hypothyroidism?

Posted by Jenean on May 24, 1999 at 12:44:45
My 11 year old daughter gains weight without any effort!  I recently read an article on hypothyroid disorder and it listed the symptoms and to my disbelief she has them all!!  I had her tested about a year ago and the doctor said she was borderline and told me to watch her diet closely and get her into some form of routine exercise.  Since reading this article, I am taking her back and having the test redone and demand something be done.  This poor girl suffers low self-esteem from her weight and her dry skin (which she picks at inceasantly to the point of soars).  Her hair is unmanageable and she always has a blanket on her in the house!  At school, all of her teachers notice how much she lacks concentration and it flows into our homelife.  Her cholesteral was borderline last testing, but went down 6 months later with diet, but her wight only reduced by a few pounds.  No matter what we do, she can't shake these symptoms and we are frustrated!  What do you think?  She did have Epstein-Barr Syndrome when she was 8 and she had her tonsils and adenoids (adenoids) removed shortly thereafter.
Please help!!!
Jenean

Posted by hfhs.md.rcs on May 27, 1999 at 20:57:59
Dear Jenean:
Pre-teens are a challenging group: watching the diet and promoting exercise in an 11-year-oold is an hard prescription to enact. Hypothyroid symptoms can be found in almost every member of this and the teen age group at some points. Nonetheless, if the symptoms fit, the testing, TSH and free Thyroxine level, are so easy to do and the disease is so straight forward to treat that testing is never a bad idea.
If the test shows normal thyroid function, further support with counselling may be a worthwhile discussion with physician, school psychologist, or any community resources to help pre-teens make the transition.
Keywords: jeuvenile hypothyrodisism.
This information is provided for education purposes and is not a medical consutaltion. If you have specific questions, please speak with your healthcare provider.