Child with possible hypothyroidism - are symptoms normal?

[massey3070]

My 10 year old daughter had a blood test last week, following repeated visits to the GP since 2012, with abdominal pain. The test showed she has hypothyroidism and we have been able to get a consultant appointment for next week. From looking at the symptoms for this conditions she fits in with some of them but not all, but a confirmation of the diagnosis would explain a lot of niggling symptoms she has had for a while. She is constantly complaining of lower abdominal pain recently - I had put this down to her age but the GP has said that hypothyroid would also explain this. She also has the following symptoms

- feeling the cold

- has only lost 8 baby teeth so far and hasnt lost any baby teeth for at least 2 years

- ravenous all the time but is not over weight

- hip and joint pain

- fatigue that comes in bouts not all the time

- double vision which the optician has said is due to a weakened muscle in her eye

- visual disturbance since the age of 4 which no-one can explain

- greasy hair, but this could be her age

- moodiness and mood swings, but again could be her age as she is going through puberty

The fatigue seems to come in waves, so today she is off school with tummy ache, lack of apetite, feeling cold and tiredness. This is happening about once a week now, then she will be back to normal, albeit with tummy ache still, before going downhill again. I know I only have a week to wait to see the consultant who hopefully will be able to confirm diagnosis and start treatment or offer another diagnosis but I am wondering if this behaviour of symptoms is normal and apart from giving paracetamol and ibuprofen to relieve the symptoms, is there anything else I can do in the meantime?

All I know from the blood test if her TFT was 7.7 and the GP said normal range was between 0 and 3.5. I am assuming he tested T3 and T4 as well to be able to say it was under active but I dont know, as I didnt know the right questions to ask at the time.

Thanks for any response

[DanteNXS]

You need to have them run a full Thyroid panel (Free T3, Free T4, TSH, Reverse T3, and TPO) You also need to have her B12, Vitamin D3, Iron, Ferritin, Folate, and Magnesium tested. Get a copy of all her results and post them on here, with the ranges, so others can provide you with some feedback.

Good luck

DanteNXS

[motherclanger]

Has she been checked for coeliac disease? You could always ask for a print out of results and then you can see what they have tested and the results x

[Clutter]

Massey3070, there are apparently something like 300 hypothyroid symptoms but the commonest symptoms are included in this link thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_... A diagnosis of hypothyroidism may be made when the patient is symptomatic and TSH is over range but the paediatric ranges may differ from the adult ranges.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

As your daughter is experiencing frequent tummy ache the suggestion that she is tested for coeliac disease is a good one.

_______________________________________________________________________________

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.

[Hidden]

Thank you so much for posting these symptoms in A ten year old woth hypo. I think they will be very helpful for others. It makes sense that children could have a different pattern.

[massey3070]

Interestingly I have taken her back to the GP today as she has had 2 days off school with fatigue, lack of appetite and abdominal pain. The tummy pain is all lower abdominal pain. The GP suggested coeliac, so we have been for the blood test this afternoon. She has perked up no end this evening and its almost like she goes from an incredible low to a high. The GP has prescribed an anti spasm medicine to help with the abdo pain as paracetamol and ibuprofen dont help. She has already started her periods otherwise I would say it was this, but its all the time, sometimes going into her hip and gets worse when she has one of these episodes.

I couldnt get a print out of last blood results but she did tell me that TSH was

7.7 and T4 was 11. I am hoping that the consultant next week will run some more detailed tests so we can get a better idea of what is going on.

Thanks for all your replies, have a feeling this is just the start of a long journey!

[Hidden]

Hi don't know if you are still around on this forum but your post just came up as I'm searching for info about my 10 year old daughter. She has almost identical symptoms to yours. Since Jan this year she has had on/off abdo pains, fatigue/ extreme tiredness which just comes and goes. She often feels cold and shivery. Her appetite has just disappeared, she has lost 7 lbs since Feb. 

Gp has referred her to a paediatrician but did bloods in the mean time and these are the results I know, tsh 12.5 free t4 11.2. Also her b12 was very high at 950. Not sure of the relevance of that but Google frightened me to death as it mentions leukaemia or liver disease. Her iron and ferritin are normal.

We are unfortunately having to wait over a month for a hospital appointment so I was wondering how you got on with a paediatrician and how your daughter is now?

[massey3070 in reply to Hidden]

Hi there,

yes I am still around.  I am sorry but I dont know much about the blood results - Im still learning on this journey but I do know that you need to know the range from the lab as well to know if they are outside the normal.  Im sorry to hear you are going through such a worrying time, the worst part is waiting for the appointments to come around and then the results of yet more tests.

My daughter is still suffering with symptoms but we seem to hav a great consultant who is doing lots of testing.  She is now on 50mcg thyoxine and 2ml daily of vitamin d.  The consultant has also said now that she is borderline anaemic but as they have already started her on 2 meds they dont want to start her on anything else.  She is also having a pelvic ultrasound on Saturday as I think the abdo pain is getting worse and I suspect it is gynae related and nothing to do with her thyroid as this is the area she is getting the pain in.  My daughter said last week that she is starting to feel better in herself but at the end of last week had another phase where she was complaining about being cold and was lethargic, although not as bad as she has previously been, so I do think the meds are working.  She is having repeat bloods tomorrow for her thyroid but they are also re-checking her iron and and inflammatory markers, given her continued abdo pain, so I am hopeful that we might get some more answers by the start of next week, although all we seem to be doing at the moment is uncovering more problems without answering the problem we presented with in the beginning.

It is such a tough age for them as well and so much going on.  I hope that your daughter gets some answers soon and please try not to worry about the really awful things that you find when you google - I was worried about the things you have mentioned as well, but was assured that if anything really awful was happening it would have shown up in her original blood results.  Doesnt stop us worrying though does it!!!  I know people say not to google but I have found it invaluable and it does help to be more informed for when you see the consultant and you can take in more of what they are saying and push for the right tests.

Good luck.

[Hidden]

Thank you for replying and I'm glad you are getting somewhere. You are right, the waiting is terrible. My daughter seems to be having good and bad days, if she does too much one day the next day is spent practically in bed. All the best to you, I'll update if I get more news!

[Amazon07]

massey3070 Hidden Ladies, please read up about not only going gluten-free but Paleo! Your daughters would hugely benefit and vastly improve on a gluten- and grain-free, real food diet! No processed foods, no grains, no sugar. Please read up about it!! Best Wishes, Anita

[humanbean]

massey3070

I know this is an old post, so I'm not sure who will read it. I just wanted to point out that there is an association between hypothyroidism and developing ovarian cysts. There is also a connection between hypothyroidism and PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Anyone who might have ovarian cysts or PCOS should ask for an ultrasound scan to check for any problems with the ovaries. Don't be fobbed off with "it's IBS, go away".