I talk to the trees Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Dad has severe hypothyroidism, and some as-yet-unidentified autoimmune issues. We thought we had the thyroid under control, but had to bump up her dose of levo at the beginning of the summer. Again, thought we had it under control. She started her freshman year at college in August, but didn’t get off to a great start. Between the heat, the “mandatory” pep rally type events, and the noise and stress of living in a dorm (first time away from home except for a couple of sleepovers when she was younger) she wound up having a full blown panic attack the day after move in. Things just spiraled downward from there, in what I believe was a kind of feedback loop. I think the stress may have triggered or worsened some pretty nasty symptoms. She has been getting very little sleep, and has told me she just feels too tired to fight the noise in the dining halls to eat. Last Wednesday at 4am, she called me and was terrified to go back to sleep because her resting heart rate was 39. (According to the Fitbit, which was probably a bit off, but still, it is concerning.) I called her GP, and he recommended bringing her home for lab work, which he did on Friday. We should get the results tomorrow. What has me worried-very worried- is the symptoms that dh and I witnessed this weekend. Sleeping/ napping several times a day, inability to focus for longer than a couple minutes, saying she is hungry but doesn’t want to eat because it makes her nauseated. And she is increasingly frustrated with her inability to comprehend what she does manage to read. She says it is like reading in a foreign language. She can make the sounds, but not make sense of the sentences. To me, she is behaving like someone with a severe concussion, if that makes sense. I am in a hotel near her dorm right now, waiting to hear the lab results tomorrow. She wants so badly to go back, but she is terrified of the symptoms and has extreme anxiety about both the symptoms and failing her classes because of her inability to focus. We are seriously considering trying to get her a medical withdrawal for the semester, but know that may be difficult. If you have read this far, bless you! And if you could send some prayers and positive thoughts dd’s way, we would really appreciate it. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 9 minutes ago, I talk to the trees said: We are seriously considering trying to get her a medical withdrawal for the semester, but know that may be difficult. If you have read this far, bless you! And if you could send some prayers and positive thoughts dd’s way, we would really appreciate it. Praying for both of you now. The medical withdrawal shouldn't be too hard. There should be a defined process that will probably involve student health and the Dean of Students office. If her MD at home talks to student health, they can probably get the ball rolling. She may have to go up to talk to student health as well, but it's unlikely they would disagree with a doctor that has been treating your daughter long term, IMO. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Praying. A girl I know just came home from college under similar circumstances. She is working on CLEP tests this semester and will be transferring to a college close to home so she won't have to live in a dorm. I hope that your daughter starts feeling better soon. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Many (hugs) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Hugs and prayers. I hope she starts feeling better soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Prayers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Prayed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 My thoughts are with you and your daughter during this stressful time. I hope she is feeling better soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Praying for your daughter. How difficult it must be for all of you. As someone who has similar symtoms when I am undermedicated, I can't imaging trying to function in a dorm and try to get any school work done. I hope you can find a solution. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 prayers said! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Praying for your daughter, and for you, too, because you’re so worried. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Praying for you all. Hopefully the results will be less worrisome than anticipated, and that will immediately take away some of her stress and put her on a better path. Please keep us posted! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 (hugs) and prayers for both of you. When my thyroid got super low that is exactly how I was, I did feel like if I went to sleep I might not wake up. I didn't have a BP cuff at that time but have got one since then and seen my bp down to 50s/40s or so and I still did not feel as bad as then. IME a lot of stress can certainly knock things out of whack. She may have other stuff going on but it could be the stress. HUGS 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Sending positive thoughts to your DD and you. Hypothyroidism can be a bear to deal with, and unfortunately AI issues tend to travel in packs. I hope the docs can get things sorted out quickly and that she starts feeling a lot better. IME stress is a huge issue. I was diagnosed with Hashi's a year after my mom died (it was a traumatic event) and with RA a year after DH's cancer diagnosis. I have no doubt at all that I was a ticking time bomb for both of those, but I also have no doubt that stress was a major trigger for both. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Prayers for your daughter? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 The sleeping issue with stress seems somewhat normal for hypothyroid. I was starting treatment after I started college (as an adult) and I slept a lot. I agree about the noise in college. I used to wonder why students would wear headphones all the time, but I get it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Prayers and hugs. Medical withdrawal sounds like a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 I was just going to say as someone who has a family with auto immune issues like this, it can be helpful to treat both for the thyroid (of course) but also follow up and treat for anxiety and/or possible depression. Especially if the numbers aren't as off as you would expect for the symptoms. I think these systems can get into a feedback loop that can be hard to break out of without some attention on both sides for some people. It definitely affects body chemistry. I think there is a lot we don't know about how these systems tie together. A good therapist can help develop a tool kit for dealing with day to day stress and meds can help get the chemistry closer to alignment. Many of those symptoms can be a result of severe anxiety or depression too. Medical withdrawal sounds like a good idea for now. I hope you get some quick answers and that she starts feeling better quickly! Many hugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 (edited) My dd has Hashimoto's and her levels got severely messed up freshman year too. She actually had a full blown anxiety attack after going very hyperthyroid. We had to decrease her dosage. It took a while to get it all straightened out. Prayers for your ddd. Edited October 1, 2018 by Attolia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted October 1, 2018 Author Share Posted October 1, 2018 Right, gals. Having a mama bear meltdown here and venting to you all so that I can hold it together for dd and everyone else I need to talk to. Right now, I want to give her craptacular GP a good old fashioned whack upside the head with a clue-by-four. Thyroid panel came back normal (nurse didn’t give me numbers, just said normal) as did all other labs that were run (metabolic panel, cbc, b12 and d) so he wants to send dd to a psychiatrist because he thinks it is GAD. Ok, so that is a distinct possibility, and I am happy to take her for a consultation, but dd has a history of elevated ANA levels, and the fatigue and mental fog are classic lupus symptoms, too! And for the love of all that is holy, the poor kid hasn’t had a normal night’s sleep in OVER A MONTH- that alone can cause a whole range of psychological issues! So more prayers and happy, healthy thoughts are needed for dd. And her doctor as well, because if he is unwilling to give us a rheumatologist referral as well, I’m going to have to whip out my mama bear claws and fangs, and it’s not going to be pretty. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 (edited) Go to the doctor's office and get a copy of the lab results if your doc doesn't have them on a portal. You'll have the information (normal by one point or in the middle of the normal range?) and can pass it on to the next doctor. If she stays: noise-cancelling headphones or plain old earplugs for the cafeteria and when she's trying to relax in the dorm. I use earplugs at Disney World often for the loud attractions, because I can usually still hear without being deafened or getting a migraine. If I went to college with my youngest, I would need them there - they pump loud music into the dining hall! Like the hundreds of students do not make sufficient noise. The anxiety symptoms may be caused by stress and lack of sleep, but meds can help even if it's situational. An actual panic attack definitely sounds like anxiety, regardless of cause. It often takes a while to get an appointment with a psychiatrist, then a while for meds to work, then maybe switching . . . if you're willing to try meds, ask the GP to write an interim prescription for at least an SSRI antidepressant that also helps anxiety. Generic citalopram is very common for this, very safe, and very cheap. Others would be Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil (or the generics). I would also ask for something for breakthrough anxiety. If he's reluctant, tell him you just want a few till the appointment (they can write for any amount like 5 or 10, but your co-pay is usually the same). If the SSRI alone works for the anxiety, there is honestly no reason she has to see a psychiatrist, GPs write those scrips all the time. Or, once she takes it for several months, the school clinic may write refills. She can see a counselor for much less if she wants/needs therapy. For anything that is a controlled substance, like Valium, many doctors want to pass you on to the psych unless you can get by with very few. I agree that you should keep the autoimmune stuff on the front burner as well. That's one reason to have a copy of her bloodwork. (and I would want all of it). It's always a good idea to be set up with a specialist when you have AI issues, so perhaps you can present it as wanting the specialist to be familiar with her 'just in case.' If she does have whacked levels down the line, she will already be set up and won't have to go through the new patient procedures. Once you're past that initial referral, you probably never have to ask your GP again. Best wishes for her! Edited October 1, 2018 by katilac 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mominco Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 (((hugs))) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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