worried about thyroid problem

[kathy_72]

my daughter has hypothyroid problems.she is only 14 years old.she is currently taking thyroid medications.her horomone levels are still not normal.the doc says her testerone level is 60 and that this is not normal.he says he will recheck bloodwork in about 6 weeks.i am concerned what does this mean? i thought testerone was a male horomone.is it?why is it so high?does this mean she has male horomones at a high level?what are we supposed to do for this problem?she is also on birth controlpills for this problem too. this really confuses me.her hair is also coming out in wads.can you please give me some advice.i am really concerned for her..    thanks a bunch!!!!!!!!!!

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

Bothe men and women make testosterone - your daughters level is slightly high but without symptoms of acne/unwanted hair/irregular periods needs only be watched.  Most common cause of a high-ish testosterone is PCOS.  This is not a thyroid problem - see aace.com for links for more info.

[HashiMan]

Hello, as you await the Dr.s response, I was wondering if you had the actual reference range on that testosterone lab result?
This might help Dr. Mark to better comment.
Females have male hormones and males have female homones but they are in different balances for each sex and there are different normal-values for each. It could even be that her testosterone was low but hard to tell unless you also can provide that reference range.

[mshypo]

I hope you can find a doctor to treat your daughter.  She sounds obviously hypo.  
What is so bad about Hashi's presenting in a young child is that their brain is so badly affected.  I have worked with several individuals who developed severe psychiatric disorder by the time they were in their teens because their hashi's/hypo was not detected when they were young...and they all had symptoms at that time...but antibodies were not tested and obvious hypo symptoms were ignored.

[mshypo]

Please ignore first response - it was for the mother in the thread below this one.  

for you, I would recommend Free levels are tested.  These are the actual thyroid hormones.  I would also recommend your daughter be on Armour thyroid that has all the thyroid hormones.  Hypo can mess up all the hormones and this may be why her testosterone is high. Mine was also high when I was still hypo.

[HashiMan]

Remember my suspicions mentioned to you? I'm waiting to see if this continues to bear out.
I do want to thank you for having sincere care for others and being one of those to keep the purpose for avenues of information, to help and not hinder.
God Bless You.

[cplynn1952]

Hello everyone, I am new to the site.  My story... I was diagnoised in 1999 with hyperthyroidism and then treated with radioactive Iodine treatment which lead to hypothyroidism. I have been on synthroid for the last 6 years and seem to be managing well. I too battle the weight and hairloss issue along with severe fatigue and insomina. But my question to anyone that might know is... I returned to my physician for my annual checkup and he has found another thyroid nodule. My understanding of my previous treatment was that my thyroid was ablated with the iodine. If that is true then how can I develop another nodule and what could this mean? I am set to go in for further testing next week but my doctor is being very vague about the implications of another nodule and frankly it really worries me.

[ksb1908]

Hi Everyone,

I just turned 40 and for a few years I've had a swollen thyroid on the right side. My doctor gave me a blood test for 2 years and it came back normal. Yesterday a stranger asked me if I had a thyroid problem because my neck looked big. THEN, a very close friend of mine said the same thing. She said that she never mentioned it before because she didn't want to worry me. FINALLY, out of the blue 7 years ago (April 13, 1999), I began to have panic attacks. The stranger yesterday said that the thyroid can cause all of this. I am seeking referrals of a Thyroid doctor in Atlanta and any advise that yoiu all can give. I am very scared but I know that I must confront this. I am not telling my husband or anyone right now. I have 2 children ages 7 and 11. I am very worried about leaving them.

[ancientmariner]

Please don't worry until you're sure there's something to worry about! You could very likely have a goiter (enlarged thyroid) which is causing your neck to look "big". Goiters can be caused by a number of thyroid conditions, most of them very treatable. Have you done any research into thyroid symptoms? You could be hypothyroid or hyperthyroid, and sometimes labs can look normal even if you feel terrible. Look for symptoms of both conditions, and make a list of the ones you have to take to the specialist. Also ask for free T3 and Free T4 and antibodies testing in addition to TSH. And make sure you get copies of all your labs from your doctors. You are entitled to them by law in the US.