When parents find out that their child has been diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism usually one of the first questions we ask is "Will my child have to be on this medicine for life?" The pediatric endocrinologist then launches into an explanation of transient congenital hypothyroidism. Transient congenital hypothyroidism is abnormal thyroid function, which later reverts to normal. There is some debate within the medical community as to whether infants who have abnormal thyroid function on newborn screens but have subsequent test results showing that the thyroid function has become normal should be considered to have had transient congenital hypothyroidism. For the most part, though, transient congenital hypothyroidism … [Read more...]
Raising Children with Congenital Hypothyroidism
WELCOME TO HOLLAND by Emily Perl Kingsley I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...... When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to … [Read more...]
Read the Fine Print
Have you taken time to read the prescribing information (“PI”) for your thyroid hormone replacement medication? If not, you should. Because as Francis Bacon said: “Knowledge is power”. You can ask your pharmacist for the information (if it doesn’t come with your medication) or you can find it online here: http://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/synthroid.pdf Recently, I spent some time reviewing the over 20 page PI for Synthroid (levothyroxine sodium tablets) and found many interesting things I wanted to share and discuss. Below I have highlighted the items that caught my attention. These are the things that interest me the most, but not a replacment for reading the PI for your medication and discussing it with your doctor. SOY AND … [Read more...]
The Hyper-Hypo Roller Coaster
Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for the ride of your life! The first year of life with a child who has congenital hypothyroidism is quite the roller coaster ride. The first thing we heard was my son had a high TSH, and we needed to start medication. Then, the next blood test revealed that his TSH was still too high and we had to increase his dose. Soon after, the next results showed that he was severely hyperthyroid (his was TSH too low). This went on for the entire first year of his life – back and forth - always having to adjust his dose and then repeat blood draws. After the first year, though, he seemed to level off and we had many more results where his thyroid levels were in the normal range. When my second child was born … [Read more...]