Need input! Teen with Thyroid issues, update

[wegotchickens]

My teen daughter has been having a lot of trouble in school. Sleeping through some classes, not turning in work. She's moody, etcetera. Normal teen stuff, but I still worried. I was thinking low iron, diabetes issues...

Took her to get blood drawn on Valentine's Day (she was not happy, but sat still for it, HATES needles).

And she has a thyroid problem.
Test results: TSH 4.38 uIU/mL (limits are 0.30-3.00)

Does anyone have any experience with this? Doc can't see us until Mon (but will call if something opens up). And actually, seeing him is a formality, since I want a 2nd opinion from an endocrinologist!!

Does anyone have first-hand experience with graves disease or other thyroid problems? What can we expect from a specialist?
I can go online and find info, but I'm dealing with a scared teen and the more I know that's 'real' will help us both get through this....

Thanks in advance, chicken family!

 

[chickflick]

I have hypothroidism. Then there's hyperthroidism. Graves disease is associated with hyper....when thyroid is producing too much ...
I was tired all the time....no energy what so ever, gained weight. I had a tumor on mine...the drs took half thyroid out. All I do now is take a tiny little pill every day...doing very well. You can e mail me if you want ..or Pm and I can give you my phone number. It's no big deal.

 

[tebs78]

Hi, Just depends on the lab and what they consider as normal. Where I had my blood drawn the normals were 1-4. Did she fast for her test?

Hypothryoidism is easy to treat. They will give you synthyroid or armourthyroid.

She's not EXTREMES in her values. (I am a nurse) I wouldn't sweat it, but she'll have to get a few more draws to make sure her meds are theraputic in range.

 

[chickflick]

When you go to a specialist, all is needed is blood. A simple blood test will tell all. If she does have this, she'll need to get a blood test every 3 months until things are stabalized. check for iodine and hormones, and what ever else the tyroid produces. After things are stabalized it's every 6 months and then every year just to keep on top of it. I also take a bunch of vitamins ....C and magnesium and calcicum and D.

 

[nccatnip]

Yep, daughter has it. no big deal, see the endocrinologist for a base line, they might run a few more tests and possibly a scan then she will begin a synthetic thyroid. Expect multiple office visits for blood work and when she levels off then probably only once a year. When she levels off, you can expect to enjoy your daughter so much more.

 

[chickflick]

No fasting is required for the blood test. My dr made sure I took synthroid, no generic.

 

[equine chick]

I'm a nurse so I will try to explain this to you without giving a diagnosis. I'm not a doctor so please discuss this with him. A high TSH result often means an underactive thyroid gland that is not responding adequately to the stimulation of TSH due to some type of acute or chronic thyroid dysfunction. A high TSH value can also occur when patients with a known thyroid disorder (or those who have had their thyroid gland removed) are receiving too little thyroid hormone medication
My dh and dd has hypothyroidism. The treatment is usually a pill called levothyroxine(synthyroid, there are several others.) Your doctor might also request for her to have an us done of her thyroid just to rule out a goiter or what not. She will have to have her thyroid tested about every 3-6 months to see how the med is working. Sometimes they can come off the med later if the thyroid improves.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Lots and lots of women get thyroid problems and it can be corrected....do not panic...your doctor will know how to treat....I have had thryoid problems for 15 years....meds and treatments adjusted all the time..........right now I have 3 different bottles of thyroid meds!!...each a different doseage!!...lol..just depends on what the blood works says......

 

[wegotchickens]

Her test was taken after fasting, and she had several items marked as low, but the thyroid marked as high.

She will NOT be happy about the continued blood tests, but is a little relieved to know that this is from her body and not her mind (if that makes sense).

Actually, we are all as much relieved as worried. She has not been herself for some time now, but we kept hearing 'hormones' 'ADHD' 'spoiled' and 'bad attitude'. And the clinical signs of depression are VERY similar to the signs of thyroid issues! I pushed for the blood test after finding out that her father had thyroid problems in addition to diabetes, and that his mom had thyroid problems also (she had Graves Disease as an adult). I just didn't really expect that K would have thyroid issues, too.

Thank you all so much for your feed back!
I now have a better frame of reference for answering questions first person, rather than 'this website says'.

Chickflick, I'll PM you later on after I talk to my daughter some more.

Gotta say: Ya'll are the BEST! Knowing I could post this was a lot better for me than running circles in my mind until Monday!!

 

[Brian]

Your daughter has been tested (it sounds like), only for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Your endocrinologist will likely want to test for fT3, fT4, total T3, and total T4. He'll probably repeat the TSH test as well. If your daughter does indeed not make enough thyroxine, she can easily rectify the situation by taking Synthroid (a synthetic form of thyroxine). That is a very inexpensive medication that she'll take indefinitely. Why she is this way? Perhaps it is due to a nodule, or perhaps it is true Graves. That's for the endo to find out.

Either way...don't worry! All will be fine See your doctor, and beware of advice on lists.

Retired Eye Doc, Brian