hashimotos' s and thyroid my dd age 7

[utterrandomness]

I'm really trying not to medicate her. I myself have some anxiety issues and I know what its like to be dependent on meds. She is only 7 years old and I don't want to have her on meds at this point but thank you for your input.

I just wanted to let you know about some non-med options that worked for me. For hypothyroidism, I used to have some coconut oil each morning when I was younger. For social anxiety, I use caffeine (1 can of coke and multiple cups of tea per day), but I'm not sure how comfortable you are with giving her caffeine at such a young age.

ETA: I used coconut oil in addition to my thyroid meds, not instead of.

 

[auralia]

as for being confused... I get bad brain fog when my numbers swing. So bad I use the wrong words when I speak. So badly i got an MRI to rule out a brain issue. I just can't find the correct words and often sound like a complete idiot despite being a 4.0 student for most of my life and very well read. This is often my first warning sign that I need to have my dose checked.

 

[tcp0421]

I just wanted to let you know about some non-med options that worked for me. For hypothyroidism, I used to have some coconut oil each morning when I was younger. For social anxiety, I use caffeine (1 can of coke and multiple cups of tea per day), but I'm not sure how comfortable you are with giving her caffeine at such a young age.

ETA: I used coconut oil in addition to my thyroid meds, not instead of.

That is interesting about caffeine. I would think it would be the opposite effect. I know when I have too much caffeine I get jittery. But hey worth a try. How did you take the coconut oil?

 

[utterrandomness]

That is interesting about caffeine. I would think it would be the opposite effect. I know when I have too much caffeine I get jittery. But hey worth a try. How did you take the coconut oil?

I took the coconut oil in hot chocolate (try not to judge my mother too harshly), it's solid at room temperature, so it melts in something hot.

As for the caffeine, my social anxiety stems from asperger's syndrome and caffeine helps me focus and overcome the anxiety. It may not work that way for everyone.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I would be REALLY hesitant to try home remedies at this point without an actual determination of the cause of the problem. Caffeine is a very effective treatment if you're dealing with ADHD but I wouldn't mess with caffeine if you don't know the underlying problem. Caffeine can impact the endochrine system and right now her endochrine system is not stable. Home remedies can be wonderful but they can also be dangerous.

I really do think that you're misunderstanding everything that buffetgirl's been saying. She hasn't actually disagreed with what other posters have said. She's pointing out that you need to find the cause of the low blood sugar because in kids that's NOT diabetes. She has never said that kids with one endochrine problem don't typically have others and it is important to watch for other ones especially when you're talking about an autoimmune endochrine problem such as Hashimoto. She's never said that it's easy to get numbers for Hashimotos stablized; she said that once stablized it's very easy to maintain. You also seem to be insistant that it's very rare but the reality is that it's your doctors who are saying that they're not all that familiar with it in kids as opposed to it being rare. Please re-read what she said without defensiveness. She really is trying to help you and provide some supportive information.

I would strongly suggest discussing a full educational evaluation with your DD's teacher. While it's possible that her problems in school are completely related to her thyroid being way off, it's also possible that there's a completely unrelated educational issue. There is no point in waiting to see what happens when she's finally stablized with her thyroid. You need to get on this now as your DD's already struggling in school. At this point you need to find out exactly what areas she's struggling with and what kind of support she can get (extra help, accomodations, therapies, anything) but the first step is identifying her areas of deficit which requires you sitting down with the school and getting an evaluation.

 

[tcp0421]

I'm not assuming that my DD has diabetes her dr wants to keep a close look because her numbers have been low and diabetes runs on both sides of our family.

 

[buffettgirl]

I'm not assuming that my DD has diabetes her dr wants to keep a close look because her numbers have been low and diabetes runs on both sides of our family.

I was going to stay out of this, but again, if that is what your endocrinologist is telling you then you need to RUN to a new one. Low blood sugar in children is NOT a precursor to or a sign of diabetes in children. Your doctor should be examining other reasons for low blood sugar, which may be serious issues. If your daughter is having low blood sugar issues those could be the cause of her various other issues (panic feeling, concentration issues and on and on) but it is not a sign of diabetes. If your child's blood sugars have been high then THAT would be a valid reason to watch for type 1 diabetes which is an autoimmune disease (mostly) and which often appears in people with other autoimmune diseases or in families where there are other autoimmune diseases, like mine, like yours. HIGH blood sugar. Not low. Your physician is failing endocrine 101 if he's telling you that low blood sugar is a sign of diabetes in children.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I don't recall a single poster saying that their child with low blood sugar has diabetes. PLEASE reread this thread without any defensiveness. Nobody is attacking you. Buffetgirl really is trying to offer you some important information.

 

[tcp0421]

I didn't start this post to argue with anyone.

 

[KAMLEM]

I think you are being so defensive when it comes to Buffettgirl that you are misunderstanding. She is trying to tell you that low blood sugar COULD be the signs of something else going on with your daughter but you don't seem to want to hear it.

 

[buffettgirl]

I think you are being so defensive when it comes to Buffettgirl that you are misunderstanding. She is trying to tell you that low blood sugar COULD be the signs of something else going on with your daughter but you don't seem to want to hear it.

THANK YOU. and to ClanMcCullough too.
And now I really AM stepping far far far out of this thread. to the OP, I hope you find answers to your child's issue, just as I have found answers to mine. I truly hope your doctor is worthy of your praise and that your child is taken care of.

 

[tcp0421]

THANK YOU. and to ClanMcCullough too.
And now I really AM stepping far far far out of this thread. to the OP, I hope you find answers to your child's issue, just as I have found answers to mine. I truly hope your doctor is worthy of your praise and that your child is taken care of.

Well thank you and my child is well taken care of.

 

[tcp0421]

I think you are being so defensive when it comes to Buffettgirl that you are misunderstanding. She is trying to tell you that low blood sugar COULD be the signs of something else going on with your daughter but you don't seem to want to hear it.

I understand what she is say about the low blood sugar. She has been telling me I'm incorrect about everything I am saying. That's my point. The end.

 

[Piggeldy]

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.

This!
My former roommate was diagnosed with Hashimoto's (she also has type 1 diabetes) before I was, just that I had it first and had a (wrong) diagnoses of Graves disease

We have totally (!!) different symptoms. It's as if we have two totally different things. I say A, she has B. Thyroid problems can present in so many different ways. And even if you treat the thyroid, that doesn't really treat Hahsimoto's - it treats the (main) symptom, not the disease itself.

Anyways thyroid can be tricky -- when my mom was going through it 30 years ago it was tough going. At times non-endo doctors would act like she was making it all up!

Your family sounds so much like mine!

My grandparents both had thyroid problems. I am sure my grandma had Hashimoto's as from what I have been told she had a similar story to what I experienced. She went through a period with immense hyperthyroidism (when I was little, so she would have been in her mid 50s) when she went into menopause, doctor's wouldn't even allow her to pick me up because she was so shaky, had mood swings etc. I went through hyperthyroidism in my mid 20s when I went on the pill (my gyn says thyroid levels before were perfect, three months later I hat lost 20 pounds within two weeks and felt as I was dying) and was diagnosed with Graves. We both had a fairly stable phase after that, maybe 15 years for her and about 10 for me.
Both of us then went into hypothyroidism slowly but steadily. I was diagnosed (officially - I had expected I had it for a year or two before as symptoms matched so well but nobody wanted to give me a diagnosis really) not too long ago but am finally starting to feel better now.

My grandpa had his thyroid removed in his 60s. My mother has "borderline low" thyroid levels but no antibodies. My aunt (mother's sister) has Hashimoto's and has had her thyroid removed just a few years ago. My "little" cousin (20) has thyroid cancer. I have one cousin in three generations of my family on that side who does not have thyroid problems (yet).

Adding health problems on my husband's side of the family... we are really discussing not having children at all. I always joke they should be born without a thyroid but with a spare liver or two, just to be on the safe side.

as for being confused... I get bad brain fog when my numbers swing. So bad I use the wrong words when I speak. So badly i got an MRI to rule out a brain issue. I just can't find the correct words and often sound like a complete idiot despite being a 4.0 student for most of my life and very well read. This is often my first warning sign that I need to have my dose checked.

Thank you so much for writing that!
My numbers swing and I turn from "somewhat smart geek" to "babbling idiot"! I am working on getting my PhD, I hold a job as a foreign language secretary, I'd say I am somewhat fluent in English (which is my second language), I have read widely, and sometimes I will tell my husband to go and open the fridge, when I really want him to open the window. Or stare at a pen in my hand because I can't find the word. Or stand in front of my wall calender, pen in hand, and not know what I wanted to write down - I remember the activity (like "go out and watch a film with friend") but I can't come up with the word "cinema". My most favorite word during those periods of time is "thingy". It's embarrassing.

I have also been known to stand in the middle of the hall, key in hand... and forgetting where I wanted to go. I brain fog so badly that I sometimes can't do things that are different from my daily routine just because I forget I wanted to do them. I don't know how many times I drove back home from work (I usually bike), questioning myself why I went to work by car in the morning... just to be asked why I didn't buy kitty litter. Yeah. Forgot. Oh we just talked on the phone about it 10 minutes before I left the office? Oups. Nope, still didn't remember.

It's good to hear that others have the same problem. Makes me feel less weird.

@ tcp0421

Even though you have a diagnosis for Hashimoto's and everything your daughter is experiencing at the moment could be a sign of that, please make sure nothing gets overlooked! Keeping an eye on diabetes is a good idea (especially if diabetes runs in the family) but also keep in might that there might be other health reasons for her problems (anxiety as well as blood sugar levels or anything else). You just don't want anything overlooked in a child that young who is sill growing and learning. She is in such an important phase in her life

 

[tcp0421]

This!
My former roommate was diagnosed with Hashimoto's (she also has type 1 diabetes) before I was, just that I had it first and had a (wrong) diagnoses of Graves disease

We have totally (!!) different symptoms. It's as if we have two totally different things. I say A, she has B. Thyroid problems can present in so many different ways. And even if you treat the thyroid, that doesn't really treat Hahsimoto's - it treats the (main) symptom, not the disease itself.

Your family sounds so much like mine!

My grandparents both had thyroid problems. I am sure my grandma had Hashimoto's as from what I have been told she had a similar story to what I experienced. She went through a period with immense hyperthyroidism (when I was little, so she would have been in her mid 50s) when she went into menopause, doctor's wouldn't even allow her to pick me up because she was so shaky, had mood swings etc. I went through hyperthyroidism in my mid 20s when I went on the pill (my gyn says thyroid levels before were perfect, three months later I hat lost 20 pounds within two weeks and felt as I was dying) and was diagnosed with Graves. We both had a fairly stable phase after that, maybe 15 years for her and about 10 for me.
Both of us then went into hypothyroidism slowly but steadily. I was diagnosed (officially - I had expected I had it for a year or two before as symptoms matched so well but nobody wanted to give me a diagnosis really) not too long ago but am finally starting to feel better now.

My grandpa had his thyroid removed in his 60s. My mother has "borderline low" thyroid levels but no antibodies. My aunt (mother's sister) has Hashimoto's and has had her thyroid removed just a few years ago. My "little" cousin (20) has thyroid cancer. I have one cousin in three generations of my family on that side who does not have thyroid problems (yet).

Adding health problems on my husband's side of the family... we are really discussing not having children at all. I always joke they should be born without a thyroid but with a spare liver or two, just to be on the safe side.

Thank you so much for writing that!
My numbers swing and I turn from "somewhat smart geek" to "babbling idiot"! I am working on getting my PhD, I hold a job as a foreign language secretary, I'd say I am somewhat fluent in English (which is my second language), I have read widely, and sometimes I will tell my husband to go and open the fridge, when I really want him to open the window. Or stare at a pen in my hand because I can't find the word. Or stand in front of my wall calender, pen in hand, and not know what I wanted to write down - I remember the activity (like "go out and watch a film with friend") but I can't come up with the word "cinema". My most favorite word during those periods of time is "thingy". It's embarrassing.

I have also been known to stand in the middle of the hall, key in hand... and forgetting where I wanted to go. I brain fog so badly that I sometimes can't do things that are different from my daily routine just because I forget I wanted to do them. I don't know how many times I drove back home from work (I usually bike), questioning myself why I went to work by car in the morning... just to be asked why I didn't buy kitty litter. Yeah. Forgot. Oh we just talked on the phone about it 10 minutes before I left the office? Oups. Nope, still didn't remember.

It's good to hear that others have the same problem. Makes me feel less weird.

@ tcp0421

Even though you have a diagnosis for Hashimoto's and everything your daughter is experiencing at the moment could be a sign of that, please make sure nothing gets overlooked! Keeping an eye on diabetes is a good idea (especially if diabetes runs in the family) but also keep in might that there might be other health reasons for her problems (anxiety as well as blood sugar levels or anything else). You just don't want anything overlooked in a child that young who is sill growing and learning. She is in such an important phase in her life

That is what my dr said. She wants nothing to fall down the cracks. She is very thorough with my DD. Thank you.

 

[Cierese]

I'm really trying not to medicate her. I myself have some anxiety issues and I know what its like to be dependent on meds. She is only 7 years old and I don't want to have her on meds at this point but thank you for your input.

I know everyone reactions differently, but my oldest was diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, depression and several other 'mental health' issues when he was only 4yrs old. A bit young to put on meds in my opinion, so I waited til he was 7... we did meds for 2yrs and all they did was turn him into a zombie and cause other problems and then doctors wanted to prescribe more meds for the side affects. I took him off meds between 4th and 5th grade and totally changed his diet and started giving him vitamins/minerals/ omega3s and protein. Never seen him better... he's doing great... until the days when he makes bad lunch choices at school. And the school lunch is getting harder and harder because they just removed the salad bar and they are giving the kids less healthy foods and smaller portions. I'm odd, we try holistic approach to everything first now and if it doesn't work then we try the institutional medicine route. I would much rather treat the problem than the symptom.

 

[Cierese]

I just wanted to let you know about some non-med options that worked for me. For hypothyroidism, I used to have some coconut oil each morning when I was younger. For social anxiety, I use caffeine (1 can of coke and multiple cups of tea per day), but I'm not sure how comfortable you are with giving her caffeine at such a young age.

ETA: I used coconut oil in addition to my thyroid meds, not instead of.

My oldest gets a cup of coffee in the mornings, too... I'd much rather give him caffeine than a 'zombie pill' as he calls it.

 

[tcp0421]

This!
My former roommate was diagnosed with Hashimoto's (she also has type 1 diabetes) before I was, just that I had it first and had a (wrong) diagnoses of Graves disease

We have totally (!!) different symptoms. It's as if we have two totally different things. I say A, she has B. Thyroid problems can present in so many different ways. And even if you treat the thyroid, that doesn't really treat Hahsimoto's - it treats the (main) symptom, not the disease itself.

Your family sounds so much like mine!

My grandparents both had thyroid problems. I am sure my grandma had Hashimoto's as from what I have been told she had a similar story to what I experienced. She went through a period with immense hyperthyroidism (when I was little, so she would have been in her mid 50s) when she went into menopause, doctor's wouldn't even allow her to pick me up because she was so shaky, had mood swings etc. I went through hyperthyroidism in my mid 20s when I went on the pill (my gyn says thyroid levels before were perfect, three months later I hat lost 20 pounds within two weeks and felt as I was dying) and was diagnosed with Graves. We both had a fairly stable phase after that, maybe 15 years for her and about 10 for me.
Both of us then went into hypothyroidism slowly but steadily. I was diagnosed (officially - I had expected I had it for a year or two before as symptoms matched so well but nobody wanted to give me a diagnosis really) not too long ago but am finally starting to feel better now.

My grandpa had his thyroid removed in his 60s. My mother has "borderline low" thyroid levels but no antibodies. My aunt (mother's sister) has Hashimoto's and has had her thyroid removed just a few years ago. My "little" cousin (20) has thyroid cancer. I have one cousin in three generations of my family on that side who does not have thyroid problems (yet).

Adding health problems on my husband's side of the family... we are really discussing not having children at all. I always joke they should be born without a thyroid but with a spare liver or two, just to be on the safe side.

Thank you so much for writing that!
My numbers swing and I turn from "somewhat smart geek" to "babbling idiot"! I am working on getting my PhD, I hold a job as a foreign language secretary, I'd say I am somewhat fluent in English (which is my second language), I have read widely, and sometimes I will tell my husband to go and open the fridge, when I really want him to open the window. Or stare at a pen in my hand because I can't find the word. Or stand in front of my wall calender, pen in hand, and not know what I wanted to write down - I remember the activity (like "go out and watch a film with friend") but I can't come up with the word "cinema". My most favorite word during those periods of time is "thingy". It's embarrassing.

I have also been known to stand in the middle of the hall, key in hand... and forgetting where I wanted to go. I brain fog so badly that I sometimes can't do things that are different from my daily routine just because I forget I wanted to do them. I don't know how many times I drove back home from work (I usually bike), questioning myself why I went to work by car in the morning... just to be asked why I didn't buy kitty litter. Yeah. Forgot. Oh we just talked on the phone about it 10 minutes before I left the office? Oups. Nope, still didn't remember.

It's good to hear that others have the same problem. Makes me feel less weird.

@ tcp0421

Even though you have a diagnosis for Hashimoto's and everything your daughter is experiencing at the moment could be a sign of that, please make sure nothing gets overlooked! Keeping an eye on diabetes is a good idea (especially if diabetes runs in the family) but also keep in might that there might be other health reasons for her problems (anxiety as well as blood sugar levels or anything else). You just don't want anything overlooked in a child that young who is sill growing and learning. She is in such an important phase in her life

Thinking of what you said about not saying the right things when you are talking just reminded me of something my dds teacher had mentioned. The other day her teacher asked my DD a question to do with a book the students were reading ....my DD answered Disney world. I have no idea where that came from but it had obviously nothing to do with the book. Even just thinking about different times with her she often seems confused on a daily routine. All of this is making sense to me.

 

[MG3G]

I have a son with hashimoto's so I thought I would share our experience.

DS was diagnosed at age 4. We suspect (based on symptoms) he had it from at least age 3. He is now 9 - takes synthroid .75 mcg. From what I have been told hashimotos in children is rare but not crazy super uncommon. He is a bit more rare being a boy and having it and then is INCREDIBLY rare because he has several other concurrent disorders, including 3 which are autoimmune, and 2 which may be found to be autoimmune with more research, plus a few others which aren't. Really a 1 in at least a million kiddo To look at him though you would NEVER know there was anything different about him.

Also - I have hashimotos. My mother, 2 older sisters and grandmother also had it. So four generations in one family which makes me feel pretty qualified to talk about it

First - the very first thing I was told when I was diagnosed was "If you have to have a chronic disorder THIS is the one you want"!

Thyroid disease ONCE you get to a stable level is really not that difficult to live with. Children need closer monitoring (as I am sure you know) while they are growing. Adults can go up to a year without having re-checks until they get pregnant. In pregnancy and post-partum I get monthly checks. I have five children, three of which I had post diagnosis and had no issues AT ALL other then the extra needles.

Finding the stable level is going to be the hard part - once you get there things really do get better.

Second - Mood swings, confusion etc can certainly be a sign of thyroid issues. It is a running family joke with us when one of us starts acting off to go get their thyroid checked. I can TELL when my levels are off by the way I feel and I can also tell if DS is off now too. There is a range of "normal" and within that range your daughter will learn where she feels the best. For example my mom feels best on the very low side of normal - closer to hypo. I function FAR better on the very, very high side - being almost hyper. It sounds like a lot but after a couple years you will be able to tell even without a blood test that she needs a tweek IME anyway.

Third - Since blood sugar keeps coming up. Low blood sugar is called hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia CAN be a symptom of thyroid disease. Not everyone is going to have it. I don't - DS DOES. It isn't called diabetes. I think that is where some of the confusion is coming from - Diabetes is HIGH blood sugar. Hypoglycemia is LOW blood sugar. Both sugar issues but different names. That isn't to say that Hypoglycemia isn't a very serious disorder in itself. Your endo is going to be the very best person to monitor that for her. My DS is managed 100% by diet now with very few blood sugar checks. I do have a glucose monitor for those just in case emergencies. Once I was able to get a handle on his symptoms, he had CLEAR signs when his blood sugar was too low, it no longer affected our lives. Now three years post diagnosis for it, it hardly affects him at all. I honestly think it was FAR harder to deal with then the thryoid issues.

As for anxiety. My DS also dealt with a lot of mental health issues stemming from his poor health. Once we had him stable we were able to see which of those were from the diseases (remember he has several concurrent disorders) and which were from other causes. In the end his school work, social skills, and some other things kept falling behind because of those things he ended up with a pdd-nos diagnosis which is on the autism spectrum. The ONLY reason I mention this is because thyroid disease and autism are often seen together and anxiety is a MAJOR sign of autism and autism like disorders. I obviously have no idea if OPs DD has any indication of being on the spectrum but if this information doesn't apply to the OP perhaps someone else who comes across it might be helped by it. My DS wasn't diagnosed as being on the spectrum until he was almost EIGHT because we didn't know what to look for and what things were tied to his thryoid/other issues and what things weren't.

OP - I wish you the best of luck. It really does get better!

 

[tcp0421]

My DD had different issues ( not too sure if its related to thyroid or hashimotos or not) since she was about 3 she has had two surgeries for hernias. Had issues several times with her bowels. She really had no anxiety issues since she has been put on synthroid. She started off on 50 mcg that was in April her levels were 551. She is now on 100 mcgs. Her levels are still high. She has 3 nodules which her dr is keeping a good look on them
In fact she goes next week for another ultrasound and more blood work. Has a follow up appointment to see her dr the first week in December. She is up and down with her emotions. Fine one minute the next minute she crying.