Need some advice regarding my son who is 12 years and 7 months old. My son has put a lot of weight on during the past year and finds it hard to concentrate sometimes. Feels cold and usually has low energy. I decide to take him to the doctors and insist they check his thyroid... Reluctantly they do and the results are in and have been told the results are normal and no action is needed.
Please could you good people advise if this is the case and that perhaps I should look for other causes of the above..or does my son have a problem with his thyroid. The locum doctor advised there was no need to do T3 test as this is not required for children.
Blood results are as follows
TSH - 1.16mu/L. 0.51 -4.30mu/L
T4 -13.1pmol/L. 12.60. - 21.00pmol/L
What shall I do ?
Thank you....
Written by
SophiaR
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SophiaR, TSH is low-normal but FT4 is low in range. If your son's symptoms don't improve I would ask for thyroid to be retested in 4-6 months to make sure FT4 hasn't dropped below range, and ask for ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate to be tested too.
In the meantime make sure your son is getting plenty of sleep as adolescents tend to skimp on it and try to make sure he eats a high protein low carb diet with plenty of fresh veg and fruit.
I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.
Definitely worth pleading for serum ferritin test.
Hi Sophia, I would not wait as I think his symptoms for the past year and his ALMOST out of range FT4 is enough evidence of a problem. If they are hesitating to start any treatment I would demand more testing. I don't know if he would fall into a pediatric paradigm or what but I would definitely look for another physician and get a second opinion asap.
Try suggesting that he has secondary hypothyroidism - which is a problem with the pituitary, not the thyroid gland itself. Has he had an accident, or a blow to the head?
No nothing like that...should I ask for a referral? Get a second opinion ? My son has special needs and has learning difficulties ... no blows to the head otherwise!
Well the point of having thyroid test is to see whether he needs supplementation or not. If he has a dodgy thyroid he is gong to need to take something, probably for the rest of his life. Levothyroxine works well for 85% of people, especially if their doctor prescribes them the right amount.
It's always a good idea to get a second opinion if you can. But Don't forget to mention secondary hypo - they would probably never think of it for themselves. A blow to the head could have damaged his pituitary, which would account for the low TSH.
My seven year old has just been tested. he put on a lot of weight this year, has become very serious and worried and was described by his OT as not very alert. HIs tests have also come back normal with a tsh of 2 and T4 low but not very low in range. GP wont do any more. I dont want to put him through any more blood tests especially of they are going to come back normal. I might try gluten free but he will be very upset without pasta. What more can we do.
I hope things get better for you and your son. Unfortunately I cannot give much direction but hopefully someone will respond with lots of advice and guidance...
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