high TSH , normal T3,T4 for a 3 year old

[worriedmom2009]

I am very worried about my three year old baby girl. She had this strange hair loss last year and tested borderline TSH , normal T3 , T4 . The doc thought she is fine with the development, so she was not concerned about it. Till recently she got rechecked her blood and TSH was 9.2 . Normal free T4. Her hair grow normal now .Her development is fine. But she kept gaining weight and her cholestrol is high. She looks very healthy and perky till now we found out this problem. We are going to see an endocrinologist. Do you guys know any experienced pediatric endocrinologist in NYC area?
Is there any parent with similar experience?

[magpieannie]

I'll be praying for you both!  It really will be alright. They say that God does not give us more than we can handle. You will both be the stronger in the end! Kids are stronger then we realize! Try not to worry, give it to God each day and He will help you with the answers. I pray daily for direction and intuition when it comes to my daughters health and situation. It is hard with kids as they can't always put things into words, so we as caregivers have to watch closely and read between the lines. We as moms would take this yoke upon ourselves in a heart beat, if we could free them from this. However, that is not possible, so we most help them to the best of our ability, learn to live with this in the best possible way.Thanks to God that atleast you now know WHAT you are dealing with! Now it's time to become the expert on this condition, as your daughter is depending on you! You can do it! I promise.

[worriedmom2009]

Hi,
Thank you for the reply. I have a question about hashimoto. It usually runs in the family. But non of me or my husband's family has any thyroid problem at all. Can it be caused by a viral infection or a bacterial infection? As far as my understanding, the T cell is not working right . Appreciated if you can give me any suggestion.
Thanks again. I know more from you than my endo doc.

[worriedmom2009]

Thank you very much for the message. I cried and cried for my unlucky baby . She will suffer from this for the rest of her life. Thank you for the advice about free t3 and Free T4. I read your article about your experience. Thank you for sharing this.I know we will have a lot issue ahead of us , but I am not alone in this.We will do the best we can with the cards we've been dealt.God Bless you too.

[magpieannie]

Hi there! Just thought I'd let you know that my daughter was born without a thyroid gland. She just turned 9 and is normal in every way! She has been on thyroid hormone since the age of 3 weeks. She is a little on the heavy side, but not fat. She is very smart and funny, and just perfect the way she is! It is not easy having thyroid issues, but there are worse things.Thyroid meds will be forever and suppliments are important, especially vitamin D as she gets older. Blood work is an issue at first, but it won't be a big deal later. A trip to the icecream store and the hospital gift shop make it okay! The best advice that I can give you is to educate yourself and be your daughters advocate. Make sure the doctor test the freet3 and freet4. Pediatric endo.s are often very conservative and numbers (TSH) driven. Ours asked for symptoms but ultimately ignored them. You need to keep a journal and keep track of symptoms and basal body temps in the morning. Always get copies of the labs and don't be afraid to find a new doctor if it is not a team effort. Begin healthy eating and portion control now! She will be fine as long as you keep her on meds and stay on top of things. We've had our issues from time to time with this condition (See my Journal entry on my profile page if interested in the details). However, we don't let it consume our lives. Instead, we move forward day by day and do the best we can with the cards we've been dealt.Thyroid issues can be difficult, however you can make the best of it with education and a determination for good health no matter what the obsticle! God Bless!  

[Super_sally888]

Hi,

you will need to be testing about every 6 weeks for a while until her dose is perfect.  It may need to go up or down.  Also because she is grwoing the dose will need to be increased as she gets bigger and heavier. And also because hashimotos can be progressive (ie. her own thyroid will become less and less able to produce thyroid hormones).

Make sure the doctor tests ft3 and Ft4 as well as tsh (NOT T3, T4 which are not the active hormones).  

Target treated TSH will be between 1 and 2, with the FT3 and FT4 mid to upper half of the normal range.

The high TSH means that your daugher's thyroid is struggling to produce the hormones, and it needs to be 'supported'.  Properly dosed your daughter should have no symptoms and her development should continue to be completely normal.  

Hyperthyroid happens with overdosing of thyroid meds, not the correct dosing.  Your doctor is right to treat your daughter.

Keep in touch and let us know how she goes.

[worriedmom2009]

Thanks for the response. The lab results came back. My baby's TG Ab and TPO Ab are both positive. She has hashimoto thyrioditis. The doc put her on synthroid 25 microgram perday. Her T3, T4 are normal, I am worrying about whether the medication will cause her has hyperthyroid synptoms.

[Super_sally888]

She will need thyroid meds.  Read up on the condition.  As long as she gets her meds and keeps thyroid hormones at the right levels she should be perfectly fine.

Let us know how you go.