Hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's in children?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-29-2003
Hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's in children?
4
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 7:55am
Our family dr wants to check our oldest daughter for hypo/hashimoto's. Said with me & my older sister having it there was a greater chance of Kayla having it. Kayla went from 92 pounds to 101 in a matter of weeks. But she's always been a big girl.Kayla is 9. How do they treat kids? Is it any different from my treatment? What else should they be looking for? Any help is greatly appreciated.

TIA!

Michelle
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 10:52am
Hi Michelle - I wrote you a really long answer and lost it all!! Grrrrrrr!! Ok - children are treated the same way as adults if my experience with my daughter, then my son, is standard, and I think it is. But with children, the doctors need to pay particular attention to their growth and all things related to going through puberty. Since the thyroid controls our metabolism and that affects every system in our body, children can really have a different experience of being hypothyroid than adults do. My daughter was about 11 when we suspect she became hypo but she wasn't diagnosed until she was 14. During that time, she stopped growing completely, slowed down tremendously in all her actions and actual movements - it was so hard for her to keep up with the rest of the family when we were walking - and she became very lethargic. She did very well in school, however, because here systems had slowed so much that she was able to pay attention very well without being distracted by anything around her. As soon as she was on medication, at 14, and beginning high school - the whole world opened up to her and she started to do really badly in school! :)

The doctor was very careful with her medication to make sure she didn't grow too fast. There's a natural "gap" between children's bones that closes as they grow. If they grow too fast and close that gap prematurely, they may not be able to reach their true height. So that is something that is watched closely. She's a normal height today. My son is still going through the growing phase and has been undermedicated for quite some time. I'm hoping that my new doctor will increase his medication as well. Then we should see a real growth spurt.

There is a board on children with thyroid disorders but i can't find it!! That's how I lost my last post. But when I find it, I'll post it for you here. I remember checking it out when my son was diagnosed 2 years ago at 13 years old. Many of the posters there have infants who were born hypothyroid. But it's worth checking out. I hope this helps a little. Cathy :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-09-2004
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 11:58pm

Hi!

Posted by:

Rhonda

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Fri, 07-09-2004 - 10:01am
Rhonda - thanks for the link! Where can it be found otherwise? Did I just miss it on the Health page? Thanks again! Cathy :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-09-2004
Fri, 07-09-2004 - 11:32am

We're on the Parents Place channel.


Here's the link.


http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppchthyroid


Posted by:

Rhonda