Diagnosis: Hypothyroidism

I have been putting this post off for several days now. Every time I think I need to sit down to write it, it just seems too overwhelming, so I don’t do it. When I put it like that it seems so dire, and it’s not really – really not at all.

I finally got my little Zachary in to have his blood draw this past Monday. I had posted last week about how his pediatrician was concerned about his slow growth and decided it was time for some tests…. Well, I got a call on Tuesday morning to confirm a diagnosis of hypothyroidism. He ordered us a prescription and a referral to an endo specialist.

Now this was not a total surprise to me. His doctor had mentioned that was his suspicion, but it still seems to have hit me pretty hard. My husband immediately expressed concern about the fact that they wanted to medicate him – which I would usually be in agreement with. I think kids these days are over-medicated, but I didn’t really want to wait 3 weeks until we got in to see the specialist to ask our questions.

I decided to do a little research online. I had told myself I would not do this – it only leads to more stress – but I figured I would just look up some reputable sites. What I found freaked me out though! Over and over again, I kept seeing phrases like, “mental retardation” and “affects cognitive development”. This is not the hypothyroidism of adults that can be treated with diet alone apparently – this is my baby’s brain development being in jeopardy. Not one article I came across had an alternative treatment.

After an explanation to my husband of everything I’d read, we decided to start the medication immediately. Which is beginning a whole new set of stresses. This medication does not come in a liquid form, so it is being custom ordered. I will be doing some additional research into our options, but this is currently what happens:

1. I call the pharmacy for a refill
2. They submit the order to their compounding pharmacy 60 miles away.
3. The compounding pharmacy sends it to the local pharmacy the next day, where I pick it up.
4. It is only good for 14 days after compounding, so I have to call again about 10 days later for another refill.
   
   

Seriously. I have to go through this twice a month – every month – for the foreseeable future. I am hoping to either find a local compounding pharmacy or possibly a form of the medication that doesn’t have to be compounded at all, but that all depends on our insurance, of course.

Honestly I am a little freaked out. It seems like pretty easy fix, but I am worried about the fact that we’ve found out so late in the year. I’m not sure if this didn’t show up in his newborn screenings or if it was just missed. I’m worried that he will have some permanent damage from this. I keep trying not to think about it too much, but every once in a while I have kind of a mini panic attack over it. Just sitting here writing about it makes me want to cry.

I am trying to trust in the fact that I know God is in control of this whole situation, but it is hard not to worry. My husband keeps telling me that Zach is totally fine and he does SEEM to be.

Today was the 4th day of his medication. It will be interesting to see what changes start to happen as it takes effect.