Struggles in Raising Kids with Congenital Hypothyroidism That precious, little baby in the picture is my oldest son who has congenital hypothyroidism. He was 5 months old and in the hospital when that picture was taken. My oldest son recently had his golden birthday. Your golden birthday is when you turn the age that corresponds with the day of the month you were born. For example, if you were born on January 18th, your golden birthday would be the year you turn 18. I think your golden birthday should be a birthday that gets a little extra attention. So, we bought some gold balloons ready and ordered a cake with a big gold medal on it. Just a few things to make this birthday stand out a bit. When I think about how much he's … [Read more...]
Wednesday Weekly Roundup – Thyroid News – Jan.8, 2014
Thyroid News Update Here's your weekly news update from Thyroid Mom. These are articles or abstracts that either appeared in the news this week or things that I found this week that I wanted to share with you. Happy Reading! CONGENITAL HYPOTHYROIDISM Hippocampal Size and Memory Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Congenital Hypothyroidism Newborn Screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism in Pakistan Congenital Hypothyroidism in India – Interestingly, the article reports that the rate of hypothyroidism in India is 1 in 1,172 versus the worldwide rate of congenital hypothyroidism of 1 in 3,000. Congenital Hypothyroidism & Obesity Adiposity Rebound (The above article on Congenital Hypothyroidism & … [Read more...]
Undefeated
I have spent much of the last 2 years feeling defeated and betrayed by my body. Auto immune diseases, fibromyalgia, allergies, etc. - the list goes on and on. I get sick a lot. I feel like crap a lot. When I go to the doctor and they ask me what medications I take, I have to turn on my phone and open up the list I have saved, because I can't remember them all. I feel too young to have such a long list of medications. I'm supposed to be at my peak. I'm not 40 yet and have 2 young, very active boys that I need to keep up with. Why is this happening to me? I was laying in bed the other night wide awake (thanks to my husband's snoring), and I kept asking myself that question. Finally, I came to this conclusion: I may never know why. … [Read more...]
Battling Those Winter Blues
Yes, that's me, Grinchified. Where I live, the winters aren’t awful, but usually still cold and often rainy. It’s just not cold enough to snow, so no fun sledding or building snowmen. The holidays are filled with fun times with friends and family, and then I blink and it’s back to the regular days. I often find myself feeling like the Grinch around this time of year. If you struggle with the same thing, here are some tips on brightening your spirits this winter: 1) Get some sunshine each morning. If you wake up to a sunny morning, try to get in a walk before breakfast or sit in a sunny spot in your house to eat breakfast. If those aren’t good options for you, consider purchasing a light box (available from online retailers like … [Read more...]
Wednesday Weekly Roundup – Thyroid News – Dec.18, 2013
Thyroid News Update Here's your weekly news update from Thyroid Mom. These are articles or abstracts that either appeared in the news this week or things that I found this week that I wanted to share with you. Happy Reading! 19 Signs Your Thyroid Isn’t Working (parents of children with thyroid disorders, please read this – many symptoms are the same for children and this will give you some tips on what questions to ask about how they are feeling) Hypothyroid Symptoms (this is a long, but interesting read) The Impact of Gestational Thyroid Hormone Concentrations on ADHD Symptoms of the Child FDA calls BS on Antibacterial Soaps Thyroid News Roundup 2013 (Mary Shomon's yearly review) There will be no Wednesday Weekly … [Read more...]
You Are What You Eat – Your Thyroid and Diet
You are what you eat. We’ve all heard that phrase. Well, I could be in trouble then, based on that picture. That was a pumpkin spice waffle, complete with all the things I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to eat. My husband and I shared it on Halloween, and I'm not going to lie - it was delicious - truly amazing. As much as I try to eat healthy, I give in from time to time. I’ve been asked a lot lately what foods I eat to help boost thyroid function. I’ve also been asked whether I alter my diet at all or my children’s diet. The answer is yes (pumpkin spice waffle splurges aside). The biggest change that I made was to follow the directions in the prescribing information to maximize absorption of the thyroid hormone replacement … [Read more...]
Wednesday Weekly Roundup – Thyroid News – Dec.11, 2013
Thyroid News Update Here's your weekly news update from Thyroid Mom. These are articles or abstracts that either appeared in the news this week or things that I found this week that I wanted to share with you. Happy Reading! CONGENITAL HYPOTHYROIDISM & THYROID DISORDERS IN CHILDREN Study finds lower thyroid hormones in baby boys exposed to BPA GENERAL THYROID If you have high cholesterol, definitely read this article: Thyroid Screening Infrequent in Newly Diagnosed Hyperlipidemia (aka high cholesterol and high triglycerides) Key quote from this article: "Between 1.4% and 13% of patients with high cholesterol also have hypothyroidism, prompting health organizations, including the National Cholesterol Education Program, the … [Read more...]
Optimism and Thyroid Disorders
My 3 year-old son has been sick, but well enough yesterday to sit in the stroller while I pushed him around the lake near our house. After we got back, he said that I was right, the fresh air had made him feel better and he wanted to try playing outside for a while. I agreed and he, noting the occasional wind gusts, decided it was perfect kite flying weather. I tried to explain to him that in order to fly the kite, we needed sustained wind, not just a few gusts. I reminded him that we usually only fly kites at the beach, where there is plenty of wind. His kite-flying mission wasn’t deterred. He unwound lots of string and tried running with the kite, and then had me try. Nothing worked, yet I could sense his little mind already had … [Read more...]
Wednesday Weekly Roundup – Thyroid News – December 4, 2013
Thyroid News Update Here's your weekly news update from Thyroid Mom. These are articles that either appeared in the news this week or things that I found this week that I wanted to share with you. Happy Reading! I have to start with my press release, which was released this morning: http://www.prweb.com/releases/thyroid-mom/thyroid-disorders/prweb11390883.htm CONGENITAL HYPOTHYROIDISM I posted this on my Facebook page, but just in case you missed it, here's a great success story: http://blog.aphl.org/2013/12/despite-congenital-hypothyroidism-madeleines-life-is-magna-cum-laude/ Newborn Screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism in China: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-11/29/c_132929686.htm More on … [Read more...]
Chat about Congenital Hypothyroidism Symptoms follow up
What does it feel like to be "off"? A follow-up Q &A with my oldest son about his Congenital Hypothyroidism Symptoms Recently, a reader asked me if my son could help articulate what "off" feels like using feeling words like tired, achy, etc. to help her better understand what her child was experiencing. In other words, better describe the symptoms of congenital hypothyroidism. Interestingly, her question coincided with a period of him being "off". We noticed that he seemed to be more tearful and have more difficultly sleeping. Both boys have an appointment coming up with their pediatric endocrinologist and so just had their thyroid levels (TSH, FT4, & T4) checked. The results revealed that my oldest (the one interviewed) is … [Read more...]