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my daughter was said to have hyperthyroid her doctor tested her blood and
this is what he came up with.
1.) Your doctor could be correct
2.) Your doctor could be wrong. If the only test the doctor took was TSH,
and it was in the "hyper range" which means below 0.5, there could be some
other reason the TSH is low. A hypO TSH is one that's on the high side, per
most doctor's perceptions above 5.5. That's because when all is working
well, the hypothalamus produces TRH (don't know the real words, but there is
a TRH test also which is rarely used, but I've heard from some that were
diagnosed hypO that way and were not abnormal by any other test) so, the
hypothhalamus produces TRH which goes to the pituitary gland and causes it to
produce TSH if I have it right. The pituitary will them produce TSH which
will stimulate the thyroid to produce it's hormone, thyroxine (T4) and T3.
Therefore, if your hypothalamus or your pituitary have problems you won't
produce the TSH necessary for a doctor to consider you hypO. Some doctors
actually are sure to measure T4 and T3 values. (T4 and T3 are both produced
in the thyroid, but it's only T3 that's active. The T4 is also converted to
active T3 in the liver and various organs. The majority of doctors replace
only T4 in hypO patients.) However, what I'm saying is that there was a
list member who had very low numbers for T4 and T3, with a TSH of -0-. She
was definitely hypo, but the only number her Canadian doctors would look at
was the TSH. They said in spite of the other numbers TSH was the only one
that mattered and since TSH was -0- she was hyper.
So, if your doctor did truly say she was hypER, he could be wrong.
Futhermore, even if he says some of her symptoms are consistent with
hypERthyroidism, the symptoms can be the same for different reasons. A hypo
person can have high blood pressure and rapid pulse. Some doctors would be
more likely to diagnose that person as hyper, and if they went on thyroid
meds would think they were on too much thyroid because their pulse was too
fast. (In addition to the TSH being below 0.5, if there's no escalated heart
rate it's highly unlikely that the child would be hyper, however the heart
rate alone being fast isn't conclusive.) My wife's pulse was 100+ before
thyroid replacement and both her pulse and blood pressure turned normal on
what would be considered large doses of Armour Thyroid. (Which contains both
T4 and T3, synthroid never worked for my family.)
Note, either hyper or hypo can cause a number of symptoms. Most hyper people
are thin and most hypos fat. However, hyperthyroidism can make people gain
weight, and it's not unusual for them to be tired because the body's working
too hard. Exhaustion is not uncommon.
However, it's much more common to gain weight by smelling food when you are
hypo.
If she is starving herself it's also possible that she's depriving herself of
necessary nutrients. The thyroid needs protein. It also needs Vitamin A
which only comes from meat because hypos have a hard time turning plant beta
carotene into Vitamin A, and sometimes have a yellowish appearance due to
that. One can be hypo due to poor nutrition.
Yes, I suspect she is HYPO. I suspect she also has other symptoms you
haven't mentioned that might be enlightening. Common hypo symtoms include
weight gain, dry skin, loss of hair, early or late puberty quite normal,
speech difficulties, brain fog, foot pain, muscle pain, emotional distress,
upset menstrual cycle, cold all the time. Actually, Dr. Richard Alford who
practiced thyroid medicine for many years said the one universal symptom of
hypothyroidism was a low body temp. Not just feeling cold as most of us do
(but some of us feel hot in spite of) the temperature actually being low.
Normal on waking should be 97.8-98.2 when taking with a glass thermometer
orally or under the arm. (Advocates of temp test usually say under arm, but
my temp is same either place.)
Skipper
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