Please help my 15 year old daughter!

[sarahea4]

My 15 year old daughter started gaining weight in late January/Early February. She previously weighed 84-85 pounds, but over the past couple of months she has gotten up to 96 pounds. She is a very active child. She eats very healthy, does pilates everyday, jogs and walks on the treadmill 4 times a week, and dances 3 hours per week. She hadn't changed her eating or exercising routine when she started gaining weight. She did have a hiatus of exercising when we were out of town, but I didn't think that would cause the weight gain because she had started to gain weight before. Her stomach gets very bloated, her face gets puffy, and her legs get swollen. Her menstrual cycle has been very irregular(she hasn't had it for 6 months, but doctor say she hasn't regulated...she has had it for nearly 6 years), she has very cold hands and feet, and she is constipated most of the time. We took her to the doctor because we though it was her thryoid. They ran one blood test to test the thryoid and it came back normal. I have read that the test can come back normal and still be abnormal. I have been trying to narrow down what changed when she started to gain weight, and because she started eating extreme amounts of soy for protein. She is allergic to milk, so she drank soymilk, soy yogurt, soy butter, soy protein cereal, and soy pudding(she had been using almond but switched to soy for protein). We just eliminated soy from her diet a coupl of days ago. Another thing I thought of is, we do not use iodized salt. Could all of this be linked? She feels so bloated and miserable and just want to help her.

[gimel]

Just because her thyroid tests were within the so-called "normal" range does not mean that the levels are adequate for her.  Please get a copy of the test report and post results and reference ranges and let members help interpret and advise further.

[sarahea4]

The test results are back and her thyroid is normal. We do not have a copy of the results but we are going to pick that up at the hospital thisi week. the doctors are not willing to send my daughter to an endocrinologist. They believe that since she was before underweight, that she should just let it go. However, I believe the weight she gained is fluid retention because she is such a healthy eater and when she started gaining weight, she hadn't changed anything except that short period where she didn't do her normal exercise routine. And her ankles and legs swell if she walks too much--to the point that her foot literally doesn't fit in her shoe. So, in turn, we are kind of taking my daughter's condition into our own hands. She has suffered from severe headaches for several years and no doctor can tell us why. So, as I said before we took her off of soy, and we have seen results from that already! Her acne on her forehead as cleared up and her skin is so much smoother. Plus, her stomach pain is gone. So, now, we are taking her completely off of gluten to see if that helps the bloating. We are also using a natural supplement--dandelion root--to help with the water weight. We are going to wait and see how this works and give it a few weeks for the gluten and soy free diet to start affecting her (although the soy has already started helping her).

[gimel]

In reading through this thread again, I noticed mention of getting your daughter to a thyroid doctor.  I just wanted to suggest that what you really need is a GOOD thyroid doctor, per the definition I gave above.  You don't need yet another doctor that has the "Immaculate TSH Belief" or that rigidly applies  "reference range endocrinology".

In looking for a good thyroid doctor for friends and Forum members I have found an approach that usually works.  I call the doctor's office and mention that I'm looking for a good thyroid doctor, but before making an appointment I have two questions that I'd like to ask one of the nurses.  When the nurse is on the line I ask if the doctor is willing to treat a hypo patient clinically, by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Then I ask if the doctor is willing to prescribe meds other than T4 types.  If either answer is no, then I keep on looking, because that doctor is not likely to be a good thyroid doctor.

[sarahea4]

I have not ordered the new thyroid blood tests yet; however, I do have the results from the TSH test. The result was 1.09. I will post the results of the other tests as soon as we get them done and the results are have come back.

[gimel]

I have seen information that indicated that Raynaud's can be caused by hypothyroidism.  Also have seen information that listed headaches as one of many symptoms of being hypo.

As far as weight gain, getting her thyroid hormones properly adjusted will increase metabolism.  If no other change offsets this effect then there should be a gradual weight loss, until metabolism equals calorie input.  I have had this experience myself.

[sarahea4]

Can your thyroid cause Raynaud's phenomenon and headaches? She has had severe headaches every day for quite some time now, and the doctor has basically tried every med known to man...but still no relief. And if the meds did help, the side effects were worst than the headaches. and her toes are a dark purple color.  Sorry for the overload of questions. I am working on getting in touch with her doctor and getting her into a thyroid doctor : )

[sarahea4]

Thank you so much for your information! She has been wondering if the weight gain will go away after treatment or if it will be gradual( if the thyroid is the cause). Thank you all for your info!

[gimel]

Absolutely yes it is possible, especially if the doctor uses the old range of .5 - 5.0 or thereabouts.  The most important indicator is symptoms, followed by the levels of FT3 and FT4, and then TSH last.  Remember that TSH causes no symptoms, it is just an indicator of the levels of the actual thyroid hormones, FT4 and FT3, and not a very reliable indicator at that.  Scientific studies have shown that FT3 correlated best with hypo symptoms, while Ft4 and TSH correlated very poorly.

In my opinion a good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting FT3 and FT4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should always be most important, not test results.  Test results are valuable mainly as indicators during diagnosis and then afterward to track FT3 and FT4 as meds are increased to relieve symptoms.  It is going to be very important for your daughter's well being that you locate a good thyroid doctor that will treat her clinically..  

I think you can get some good insight into clinical treatment from this link.  It is a letter written by a good thyroid doctor for patients that he is consulting with from a distance.  The letter is sent to the PCP of the patient to help guide treatment.

http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf

[sarahea4]

Thank you guys! I am going to get in touch with the doctor this week. So, it is possible for the TSH levels to come back normal and still have thyroid issues? Again thank you so much for your responses!

[gimel]

I agree with Khiba about the soy and salt.  Just to be sure about the thyroid , I think it would be good to have her tested for the the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and free T4 (not the same as Total T3 and Total T4, which are somewhat outdated and not as useful as the Frees).  The doctors always test for TSH, so you won't even have to ask for that.  

I think it might be good to also have her tested for the possibility of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, by testing for the thyroid antibodies, TPO ab and TG ab.

When test results are available, then get a copy of the lab report and post results and reference ranges here and members will be glad to help interpret and advise further.  The doctor is required to  provide you a copy upon request.  

[Khiba]

I think you did a great thing by stopping the soy! It really is not a health food except in teeny amounts and only in fermented forms. Soy has been shoved down our throats by the soy producers. It is a highly pesticided, fertilized  plant and usually a GMO (Genetically modified organism.) Avoid at all costs! It most surely does affect the thyroid! It also acts as an estrogen, being full of phyto or plant estrogens and could affect the menstrual cycle too!

I would keep your daughter off the soy and stick to eating fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat, gluten free grains and no dairy for a while and see if her systems settles down. She could use pea or rice proteins for her protein shakes.

She must be very tiny as 96 lbs isn't much for a 15 year old! Going by my daughter who was 5'3" and weighted 115 at 15. She too was an athlete.

As for salt, try out the celtic salts, himalayan salts that are not highly processed and do provide some iodine and all the trace minerals. These are available in health food stores and on the web too.