Mom on a mission

[kym1266]

I'm the mother of a 12 yr old girl who has hashimoto's and PCOS. I'm not convinced that she really has these - I just know that we need to get control somehow of it & then we'll be good to go. I'm on here to figure this out so she's not on meds for the rest of her life. My stepdaughter also has autoimmune issues as well as my cousins. It's very important for me to help them get to the root causes of why this is happening. I truly believe in the body's ability to heal itself, we just need to get to the main reason it started happening in the first place.

[Pixielula]

Um so you say she has hashimoto's, but then you say your not convinced she has hashimoto's..... I'm confused! you can certainly do things to help with flare ups but I'm pretty sure hashimoto's won't cure itself. How did you get a diagnosis?

[kym1266 in reply to Pixielula]

Sorry for the confusion - I meant I'm not convinced that she has PCOS. She had an ultrasound that showed she had a goiter but her blood test levels don't seem too high or too low. The last TSH test came back with 1.63, the FT4 was 0.8, her testosterone level was 37 at first and 21 the last test. Her insulin level was high - but it wasn't tested before she started the metformin - it was 41. I'm not sure what this means though - "Thyroglobulin Antibody <20" It said the range was 0-20.

The endocrinologist that we saw said that hashimoto's is hereditary & that I probably have it too (& everyone else in my family- but only my mother had a goiter which is gone and she doesn't take anything for it now at all) and that it has nothing at all to do with nutrition. He subscribed her metformin & spironolactone before even getting a blood test back. I would really like to get her off of the metformin (makes no sense that her insulin levels are raised because that alone is supposed to reduce those!) But I don't want to take her off without knowing everything I can. (& I don't have the money to waste to 'shop around' for other doctors since it's $50 every visit). The meds alone cost $43 a month also. I initially went because I thought she had PCOS (excess hair growth on her face, menstrual cycle symptoms but no period for a months), starting thinking she was supposed to be a male, depression, major anxiety- complete mood change from before plus her neck was swollen, her tonsils had been swollen for a very long time (years). But the main issue we were having was the numbness in her right leg and arm sometimes so bad that she couldn't walk right at all. She had a ton of tests for that and nothing neurologically wrong came up. I just knew something was off. Her neck has gotten much smaller but we haven't gotten that tested yet so I'm not sure about that.

Thank you all so much for your help!!!

[hathi999]

You might find this ebook incredibly helpful in understanding root causes etc... my.chriskresser.com/ebook/t...

[hathi999]

Sorry link here my.chriskresser.com/ebook/t...

[kym1266 in reply to hathi999]

Thank you! I'll check it out.

[Katepots]

Dr Datis Khazzourian has great information on Hashimotos.

You can put it into remission with the right thyroid treatment and diet. She must be gluton free with Hashimotos. Also dairy free can help but gluton free is a must.

The healing kitchen is a cook book by two Drs suffering with Hashimotos.

[kym1266 in reply to Katepots]

I just listened to him speak at the hashimoto's summit last week! He's incredible! I wish he lived closer so I could take her to see him.

[Katepots in reply to kym1266]

Yes I was really impressed.

I'm sure there's hope and you've caught it early for her.

Apparently I'd have had Hashimotos from childhood but I wasn't diagnosed until my late 30's. Now finally at 49 I'm on the right track!

She's a lucky girl to have you.

[kym1266 in reply to Katepots]

Thanks Glad you're on the right track! How did you find out that your problems were related to your thyroid? I can't be with her 24 hours a day. She loves A&W root beer but I keep it limited as much as possible & make sure that she doesn't eat anything with the fake sugars. Thank God Hershey's now makes a syrup with only 5 ingredients & none of those chemicals. (I tell her she was made with chocolate because all I craved when I was pregnant was chocolate) - I did eat well though besides that but I hope that didn't contribute to her problems now.

[K1k1_belle]

Hi @kim1266,

I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter, more and more young people seem to be getting this disease, it's crazy! It seems the change in hormones with puberty is a factor - got me it was pregnancy and for others it's menopause.

I'm so glad you want to get to the root cause and figured this out early, for me it took 3 years, it was only when my hair started falling out that I stared to take my own action.

The GPs and Endos will help you with such things as bloods and ultrasounds but that's where it stops I'm afraid, they deal with the symptoms - give you the hormone replacement - but not with the underlying issue. What you need is a Functional Doctor if that is possible where you live? Please read the link I posted on my page - it's my 3rd post I believe. I have started working with a Functional Doctor here in NL and at my first consultation we figured out my triggers and underlying gut issues - the gut issues are the most important as this is where all disease stems from. For me it was multiple food intolerances - gluten/dairy/sugar (please note you will have to change your daughters diet), IBS, Candida and EBV - has your daughter ever had glandular fever?

Obviously we are all unique and different factors will be affecting your daughters health. The one main thing that will be there is 'leaky gut' all autoimmune diseases have this in common and there will be an imbalance of gut flora so a diet protocol like GAPs or AIP (Autoimmune Paleo) will fix that. You will have to heal her gut, if not over time other autoimmune conditions will start popping up. Start with baby steps, maybe one week cut out the gluten, see how she feels - Paleo is a great diet (not a diet) to look into for receipes.

Hashimotos is like an onion, you pull back one layer to discover the next problem. Vitamin deficiencies will also be a problem - most likely Vit D, selenium (Brazil nuts are great for this), B12, Iron - again everyone is different but I know there are a few specific ones. Maybe Oestrogen dominance is an issue with the onset of puberty?

Your daughter has inflammation in her body and that is why you're seeing high antibodies, keep an eye on them and hopefully once your daughter starts addressing each issue they will come down.

You are going to have to educate yourself as much as you can, some of the girls above have already mentioned some great Funtional Doctors who have blogs, podcasts, Facebook pages etc and if you like over time I can send you more information that I found really helpful, I don't want to overload you all at once.

Oh Coconut oil - is great for the thyroid, maybe 3 tps a day, it will also help balance your daughters blood sugars if she is having Adrenal Fatigue - another common factor that goes with Hashimotos. She'll probably need probiotics also.

I'll leave it there for now but I'm here to help if ever you need anything.

Sending you my best wishes 😊

[kym1266 in reply to K1k1_belle]

Thank you for all of that! Please 'overload' me as much as you possibly can! Since it's summer break from school I'm commited to getting down to the nitty gritty since she can take a nap whenever she wants if something doesn't work quite right. I've been trying to learn as much as possible but it seems endless. My stepdaughter was diagnosed with crohn's disease but I don't think that's really what it is since it took them months and months to say that. I personally think they were tired of her saying that nothing was working. I just need to convince her that it's her diet & that she needs to reevaluate things (hers started after giving birth to her son). I think my daughters started when she started thinking that she was overweight (which she wasn't but her other sister is stick thin) and she stopped eating as much as she should've. I'll let you know what happens, thank you again so very much!

[kym1266 in reply to K1k1_belle]

Where do you get your coconut oil? I'm suspicious of everything now! She finally admitted (Which is the 1st step to solving a problem! Yaa!) that she gets really stressed out. She won't slow down enough to meditate and even though I do like the music she listens to I'm afraid it'll keep her brain too active (Fall Out Boy, Black Veil Brides, Andy Black, Twenty One Pilots- heavy metal type of stuff that's good to make you stop obsessing over your thoughts but I think she needs to silence it all just as well as she listens to that stuff.) Have you heard of kefir grains to make into milk and yogurt? I want to get some but I'm not sure where to purchase them from.

[K1k1_belle in reply to kym1266]

I just get my Coconut Oil in the Health Shop 👍🏼 I've heard of Kefir but haven't tried it as I'm off all dairy!! The big thing for me managing my stress was eliminating sugar and carbs but I'm not sure how your daughter will feel about that? I eat loads of good fats now and it has helped with my blood sugars sooooo much. I wonder does she have Adrenal Fatigue? It pretty much goes hand in hand with Hashimotos! Waking during the night, wired and tired, dizzy upon standing and fatigue are all signs of it!

[K1k1_belle]

And one last thing, please inform your Endochronologist that Hashimotos is not hereditary - Autoimmuntiy yes - it just effects different people in different places depending where you weak spot it. They call it the 3-legged stool of Autoimmuntiy - Genes, Gut Permeability and an Environmental Trigger. Their ignorance annoys me 😂😂😂🙈🙈🙈

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

[kym1266 in reply to K1k1_belle]

Yes, it is extremely irritating having to pay these ignorant people that have been doctors for 50 years with no nutrition education and saying that they know every single thing - when I've been studying this, listening to online summits from the doctors that actually want to help people instead of taking their money and making money for the pill companies. Thanks for the link!

[K1k1_belle in reply to kym1266]

I feel like I have a Degree in Hashimotos at this stage 😂😂😂