BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Thyroid Health hypothyroid in children

Hello, my son was diagnosed with hypothyroid six months ago (aged 5). The sad fact as his mum, i diagnosed the condition as had one doctor after the other over a two year period not take ie his severe consipation issues and weight seriously and where readily critical of myself with regards to diet...it has been an incrediably frustrating time for both of us. now that he is taking thyroxine, it has made life easier but there exists ongoing issues. At five and near the end of his pre-primary year in line with taking medication for six months (two blood test to date) there is clearly issues with behaviour. This is anxiety and social coping / skills. Due to this teachers are always looking for more to be "wrong" - it seems rather difficult to explain that his condition is the cause, it takes time for medication to adjust, it takes time for old habits to fall away, it takes time...it is not an over night fix. Water is a real need, it seems a battle for myself even with a back up letter from a pedatrition to make water readily available - AT ALL TIMES while at school. Yet again im questioned over his diet by the school, and the suggestion my son has Autism. I never beleived my son had this condition but more to keep the opinion of others satisfied asked his pedatrition to view this in which he found this not to be the case. I am in the process of seeking a second opinion, this time going straight to the endocrine section of the childrens hospitable (which i did not know existed until recently). is there anyone online who has a child with this condition and has found ways to help them on the school front, any suggestions ? thyroid conditions, so much is known of these medically, but it is amazing how little is understood, or willingly accepted / understood outside of the circle of those who have it ! One of the difficulties of a child with this condition is self regulation / behaviour management, they are just not at an age they can do this by themselves and need an understanding and guiding hand on the school front as Mum cant be there with them everyday. As it is my son does not attend full time school and im dreading next year (year 1) when full time school is compulsory. Any tips, suggestions, ideas most welcome thks

Hi Bonnie Ray,

To better help with your son's dietary needs I need to know if you live in America.

For mood: Incorporate St Johns Wort

Is he having issues with his sleeping pattern?

The water intake: Remove all soda, kool aid - sugared beverages.

Constipation: This happens in thyroid issues because the bile gland is not receiving correct information from body. He likely goes through long bouts of constipation followed by diarrhea and bloody bowels. To correct this issue have him take Acidophilus, which is an herb found over the counter. You should be able to find it in chewable form. Once you find the correct amount that works for his system you will notice that he does not need to consume water all of the time. (As a side note - bottled water is bad for the health especially for those with autoimmune disorders ... if you want more details let me know)

Also, if you have noticed that the mood swings are in association with the synthetic medication he is on look into switching him to Armor Thyroid - make sure it is the name brand Armor and not a generic. Armor is made from pig thyroid, which is nearly identical to our own. Other signs that the synthetic medication is not agreeing with him would include shortness of breath, high pulse, heavy sweating.

I'll wait to hear back from you. Best to you and your family.

Dear Deb, Thank you for your time and information provided. My son does sweat more than "usual". His extremities are suppose to be cold etc, however, his feet sweat to point his socks are damp. I am in Australia, my new appoitment with the childrens hospitable here I will be raising Armor Thyroid and see where this leads us. Also interesting on the Acidophilus in relation to water intake, much appreciate your tips. He has been having disturbed sleep, there is something at school that has been upseting him and he is not coping well, having anxiety issues ie picking at his fingure nails and not wanting to go to school and has a fear of a teacher. We only have three weeks left of school here and then the Xmas holidays so I am keeping him at home as much as possible and this is helping him, sleeping well etc. He has a very clean diet, lemonade (seven up) is a treat every now and then, he can often not finish such a drink as he finds it salty. Water or milk is all that is available at home. I have found some interesting reading on bottled and tap water, I had no idea, the up side for us we are on tank water (rainwater tank) that is filtered, but must remember to take water with us rather than buy bottled water while out. thanks again, best wishes

Hi Bonnie Ray,

I would like for you to check into something else. Look through your local resources and see if the Bovine hormone is used in cows there. If it is stop all dairy straight away. Last I checked it was a USA mess but I had come across fleeting information that it was getting introduced in Australia. Do some digging and if you are not sure find a trusted source and ask.

I would say that your son is likely having a bad reaction to the medication he is on. What doctors don't tell you (and this is not to scare only inform) the synthetic drug can cause high blood pressure and heart issues.

I can see that he is suffering from anxiety/panic attacks. What that says to me is that he is suffering from an aggressive degenerative thyroid. I would suggest getting a book on cooking for thyroid - there are many meats, fruits and vegetables that are big no no's, regardless to the country. There are foods that act as natural inhibitors of hormone production to assist in balancing a normal body. However, these foods effectively turn into ... let's call them allergens ... and work against an autoimmune deficient body, as is the case of your son.

Here is a brief list and if you can't find a book locally let me know and I will do up a more complete list for you.

Avoid:
Sugar, soy, bread, gluten, broccoli, peas, red meats, beets, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, yams, corn, raisins, dates, dried fruits. No cakes, cookies, bagels, pretzels, rice, pasta, cold cereals, crackers, muffins, rice cakes, refined flour, any fried foods.

Eat more of:
Fish - this is a biggy to help balance out the body because it is Selenium rich orange roughy (fish), cod (fish), halibut (fish), tuna (fish), shrimp (fish), lobster (fish), crag legs (fish), and pork. Eat Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds,apples, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, strawberries, cantaloupe, green peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, celery beans, spinach, eggs, fresh salads with vinegar and olive oil (only olive oil).

To help his feet and palms put talc or baby powder in his socks and shoes and have him rub into his palms. This will help prevent rashes from forming.

He is very young. Major sleep disturbances are common with this problem. I suggest looking for a low dose Melatonin. This is over the counter and completely natural. Melatonin is what the body would normally secrete to induce sleep in a normally functioning system. If all you are able to find are big tabs cut a tablet into 4 quarters and give him one of the quarters. Better sleep will also reduce panic attacks. St Johns Wort should also gently help him. When you talk to your doctor next also request that they check your son's vitamin D levels.

I hope this finds you and your son well. I keep you both close in my thoughts.

Deb, thank you, your a champion ! I see that i have work to do diet wise. Call it luck..when i introduced solids as a baby it was steamed fish and thankfully my little guy enjoys it that we mostly eat fish..how ever he loves mashed potatoe and i can see i need to find a replacement! the hormone replacement is Eutroxsig (thyroxine tablets) and they do as i read contain lactose...i will pursue your info and find out more. I asked our General Practioner about Armour (pig thyroid), he said he had not heard of it in use here but that was not to say it was not available in australia. His GP states that it is not unreasonable to say that his thyroid is fluctuating etc hence behaviour, with our pedatrition appointment / blood test not due till january 2012 i hope to find out more at this time. He becomes yellow around the neck line for one day to one week and i would think if his medication was effective then this would not happen. The childrens hospitable here has a long waiting list, so there is indeed a list of questions been compiled that i can take with me. I will be looking into what your have written further. I truely appreciate your time to write me and your advice. enjoy, take care bonnie