A quiestion about my thyroid?

[farmchick95]

Hey everybody. I'm not overly happy with my doctors about my thyroid. I was diagnosed with it over 3 years ago. I had it for a few years before that and when they discovered it my TSH was 91 or 92.
I am currently on 200mcg of Levothyroxine. The other day my Mom got chewed out (I'm 15) by my endocrinologists nurse, she was calling me very harshly a liar, saying I'm not taking my pill I can't be because my thyroid is so out of wack. I am though. I'm a very responsible kid and if I don't take my pill I am so miserable. I gained 23 pounds in a month, does she really think I want to put on more when I walk 10 miles a day and diet strictly to get it off? Anyways, I'm taking my pill and I am getting no where. My doctors won't even tell me anything. Here are my results:

Free T4: 0.25 Units is ng/dl
TSH: 139.55 Units is uIU/ML
Free T3: 2.3 Units is pg/mL
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody: 1300 Units is U/mL

I have a family history of hypothyroidism by the way, my Mom has it also. Earlier when I first so my endo. last year he said I have thyroid hormone insensitivity but that is before he checked for anti-bodies, so I'm not sure if its hashi's and not that or what.

Also, if any of you are familiar with Acanthosis Nigricans I talked to him about that as I have really really dark patches all over me, especially on my hands, like sometimes they are even a greenish color or even gray or dark brownish black. I have it around my groin, back of my ankles (looks like caked on mud on the back of them) my hands and armpits. Not on my neck or back or anywhere else. He said its not thyroid related and probably something to do with my insulin and I just got that checked along with my thyroid. Insulin was great, A1C was normal so I have no insulin disorders or diabetes. What is it?

[Super_sally888]

Not absorbing thyroid meds can be due to malabsorption.

Most common cause of this in people with hypothyroid is celiac / gluten intollerance.  i think you should be tested for this.  You could also trial a gluten free diet to see if it helps.

I agree that your doctor is not managing you well.  Would be good if you can find a better doctor.... if that could be possible.  Does your Mum sympathise.

So i assume the docs didn't do anything to adjust your meds.... they just told you to take them properly.  With a TSH this high (I think the T3 and T4 look low.... but please give reference ranges)... you definitely need to have doctors working on this.

Welcome here.  We'll help all we can.

Monitor the HA1C at least every 6 months.  With the hypothyroid there is also a risk of autoimmune diabetes developing over time.

[Smilerdeb]

Your antibody levels are high therefore I would also be asking for your Pit. Gland to be checked.
Ang go shopping...
DOCTOR SHOPPING.

[Barb135]

The dark patches are common in people who are prone to diabetes.  Not having it now, doesn't mean you won't get it eventually.  You could have insulin resistance, which is pre-diabetes - means you produce enough insulin, but your cells are resistant it.  Be very careful about what you eat, make sure you get plenty of exercise, etc.  

I have those spots on my knees, elbows, etc as well and although my A1c came back "high normal", my fasting blood sugar is often higher than it should be, though not high enough to be considered diabetic.

I'm sure there are other things that can cause that condition, too, so you might want to have your pcp check it out, if your endo isn't willing to follow up on it.

I can sympathize with your weight issue - I gained about 30 lbs in 3 months just prior to being diagnosed.  For a long time, my doctor accused me of eating too much, not exercising, etc; finally decided maybe it wasn't "my fault" that I couldn't lose when I was put on cytomel (T3 med) and still couldn't get rid of the weight.  

Once my thyroid levels got to where I needed them, I was able to lose weight, but I still have to work very hard at it.

BTW -- I agree that you may need a different doctor, if that's an option.
Good luck.

[goolarra]

Hi - Can you post the reference ranges for your FT3 and FT4...they're all different from lab to lab, so we have to have the range with the result.  We can comment better after seeing those.

[Jster]

I have no idea what could cause those patches, but I do think your Dr should take you more seriously. Nobody your age wants to have patches all over! Have you tried putting this question to the Doctors here? They are good about answering. It sounds to me like you could use a new Dr. I don't know if you have that option, but if you do, I would strongly suggest trying someone new, who may be more in tune to teens, and maybe check you out more thoroughly to make sure that nothing more is wrong. Gaining that much wieght in a month is not good. I dont know a lot about your condition, but I do know about hypo PARAthyroidism, thats what I have. Good luck, and hope you find a better Doctor.