New to Forum and Need Advice

[blueeyez_10]

I'm new to the forum and desperately looking for any suggestions and/or advice. I think my son may have thyroid problems but doctors are saying that everything is fine. I've been doing research but I'm just getting confused with everything I'm finding. I can't understand why his TSH levels keep going up slowly and the doctors aren't explaining anything to me. Here are a few symptoms and some lab results. Please if anybody can offer any advice or suggestions....I would totally appreciate it!


I have an 11 year old son and I just took him to see a specialist. During the office visit after looking over test result for the last year he said that it looked like my son was borderline hypothyroidism but a few days later his office called with the new test result from that office visit. The nurse said that everyting is fine. My son symptoms are as follows: extremely tired & sleepy, dry skin, constipation, short stature, coarse hair, hoarseness, cold intolerance, memory and concentration trouble, severe forgotfulness, delayed tooth development,paper thin nails, headaches, and moody. My son was always so full of energy and never stopped. My son's tsh level have been going up over the last year and my son's fatigue has just gotten worse. I really don't know if i'm worrying too much but thyroid problems run in the family. I want to see my son healthy and happy again. He used to be so full of energy. I don't know what to do and no one wants to explain why the ths levels are going up. Please any suggestion would help. Should I think about having him test for antibodies?

THS (1year ago) 2.3 (2 months) 3.2 (last week) 3.58
FT4 1.57(1 year ago) 1.25 (last week)
T3 uptake 27.7%
FTI 2.52
cortisol 18.2
igf-1 182

[midwest1]

Here is the URL to another discussion we just had about a 12-year old's symptoms and lack of success getting a diagnosis. Most of the advice offered there would apply to your son as well. (Remove the red parts of the URL before copying and pasting into your browser window. We can't hotlink here.)
[url] http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=423446& [/url]

Not only has your son's TSH gone up, his FT4 has gone down. There are two free "F" hormones, and they are the most important indicators thyroid status, even though almost every MD you find will tell you TSH is. Also, the major endocrine association in the US issued a statement in 2002 that says a sustained TSH above 2.5 merits a trial of thyroid hormone, but the majority of MDs in the country hasn't yet gotten the message.

You may have to search hard to find a genuinely savvy thyroid diagnostician, but I urge you to not to give up looking. Try to find someone who will also measure his FT3 and thyroid antibodies - TPO and Tg.

Good luck. Let us know if we can help further.

[blueeyez_10]

Thank you for taking the time and giving me a couple of suggestions. It was good to have someone finally reply and see the same things I've notice with the increasing TSH. I'm looking into finding a pediatrician with a good bedside manner that will just listen to all my concerns, take everything I say seriously, and look at the labs differently. And I'm hoping to get an antibody test done soon. I think that maybe the turning point and we can finally get some help for him. THank you again

[prairie_dawn]

blueeyez, I just wanted to give you an opinion after being one of those "Kids". My mom as well thought i had thyroid disease just from the way i was. She didnt have it at all. She had me checked out at 18 and it was fine. I had gotten married at 19 and baby by 21 years of age. After baby in 1995 I had alot of problems and wsa tested and still nothing but finally found what was wrong and fixed it. here is the rest of the timeline

Divorced 1997
Remarried 2000
Tried to get pregnant and coudnt
Had the flu 11/2000
2/2001 had palpitations went to dr. had tsh level of o.o3.
3/2001 went to Endo he said i had Grave's Disease and siad i needed to get Radioactive Iodine done to destroy thyroid and then go on supplimental thyroid medicine. I met radiologist and he said that it wasnt worht it and if i could go into remission while on meds for hyper then do it. so i did and told the dr. to well i wasnt nice with my words.
4/2001 Went to another endo and i liked him he said try PTU(Propylthioricil)
7/2001 went on ptu
10/2001 went into medicine induced remission woo hoooo i was so happy TSH level was within range.
Now i was trying to get prengnat still and still nothing they siad it was due to thyroid so i went to a REproductive Endocronologist to help me and she did
5/2002 Got pregnant with baby #2
6/2002 went off PTU beucase TSH was getting to high and they didnt want me to become hypo and misscarry.
2/2003 Had baby #2 healthy baby!
Still in remission without med's
12/2003 Got pregnant with baby #3 again with help of Reproductive Endo
8/2004 Had baby #3 healthy baby!

12/31/2004 New years eve while at family's house my son at the time was almost 2 and myself had come down with Rotta Virus. Lasted throught the night and for hte next 14 days it was bad.

2/2005 Was having a thyroid storm and didnt know it until i didnt know who i was and was slurring my words. It was bad. I went to dr. on 2/28/2004 and was told i was having a storm and went on a large amount of (PTU). Dr. said it was baby #3 who triggered it (at this time she was 6months old) i said no way it was the virus i had just like in 2000 when i had the flu. He and i still debate it.

4/2004\5 was showing some difference and feeling better.
5/2005 tappering off ptu and tsh level and all levels were back to normal.
7/2005 Full remission while off med's woo hooooooo!
11/2005 Got pregnant with baby #4
7/2006 Had baby #4 healthy baby!

Am currently still in remission on my own. TSH level is 0.7 right now. low but still within range.

I decided to not do the radioactive stuff becuase the dr's were only gong to make me hypo and then i would have ot deal with dosing for a long time and i didnt want to do that. I was strict with what i wanted and what i wanted dr. to do.

Stick to you guns and get the right dr.. Some things you need to ask yourself are; is your child just being lazy? Does he know the symptoms and is just using that to get away with stuff? Does he sit in front of the tv eating when he could be outside playing or running around? Does he lack energy becuase he just cant be bothered doing something? Iknow you might not like these questions but you really honestly need to ask yourself . Also I had hypo symptoms even though i was hyper. Just to let you know I wished my mom would have fought for someone to help me back when i was a kid. But hey i have also been told that since my levels were ok that i was fine BUT the flu back in 2000 triggered the virus to start and that is how it came out. I hope he gets the help he needs if he really needs it. Is he overweight? Is he active with sports?