues. Like I said before I will be talking to her teacher on Monday. I don't want her to fall behind on her grades but we actually just got report cards a few days ago and she is not doing good at all in reading compression and math. Anyway not sure what's going to happen with school.

 

[Cierese]

An interesting read....

http://www.youralternativedoctor.com/hashimotos-thyroid-auto-immune/


I will say that my thyroid swells more when I eat things like broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, strawberries, etc. (Some of my favs )

Sorry your daughter is going through this, but its so great that you have a diagnosis to work with. Most don't get diagnosed because they have no idea and a lot of the symptoms get brushed off as other problems and then starts the pill for this, pill for that downward spiral.... been there done that. I was given heart pills for my pulse, bp, pvcs... antidepressants and such for the anxiety, depression, mania... pills for insomnia... pills for ra.... I've been through the biospy scare... Because its just my antibody count that crazy (almost everything else is within 'normal' limits), it took nearly 10 years for any doctor, and I'd been referred to one right after the next, to even consider anything related to autoimmune. I'd been having problems and symptoms since middle school, but never saw a doctor about any of it until I had serious complications during my first pregnancy when I was 19.

Prayers go out to your daughter and your family on this journey. Hope things get easier for you all soon.

 

[tcp0421]

An interesting read....

http://www.youralternativedoctor.com/hashimotos-thyroid-auto-immune/

I will say that my thyroid swells more when I eat things like broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, strawberries, etc. (Some of my favs )

Sorry your daughter is going through this, but its so great that you have a diagnosis to work with. Most don't get diagnosed because they have no idea and a lot of the symptoms get brushed off as other problems and then starts the pill for this, pill for that downward spiral.... been there done that. I was given heart pills for my pulse, bp, pvcs... antidepressants and such for the anxiety, depression, mania... pills for insomnia... pills for ra.... I've been through the biospy scare... Because its just my antibody count that crazy (almost everything else is within 'normal' limits), it took nearly 10 years for any doctor, and I'd been referred to one right after the next, to even consider anything related to autoimmune. I'd been having problems and symptoms since middle school, but never saw a doctor about any of it until I had serious complications during my first pregnancy when I was 19.

Prayers go out to your daughter and your family on this journey. Hope things get easier for you all soon.

Thank you so much your kind words mean a lot. Yes its difficult with children because its not common for a dr to do thyroid levels on children. In my dD's case I am so so thankful of her dr. I was taking her to the dr almost once a month for sore throats the first few times it was strep throat. She was put on antibiotics for that and again she had a sore throat took her to dr this time no strep. The next week again sore throat. I was starting to think she was just kind of "milking" it. The last time at the dr sore throat again no strep. Dr said "you know what I'm usually don't do a thyroid level on my patients unless there were more symptoms but I'm going to order one". Thank God she did my dd's levels were off the charts 551!!!! That very same day her dr got an appointment with a peds endocrinologist. To make a long story short he was the most arrogant person I have ever meet. Also her blood sugar level was 43. He right away put her on 50 mcg's of synthroid. And he said he will see her in three months and that was it. Needless to say we never went back to him. If I had not went for a second opinion who knows what today would have been like. Took her to a new dr. First of all after she was on the meds for maybe a week my DD was not the little 6 year old well behaved girl I knew before she stared to pills. The new dr said the old dr should have NEVER put her on 50 mcg's to start. Her body was going threw a storm it was terrible. She also ordereda ultrasound of her thyroid. I believe It was the same night she had the ultrasound her dr called me. Bad news she had 3 large nodules surrounding her thyroid and they are a mess. That next week at the hospital getting a biopsy done. Of course I was a mess because I knew it could have been cancer. It took FOREVER to get the results back. Finally got the call.....no cancer but she wants to closely monitor the nodules. Now she is on 100 mcg's. She has an ultrasound in two weeks. Praying that there are no changes with the nodules. Her levels have came down dramatically but still in the danger zone. It is hard on her adjusting to the meds. She will see the dr again the first week of December. If I would have not changed drs who knows.

 

[Cierese]

Thank you so much your kind words mean a lot. Yes its difficult with children because its not common for a dr to do thyroid levels on children. In my dD's case I am so so thankful of her dr. I was taking her to the dr almost once a month for sore throats the first few times it was strep throat. She was put on antibiotics for that and again she had a sore throat took her to dr this time no strep. The next week again sore throat. I was starting to think she was just kind of "milking" it. The last time at the dr sore throat again no strep. Dr said "you know what I'm usually don't do a thyroid level on my patients unless there were more symptoms but I'm going to order one". Thank God she did my dd's levels were off the charts 551!!!! That very same day her dr got an appointment with a peds endocrinologist. To make a long story short he was the most arrogant person I have ever meet. Also her blood sugar level was 43. He right away put her on 50 mcg's of synthroid. And he said he will see her in three months and that was it. Needless to say we never went back to him. If I had not went for a second opinion who knows what today would have been like. Took her to a new dr. First of all after she was on the meds for maybe a week my DD was not the little 6 year old well behaved girl I knew before she stared to pills. The new dr said the old dr should have NEVER put her on 50 mcg's to start. Her body was going threw a storm it was terrible. She also ordereda ultrasound of her thyroid. I believe It was the same night she had the ultrasound her dr called me. Bad news she had 3 large nodules surrounding her thyroid and they are a mess. That next week at the hospital getting a biopsy done. Of course I was a mess because I knew it could have been cancer. It took FOREVER to get the results back. Finally got the call.....no cancer but she wants to closely monitor the nodules. Now she is on 100 mcg's. She has an ultrasound in two weeks. Praying that there are no changes with the nodules. Her levels have came down dramatically but still in the danger zone. It is hard on her adjusting to the meds. She also has hashimoto's. She will see the dr again the first week of December. If I would have not changed drs who knows.

The only doctor to even notice my enlarged thyroid was my cardiologist and he's the one that sent me to a surgeon who found the cysts and biopsied. All he said was 'well if your thyroid bothers you I can remove it'. Of course! That's what surgeons do! (I'm a nurse, by the way and leery any meds, etc if there's a better way to ease symptoms.) Anyhow, when my body is in attack mode and my thyroid and parathryoid swell up, I get soar throat, cough and even loose my voice do to so much swelling. Problems swallowing and even feel like I need to take really deep breaths, etc. Its like wearing a really tight turtle neck sweater. For me, its worse during the week before my period. I've got a little more than Hashimoto's... I know there's probably 1-2 more autoimmune problems going on, just don't have diagnoses for anything else besides the Rheumatoid Arthritis. That was actually the first problem that reared its head when I was a kid (around 12 yrs old)... that and the depression. Of course, my parents and doctors wrote it off as 'growing pains' and 'normal crabby teenager'.

Awesome for getting a second opinion! Most people just go ahead and assume the first doctor is correct and never question anything. How scary to get a call like that. It sure is hard to get teachers on board for just about anything these days (no offense to the good ones out there). Do you have a good support system?

 

[camper06]

We were just at WDW this past weekend I thought if I got a GAC it would help. Let me tell you it made a whole lot of difference.

Very sorry about your DDs condition. Hoping it won't be much longer until they get it controlled with medication.

Can I ask you how the GAC helped her/your family? Just wondering what kind of accomodations can be made for the difficulties in standing in line.

Thanks.

 

[tcp0421]

The only doctor to even notice my enlarged thyroid was my cardiologist and he's the one that sent me to a surgeon who found the cysts and biopsied. All he said was 'well if your thyroid bothers you I can remove it'. Of course! That's what surgeons do! (I'm a nurse, by the way and leery any meds, etc if there's a better way to ease symptoms.) Anyhow, when my body is in attack mode and my thyroid and parathryoid swell up, I get soar throat, cough and even loose my voice do to so much swelling. Problems swallowing and even feel like I need to take really deep breaths, etc. Its like wearing a really tight turtle neck sweater. For me, its worse during the week before my period. I've got a little more than Hashimoto's... I know there's probably 1-2 more autoimmune problems going on, just don't have diagnoses for anything else besides the Rheumatoid Arthritis. That was actually the first problem that reared its head when I was a kid (around 12 yrs old)... that and the depression. Of course, my parents and doctors wrote it off as 'growing pains' and 'normal crabby teenager'.

Awesome for getting a second opinion! Most people just go ahead and assume the first doctor is correct and never question anything. How scary to get a call like that. It sure is hard to get teachers on board for just about anything these days (no offense to the good ones out there). Do you have a good support system?

Boy I'm not sure if you read the first page or so of the post or not people where acting like I was crazy for thinking it could be my dad's problems. You were 12 when they diagnosed your arthritis? That is young and that is I think what I'm going threw now. Anyway about mackenzie my DD. I am happy I went to find a second opinion. I just didn't feel comfortable with that first dr. He was absolutely terrible. You know mackenzie every once in a while will say she feels like there is something in her throat and actually she has been complaining of a sore throat. As far as her teacher goes she is very young and I really don't think she fully understands what mackenzie is dealing with. In fact I have a telephone conference with her in the morning. The dr did write a pretty detailed note to both the teacher and principal. As far as support goes....we live in Florida and the rest of our family lives in Pennsylvania. So it's just me and my hubby. Thank you for sharing your problems with me to help me understand mackenzie 's problems a little better.

 

[tcp0421]

Very sorry about your DDs condition. Hoping it won't be much longer until they get it controlled with medication.

Can I ask you how the GAC helped her/your family? Just wondering what kind of accomodations can be made for the difficulties in standing in line.

Thanks.

I was actually surprised at how much the GAC card helped. On most of the rides/ attractions they have alternate routes. Where either you use the fastpass line or wait in another area besides the main waiting area.

 

[camper06]

I was actually surprised at how much the GAC card helped. On most of the rides/ attractions they have alternate routes. Where either you use the fastpass line or wait in another area besides the main waiting area.

Thank you for the reply. I am glad you all had a good trip in spite of your DDs health issues.

 

[tcp0421]

Thank you for the reply. I am glad you all had a good trip in spite of your DDs health issues.

We actually live in Florida about an hour and 10 minutes away from Disney so we are there often. Thank you

 

[tcp0421]

An interesting read....

http://www.youralternativedoctor.com/hashimotos-thyroid-auto-immune/

I will say that my thyroid swells more when I eat things like broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, strawberries, etc. (Some of my favs )

Sorry your daughter is going through this, but its so great that you have a diagnosis to work with. Most don't get diagnosed because they have no idea and a lot of the symptoms get brushed off as other problems and then starts the pill for this, pill for that downward spiral.... been there done that. I was given heart pills for my pulse, bp, pvcs... antidepressants and such for the anxiety, depression, mania... pills for insomnia... pills for ra.... I've been through the biospy scare... Because its just my antibody count that crazy (almost everything else is within 'normal' limits), it took nearly 10 years for any doctor, and I'd been referred to one right after the next, to even consider anything related to autoimmune. I'd been having problems and symptoms since middle school, but never saw a doctor about any of it until I had serious complications during my first pregnancy when I was 19.

Prayers go out to your daughter and your family on this journey. Hope things get easier for you all soon.

Thank you for sharing the web page with me. It really was interesting to read. I should pass it on to some of the people in the beginning of my posts that were bashing me.

 

[Cierese]

Thank you for sharing the web page with me. It really was interesting to read. I should pass it on to some of the people in the beginning of my posts that were bashing me.

That's part of why I posted it. Not everyone has exactly the same symptoms and thats why its so hard to even consider diagnosing. And as for the blood sugar drops, I have the same thing... Not sure if its directly related to the Hashimoto's but could definitely be autoimmune related. Its crazy how many different types of autoimmune disorders/dysfunctions there are. And no, I wasn't actually diagnosed when I was 12 with the RA. It was when I was 22. I had been having the RA pain since 12, but not diagnosed until I was having some blood work done trying to rule out multiple causes of the joint pain and had a breast cancer scare at the same time. Of course, then, the only option I was given for the pain was pain killers. Oh, I guess I should also tell you that one of the primary care docs prescribed me an advair inhaler for the difficulty breathing/anxiety. Said it was my airways closing up and the lack of oxygen causing the anxiety. That would totally make sense if it was an airway issue... LOL. Sorry. I look back and some of the crazy doctors I've dealt with other the years and have to laugh at their 'ideas' on what was wrong with me. (All of those doctors quick to prescribe something but not a single one questioned diet... Same goes for my oldest and his ADHD, depression, and whole list of other things he's been diagnosed with.) Oh.. here's another funny for you... I had an peds orthopedic misdiagnose my daughter's scoliosis with 'flexible flat foot'. The second orthopedic said her scoliosis 'wasn't that bad' and there was 'no way the pinched nerves were affecting her digestion'.

Glad you seemed to have found a doctor that's taking a proactive approach to your DD's actual issues and complications they cause. Sorry about the lack of family support, but definitely great to have her father there helping you out. I'm here if you ever need to vent though