Daughter's results

[Ninjamum]

Hi, I'm new here and after some opinions. My daughter is 15 and has been suffering with chronic heartburn/ indigestion for which she is seeing a consultant, at her first appointment he did her TSH as she also has irregular periods. Her results were 4.89 top of the range being 4.2 so he said he'd repeat them next visit. Well that was today saw a different doctors who said she was constipated so prescribed senna i mentioned repeating TSH he looked at her last result and said it was essentially normal but would repeat test as I'd asked. She has another appointment with a gastroenterologist specialist in June but from everything I've read all her symptoms could be linked to hypothyroidism, am i correct? I'm wondering how i can push this forward with the doctors

[Rapunzel]

In your shoes ( and I was a bit of a Ninjamum... ) I would be heading here

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

if your daughter is having thyroid problems then let's find out how 'essentially normal' she is - although warning - for thyroid problems there is no such thing as normal. She needs T3 T4 Thyroid antibodies x 2 Vit D Ferritin Folate and B12 in addition to TSH. Post the results on here with the ranges and members can advise.

I know that you may wish it was you suffering but all you can say to your daughter is that you are there for her but can't help her move forward until you and she have a clear diagnosis. It may not hurt to go gluten free in the meanwhile which may make her feel more comfortable.

May,may, may. Sorry to be so wishy washy but that's what thyroid problems are often all about I'm afraid. Good .luck (((fellow Ninja)))

[Ninjamum in reply to Rapunzel]

Thanks for the reply, i know she should have a full thyroid screen but have no idea who i should be talking to to get it, as she is currently under 2 hospitals and i don't have much confidence in our own gp

[shaws Administrator]

I agree with Rapunzel she needs a proper blood test. In other countries with a TSH at the top of the 'range' she shoud have been given a prescription for levothyroxine.

UK must be the only country in the world who makes a patient suffer until the TSH reaches 10 - in other countries they prescribe around 3+.

When we are hypothyroid everything is affected from head to toe and in particular we can have stomach problems for which the doctor may give an antacid but we have low acid so have to supplement with HCL tablets with meals particularly containing protein. Also a good Apple Cider Vinegar mixed in water or juice at mealtimes helps provid the acid we need to dissolve our food. Femaile problems are another and I'll give a list of symptoms.

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

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Above is the tests you need and they should be done at the earliest possible, fasting and if she was on thyroid hormone replacement 24 hours should elapse between last dose and the test and take afterwards.

Nearly all of the members on this forum 50,000 have had to go-it-alone as the guidelines in the UK don't always co-incide with relief of all clinical symptoms which is the aim of thyrod hormone replacements.

Every single thing in our body is affected and we have to get to an optimum of thyroid hormones - ones which make us better.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[Ninjamum in reply to shaws]

Thanks for the info, think I'm going to have a battle on my hands to get her the correct tests and hopefully diagnosis. Not helped by having an uncooperative teenager who just wants it all to disappear

[shaws Administrator in reply to Ninjamum]

It's a shame that youngsters have to cope with ill-health. They just cannot understand it.

[dashi2208]

I had heartburn after nearly every meal for about a decade and it has all but disappeared since I cut Gluten out of my diet.

[Ninjamum]

Thanks for the reply, unfortunately she's already on point, 40mg omeprazole which she's been on since June last year. I will raise all these points when we go to the specialist.

I didn't know about the aluminium luckily we have an induction hob so only have stainless steel pans

[HLAB35 in reply to Ninjamum]

A course of lansoprazole (similar PPI to omeprazole) was pretty disastrous for me - lowered my b12 levels to the point where I was getting mild neuropathy and terrible short term memory, fuzzy head and balance issues and left me vulnerable to every virus going around - fortunately most issues have been reversed in time, but my short term memory is still poor and I still must keep on top of b12 deficiency.

I've since gone gluten free, lacto free (for a while - but I'm ok with dairy now) took digestive enzymes (Betaine HCl) and glutamine in powdered form which I added to water - all helped with gastro issues. Only problem with gluten free is it's a little low in fibre and lacks thiamine, so I've added loads of veg into my diet and have started supplementing B1 and that has worked.

If the gastro problem is caused by pesky helicobactor pylori / bad bacterial / candida overgrowth I can recommend a supplement which I've tried called mastic gum - much better than strong antibiotics - check out reviews... however, it's expensive, but needn't be taken at the larger dose size for long... I keep a bottle handy in case I ever start getting IBS or candida type symptoms (due to low stomach acid) usually when I've been run down with overwork / a cold and they soon go away.

Paediatric medicine seems a slow-burn part of the health service, although they should put you in touch with NHS education providers if your daughter is very poorly, but I think it may be a good idea to take a few things in hand (e.g. private bloods done) as you may be in for a long wait before you get the meaningful consultation you deserve.

[Katepots]

If you are really stuck getting her bloods done with uncooperative Drs there's always private testing.

There's

medichecks.com/thyroid-health

And

Bluehorizonmedicals.com

Thyroid plus eleven,twelve and fifteen are all good comprehensive tests. They also will organise a nurse to come and take bloods.

Some are pinprick although not the easiest I've found and as your daughter is young maybe less of an palava and ordeal to have a nurse do it! Not that pinprick hurts just hard to get blood out, I had to do six times.

[Gambit62]

Symptoms are also typical of PA/B12 deficiency so you might want to pursue that as well as thyroid - and no guarantee that it won't be both ... or something else.

Lots of information on PA and B12 deficiency on the PASoc forum - take a look at the pinned posts on the forum - which include a link to a symptoms checklist

healthunlocked.com/pasoc