My nearly 17 year old daughter was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 8. After her diagnosis, we noticed that she seems to have poor circulation - she seemed to feel cold easily, and her hands and feet sweat more than usual. In the last year or so, she's been studying in a really competitive environment, working really hard, and often very long hours. It's been very stressful, but she seems to be doing okay. She came down with a viral infection last year around October, after which I've noticed: -excessive hair fall. She had beautiful hair which is now reduced to less than half its thickness in the space of a few months. It also seems dry, and not so healthy any more. The hair fall is more controlled now after I made her change her shampoo, and become more careful about not running her fingers through it (stress tic). -low body temperature in the mornings - approx 96 F. Goes up to near normal later in the day -extreme fatigue (could be the late hours she keeps) -frequently sleepy (even during school hours she tells me) -somewhat insomniac - often doesn't fall asleep easily at night -feels extremely hot all the time -she seems not as mentally alert and clear thinking as she used to be. She went through a routine annual check at the end of May and all her results were normal. (Including haemoglobin). Her doctor recommended we get her thyroid tests done - all normal (TSH 1.9 - normal range 0.35-5.5; Free T3 3.1 - normal range 2.3 - 4.2; Free T4 - normal range 0.89 - 1.76) Can't figure out what's going on. Any ideas?
My guess would be a high level of stress contributing to and coupled with poor sleep hygiene. Too many people underestimate the importance of good sleep hygiene to physical and emotional well-being. It goes without saying that anything one can do to maintain BG within a tight range (including improving sleep hygiene) will help. Best of luck!
Has her BG been running higher or wonkier than usual? I experienced a lot of the same symptoms (especially the hair loss, fatigue, and decreased mental alertness) right before my diagnosis.
There is no real indication for thyroid antibody testing (and I doubt insurance would cover the cost of thyroid antibody testing) when TSH, Free T3, and Free T4 results were all WNL (within normal limits).
Is there any possibility of an eating disorder? It is not unheard of with diabetics in general...and with a lot of stress, a real possibility. The hair loss makes me think stress. They can hide things easily. Could she be depressed? Sleepiness...all the time makes me think it is a possibility. The PCOS makes me wonder about hormone levels. Perhaps a visit to a therapist is in order.
That's your opinion. I was positive for antibodies & symptomatic long before my thyroid levels were affected, as is true with many people with Hashi's. The risk of Hashi's is higher in T1s. My dd has been tested for antibodies 3 times since dx, despite having normal TSH, Free T3 & Free T4. Insurance has never had an issue.
Our endo does routine yearly antibody testing for thyroid, celiac, and Addison's (adrenal). My son had adrenal antibodies for 7 years before being diagnosed with Addison's. It was because they knew he had antibodies that they were able to catch the progression of the disease before it became a full blown crisis. As far as thyroid antibodies, I was diagnosed with hashimotos when I was 13 years old. I had symptoms, enlarged thyroid, and antibodies, but my labs were still normal. My dr put me on the lowest dose of meds to give my thyroid a rest. Symptoms disappeared and I stayed on that same dose for 15 years. Antibody testing for your daughter would probably be useful given that she has type 1. We are on our third pediatric endocrinologist (because of moves) and all test yearly for thyroid antibodies. (Insurance has always paid.)
So was I.... in fact I went for years without medication and normal thyroid panels (the lowest dose of synthroid sent me very hyper). I was diagnosed when I saw a new endo and she ran the labs, which was in 2004. I didn't start on synthroid "full time" until 2009, and my levels bounced around a lot over the next couple of years before finally settling down. That said, specific to THIS thread, push the doctor to get a CBC done. Anemia can also cause significant hair loss and much of the symptoms you described. When my hemoglobin dropped under 8 and stayed there for a while last year my hair loss accelerated.. my brush was filling up with hair every few days, and I was constantly pulling hair balls out of the shower drain... it was bad. My hair still hasn't recovered even though my labwork has (I am still iron deficient, but I had absolutely zero iron stores 6 months ago, so that is slowly improving).
