Samantha switched to an alternating dose of 100 3x a week and 88 4x week from April to June, but she is still off. Her TSH went even higher this time, somewhere around 8, where the normal is 4.
The pediatrician is concerned with moving too fast, so we moved to 100 4x a week and 88 3x a week. For me that seemed minuscule, but we'll try it his way first. Samantha is 9 so I'm not as worried about the discrepancy as I was when she was 15 months. The only new hypothyroid symptom has been constipation.
We'll retest in a few weeks and then see where we are. Typically we've always tested in September and never at the beginning of summer. Samantha has nearly always needed a dose change in September--ever since she started school.
We've also noticed that for the first time in five years Samantha has not had bronchitis or pneumonia after summer swim lessons. We're attributing that one to the adenoidectomy she had last year. They found an abnormal pocket of bacteria at the time.
She still suffers from acute bronchitis a few times a year. We're hoping that will change.
Showing posts with label bronchitis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bronchitis. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
Today we had another follow up with the pediatrician to deal with Samantha's chronic bronchitis. He feels as helpless as I do. He was looking over her chart and recognized that there is a pattern as to when the bronchitis shows up: Spring through Summer.
She's been allergy tested and we've been released by the gastroenterologist but they're is still something wrong.
Last night Samantha started to giggle and then she couldn't breathe. We ran to the nebulizer and started Xoponex and saline. Her eyes looked panicked as she gasped for air. I talked her through it--I don't think either of us blinked the entire time. And when she started to cry I told her that she couldn't.
So today, when she fell asleep on the pediatrician's exam table I got some time where she wasn't listening to tell him how exasperated I felt. I said to him, "I told her she couldn't cry last night because when she cries the breathing is labored and difficult. I hate telling her that she can't cry and tough it out, but I don't know what to do."
He feels as lost as I do and wants us to look into some alternative medicine to help: biofeedback, acupuncture, as well as our allergist.
Our non-CH child, Alyssa, has terrible food allergies that we have yet to determine. She's allergic to strawberries and the non-organic wreak havoc on her face. And dairy--she's been tested for casein and a general panel but has shown no problems. There is something in milk that is an issue as she becomes very ill when she has milk. She's been getting huge water blisters in her mouth every couple of days from something that she's eating.
So with Samantha's chronic bronchitis and Alyssa's allergies we're going to explore a completely organic and non-processed diet. We're worried and desperate and praying that this helps with both.
We're also getting Samantha re-tested this week in preparation for our next thyroid check with pediatrician. Sometimes her illnesses and her inability to get over an illness signal a high TSH.
She's been allergy tested and we've been released by the gastroenterologist but they're is still something wrong.
Last night Samantha started to giggle and then she couldn't breathe. We ran to the nebulizer and started Xoponex and saline. Her eyes looked panicked as she gasped for air. I talked her through it--I don't think either of us blinked the entire time. And when she started to cry I told her that she couldn't.
So today, when she fell asleep on the pediatrician's exam table I got some time where she wasn't listening to tell him how exasperated I felt. I said to him, "I told her she couldn't cry last night because when she cries the breathing is labored and difficult. I hate telling her that she can't cry and tough it out, but I don't know what to do."
He feels as lost as I do and wants us to look into some alternative medicine to help: biofeedback, acupuncture, as well as our allergist.
Our non-CH child, Alyssa, has terrible food allergies that we have yet to determine. She's allergic to strawberries and the non-organic wreak havoc on her face. And dairy--she's been tested for casein and a general panel but has shown no problems. There is something in milk that is an issue as she becomes very ill when she has milk. She's been getting huge water blisters in her mouth every couple of days from something that she's eating.
So with Samantha's chronic bronchitis and Alyssa's allergies we're going to explore a completely organic and non-processed diet. We're worried and desperate and praying that this helps with both.
We're also getting Samantha re-tested this week in preparation for our next thyroid check with pediatrician. Sometimes her illnesses and her inability to get over an illness signal a high TSH.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
To draw or not to draw
We have a mid-year checkup with our pediatrician the first week in July and I need to have blood draws done before then. With Samantha on a considerable amount of prednisone and inhaled steroids, as well as antibiotics, I begin to waver about the draw. We (her doctors and I) are never really sure how all this medicine impacts her results.
It fits into our schedule to have the draws done this week, but Samantha is tapering the prednisone and will be on it until at least Wednesday. I suppose I won't make a decision until later this week.
It's been a sucky start to the end of the school year. She missed nearly 3 days of the last 5 because she couldn't stop coughing and breathing was difficult. I am crossing my fingers that it's not indicative of our summer.
It fits into our schedule to have the draws done this week, but Samantha is tapering the prednisone and will be on it until at least Wednesday. I suppose I won't make a decision until later this week.
It's been a sucky start to the end of the school year. She missed nearly 3 days of the last 5 because she couldn't stop coughing and breathing was difficult. I am crossing my fingers that it's not indicative of our summer.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Back to bronchitis
We're two weeks from our next blood draw. We're alternating 88 mcg 4 days a week and 100 mcg 3 days.
Samantha has bronchitis again. We've somehow managed to go almost 9 months without breathing problems, but now that her levels are fluctuating we find ourselves in this place again. Our pediatrician was as disappointed as we were--we thought she'd outgrown it.
We're back to Prevacid, prednisone, antibiotics, and breathing treatments.
The older she gets the more I notice that she doesn't bounce back from these bouts. She used to take her treatments and be back to dancing within minutes. This time she's more tired, pale, and just over it.
Samantha has bronchitis again. We've somehow managed to go almost 9 months without breathing problems, but now that her levels are fluctuating we find ourselves in this place again. Our pediatrician was as disappointed as we were--we thought she'd outgrown it.
We're back to Prevacid, prednisone, antibiotics, and breathing treatments.
The older she gets the more I notice that she doesn't bounce back from these bouts. She used to take her treatments and be back to dancing within minutes. This time she's more tired, pale, and just over it.
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