Hypothyrodism

Hello - I wanted to see if there was anyone out there who has hypothyroidism. My 14 year old daughter was diagnosed with T1D and Celiac disease when she was 7 years old. She has recently been experiencing a lot of fatigue and feeling cold. She has had blood work and the endocrinologist is reviewing those labs. I am beginning to wonder if her thyroid is struggling/sputtering and if she is headed for the dreaded trifecta (T1D, Celiac & Hypothyroidism). I am curious to hear from others who have hypothyroidism as well as T1D. What were your symptoms and how were you finally diagnosed? I do not have T1D but I do have hypothyroidism. Thanks so much!

hi @cherylkilpatrick it is very common for people with T1 diabetes to have hypothyroid, because the same mechanism that destroyed pancreas insulin cells also generally destroys thyroid producing cells. the test is TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and when that indicator is high, it means you body is “calling for thyroid all the time”.

Thyroid is relatively easy to control. for me, 1 tiny pill per day and my thyroid is perfect (my TSH is in the normal range). compared to controlling blood sugar, it’s not even worth mentioning (in my opinion).

synthetic thyroid doesn’t absorb well and is taken on an empty stomach. I’m a night bird so I take it at night about 2-3 hours after my last meal or snack.

I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid when I was probably in my 30s - around 30 years ago. My mother had it as well so I thought I inherited it although I don’t know for sure. I take a pill daily and baby my level checked periodically. It really has not been a big deal. It’s been so long I don’t recall my symptoms, although I think a sensitivity to temperature may be one. it’s tough, but hang in there and let her doctor do their thing.

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I also have hypothyroidism. Like others have said not a big deal at all can just take a while to get your dose right at first. For me symptoms were actually catagorized as hyper and hypo but was told symptoms can kinda go both ways- I was tired a lot but also couldn’t sleep throughout the night, had random tingling in my hands and feet, and would have muscle twitches along with constipation. Now that I’m on the right dose of meds wouldn’t even know my thyroid was out of whack.

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Hi Cheryl, I’m going to join the others here who also are hypothyroid. Joe is correct that the mechanism is T1D is an autoimmune disease, and having one makes it more likely you will have another. It took about 15 years before my thyroid gave up. Most Endo docs will monitor TSH levels in patients with T1D, at least on a yearly basis, and more often if rising TSH levels are noted. I agree with the others that it has been easily managed. I do recall a few of the symptoms were very dry skin, cold intolerance, disproportionate fatigue. So, by all means make a list of symptoms and ask about testing. Keep us posted.
Dagmar

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Yes! I am a 15 year old girl with both hypothyroidism and T1D, so I am in a similar situation to your daughter. You might want to talk to my mom; she would know more about my hypothyroidism diagnosis than me - I was four years old.

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Hypothyroidism is a walk in the park compared to diabetes and celiac. I’ve had diabetes since I was 6, hypothyroidism since sometime in elementary school, and celiac since I was 26. I’m not aware of any symptoms for hypothyroidism (not sure if that’s because I didn’t have any or because I was too young to remember). I didn’t have any symptoms for celiac, either. As far as I’m aware they were both detected after my annual physical/routine blood work. The hard parts for me growing up were that I can’t swallow pills whole (so I pay for the brand name drug because it tastes better than the generic) and I hate having blood drawn, (so the frequent testing as a kid was torture).

I have t1d and hypothyroidism,to be honest the thyroid is easy to manage once the dose is narrowed down,that might take a year or so… never got celiacs …so hopefully she gets “lucky” and avoids that

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I’m 56 and T1. I have hypothyroidism. I’ve been on levothyroxine for several years. I don’t experience any symptoms.

Also, I have 2 kids. Both with Celiac. Both diagnosed about 8 years ago. They had a few issues in college but have been able to manage well.

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