Re: Hypo is killing my daughters education and career

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

This may sound unsympathetic but it is not meant that way. Whatever you do or do

not do on a medical front at this time will have little chance to take effect

and stabilise things before the exams take place. I know it seems agonising from

your viewpoint, but in my view you run the risk of panic which will be

couterproductive. It is ABSOLUTELY WRONG to think that you daughters whole

future rests on this one set of exams. There are masses of people whose

education is interrupted or delayed for numerous reasons who later find many

alternative ways of rebuilding their lives. Indeed there are MANY young people

who function MUCH better within FE settings with syllabuses such as the BTEC. I

KNOW it is frustrating - not as much for you as for your daughter herself, who

needs you to be calm and reassuring rather than seeing things as a " do it now or

fail for life " scenario. Try to get it into perspective.

I say this as an ex-specialist in the dyslexia field - I am only too well aware

of the anxt for parents - also only to well aware of the impact of such anxt on

students who are already in a state of panic.. you need to be able to support

your daughter through all this and not to add to her worries at this time.

Just to make you aware that I say this as a parent also, I had to remove my son

from the traditional education system at 15 because of cirumstances that made it

obvious to me that it was proving counterproductive for him at that time. Three

years later he had a BTec Diploma with distinction (equivalent of 5 " A " levels,

in his particular department), two years later he had a scholarship to Guildhall

(after topping up a bit elsewhere academically). If he had stayed at school I

doubt if he would have got 5 GCSEs and certainly few of them would have been at

any level that would have proved worthwhile. There is more way than one to " skin

a cat " !

Meant with best wishes - take care of yourself through this time also,

Vicky

>

> Hi all,

>  

>        I cant begin to explain how angry I am at the moment.My daughter is in

6th form at the moment and taking her exams this month,for what its worth!!!

When she was in the infants and juniors,she was the only student who asked her

teachers for extra work to take home and was their top student.Since she started

puberty at 9yrs old,everything has gone down hill! She was always hyper before

puberty and school was great for her,but never enough to keep her mind

occupied.But now its hell ....

could help,or have any other suggestions?

>  

>                         Best wishes Sharon

>

[Guest guest]

Sharon

I agree with Vicky. I've got a dyslexic / dyspraxic / hypo daughter who won/t

take meds cos her GP says she is well. But lighten up. many really successful

people " fail " at school but learn so much with having to " cope " with their

lives. I took a degree and I've not used it since. But I did further education

and use it all the time. It's what is relevant to their lives that's important.

Support them when they need it but remember it's their life. As young adults we

made choices. Don't negate their choices. At 16 she went to Argentina by herself

and taught herself to teach English as a second languauge. She came home, spent

6 months doing charity work because no-one will employ her cause she was too

young and then started AS levels. She will be a teacher and a good one...

because she wants that. No-one will stop her. She will sort her way through the

exams ... in her own way and own time. I'll be there to support her. it won't be

easy .. it's just as easy to see life as one chance but it's not.... No job is

for life anymore. People have to keep retraining. And its easy to do that

through Open University NVQs whatever.

Just believe in her.... And I wish you well because it's not easy to watch them

struggle. And one day she will get the correct hypo meds and finally believe her

mum knows best!

Good Luck and Best Wishes

KimX

[Guest guest]

> Hi all,

> �

> ������ I cant begin to explain how angry I am at the moment.My

daughter is in 6th form at the moment and taking her exams this month,for what

its worth!!!

Dear Sharon,

I hope you don't mind my adding to this but as a teacher of 16 to 18 year olds

who have left school and are seeking work, I do have a great deal if experience

in these matters:-

*Just so you know a little of where I am coming from, both as teacher and

parent.

I also have a son aged almost 20 who I took out of school at the age of 12 as I

did not feel they were supportive of his aspergers and ADHD, in fact the SENCO

told me she did not believe he had those conditions and was a spoilt kid.

From a legal angle, if you could get your doctor to write a letter to the

school, local eduaction authority and the board of governors explaining your

daughter is ill with this condition, how it is affecting her and any other

supporting evidence, you can have the examination date postponed until she is

able to take them. There are also other things she may qualify for help with

when taking exams such as extra time allowed although I am not quite sure

whether this would be a qulaifying illness or not, you would need to ask the LEA

about that.

Your anger is very evident in your letter here, it concerns me that it may also

be transferring to your daughter and she may feel you are angry at her. You

must be very careful she does not feel that you are blaming her for her illness

as I am sure you aren't. Teens often feel differently about things to us

'grown-ups' and she may be feeling resentful either towards you ro towards her

illness, neither is going to help the situation and in fact can be very

detrimental for her.

I do understand how concerned you are about her exams, this is of course a very

important time for her, but as has been said, there are many other alternative

routes she can take should the need arise and those options are not limited to

or by her age.

I do hope you get some resolution to the problems soon.

I am hypo-t and have recently been diagnosed with Giant Cell Arteritis and

Polymyalgia Rheumatica, both auto immune diseases which cause similar symptoms

to Hypo-t and I have had to defer my degree course at university because of

this, so I do understand what you are both going through.

Luv Lynne

[Guest guest]

No one seems to have answered Sharon's question here - exams are not the be all

and end all -that's true, but i don't think that's the immediate issue.

>> I dont know what to do for the best,maybe raise her T3 to 70 or 80mcg,but her

GP said he didnt need to see her until after her exams,by then it could be too

late.And he wouldnt raise her dose without a silly blood test anyway,which would

probably show an acceptable level of T3!Does anyone think that upping her T3

could help

I don't have any answers either, as it's an individual thing. Have you asked

your dauughter when she felt best and what she feels best on? People also need

some T4 for brain function, despite the focus on T3. Perhaps ask your daughter

how you should both proceed? " push where it moves "

Chris

> I dont know what to do for the best,maybe raise her T3 to 70 or 80mcg,but her

GP said he didnt need to see her until after her exams,by then it could be too

late.And he wouldnt raise her dose without a silly blood test anyway,which would

probably show an acceptable level of T3!Does anyone think that upping her T3

could help,or have any other suggestions?

>  

>                         Best wishes Sharon

>

[Guest guest]

I think Sharon has two issues and that these needed to be separated! One was her

immediate concern about survival over these exams. The other was the longer term

management of her endo problems - which as rightly points out, also need

to be addressed. As we all know, however, the wheels of the NHS can seem to

grind rather slowly - and are unlikely to be able provide a rapid response

triggered by immediate pressures of exams. A longer term approach to the medical

issues are more likely, in my view, to provide appropriate solutions on this

front. In view of the massive problems that Sharon's daughter experiences as

soon as puberty started, this looks to me to be a problem that may involve

hormones at a wider level than simply the thyroid - maybe I am wrong. No doubt

Sheila and others may give input here.

Vicky

>

> No one seems to have answered Sharon's question here - exams are not the be

all and end all -that's true, but i don't think that's the immediate issue.

>

> >> I dont know what to do for the best,maybe raise her T3 to 70 or 80mcg,but

her GP said he didnt need to see her until after her exams,by then it could be

too late.And he wouldnt raise her dose without a silly blood test anyway,which

would probably show an acceptable level of T3!Does anyone think that upping her

T3 could help

>

> I don't have any answers either, as it's an individual thing. Have you asked

your dauughter when she felt best and what she feels best on? People also need

some T4 for brain function, despite the focus on T3. Perhaps ask your daughter

how you should both proceed? " push where it moves "

>

> Chris

>

>

> > I dont know what to do for the best,maybe raise her T3 to 70 or 80mcg,but

her GP said he didnt need to see her until after her exams,by then it could be

too late.And he wouldnt raise her dose without a silly blood test anyway,which

would probably show an acceptable level of T3!Does anyone think that upping her

T3 could help,or have any other suggestions?

> >  

> >                         Best wishes Sharon

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Sharon

I have three children who are hypo. They are very bright, my daughter was

classified as " gifted " . They all struggled at exam time as their thyroid was

really giving them problems at that time but the NHS refused to treat them. My

eldest two did well in their exams (but well below their ability) and did secure

a place at university. However, my daughter had to leave at the end of 2nd year

as she was failing and was exhausted. My eldest son left after his first year,

with the same problems. However, they have since had their thyroid treated

(privately) and haven't looked back. My daughter is now 23 and going back to

finish her degree in music. My eldest son is 21 and is now training to be an

accountant.Both now have fully functioning thyroids and are back to normal, but

it did take a few years!

When it came to my youngest son's exams, we were by that time seeing it all over

again. His thyroid was being treated but he wasn't at his optimum. He left his

6th year of school with only 1 higher. However, his thyroid is now functioning.

He has secured a post within the civil seservice and is doing more highers at

night school and doind very well. There were 6 of them training at the same

time. He is the youngest at 19. There are 4 graduates within this 6. Ages range

from 22 to 25. They have student debts and have tried to secure a job with

prospects for several years!

I understand how hard it is to watch a bright child struggle with exams and an

under active thyroid. But if I were you I would concentrate on getting her

thyroid meds working for her. Once she is on the right dose, there will be no

holding her back! Hindsight really is a wonderful thing but it can be stressful

getting here! She is still very young and there's a whole world out there for

her once she is well!

I hope this helps a little.

Liz

[Guest guest]

I agree with you that the immediate issue is the thyroid problem but I do not

feel qualified to advise in this matter, which was why I did not give advice on

this.

I also think that the mental state of the person involved at this age will

affect how the thyroid meds and other things work for her, but that is just my

own opinion and not to be taken otherwise

>

> No one seems to have answered Sharon's question here - exams are not the be

all and end all -that's true, but i don't think that's the immediate issue.

Luv Lynne

[Guest guest]

Has she tried a low carb diet, or anti-candida (more or less the same thing)?

It could make her feel more alert. Even just having protein meals during the

day and saving carbohydrate to the evening can help as carbs make you sleepy.

I was reading recently that the brain is made up mostly of saturated animal fat,

so we need to eat plenty of it. Also, raw egg yolks in particular are good for

mental alertness and memory. The book I was reading about it suggested having

between 3 and 6 per day. There is no danger of raising your cholesterol by

eating cholesterol containing foods because most cholesterol is produced by the

liver. If you eat more the liver needs to produce less.

When I was younger my parents were always saying fish was good for the brain.

Certainly we need essential fatty acids and cod liver oil is a good source of

omega 3, vitamin A and vitamin D. We already have far too much omega 6 in our

modern diet, so your daughter might well benefit from fish oils.

Miriam

>

She has a poor ability to understand things she's trying to learn now,as it

just wont go in her head and stay there,she just doesnt get it!