Thyroid, B12, Celiac Connection...i Have A Hunch...

[MitziG]

So, my celiac son, who is 8, had his micronutrient levels tested in August, everything was ok except ferritin I was told. He continued to complain constantly about pain and numbness in his feet, was having panic attacks regularly, and suffered from severe depression and anxiety. He is also very hyperactive, complains about his eyes hurting and stinging all the time and is CONSTANTLY hungry. He has been gluten free for 10 months. He was put on Zoloft and that eased the depression and anxiety a little bit, but caused new symptoms. His doctor (who is fantastic) really seemed to think it could be a B vitamin issue, even though the tests indicated otherwise. I started him on a liquid B supplement and within a few days noticed huge improvements. Now, a month later, his depression has gone from an 8 to a 2, no panic attacks in a month, very little anxiety, and he doesn't complain about his feet and legs hurting at all. So we are definitely on to something here!

He still complains about his eyes constantly, also that his heart is pounding. Hyperactivity is the same, and he is still always hungry. I have been doing some research on thyroid issues because of my own symptoms, and noticed that alot of his issues seem to match up with hyperthyroidism. I also found ONE mention of hyperthyroidism affecting B12 test results (but it didnt say HOW it effects them- falsely high or low? It wasn't very clear.) Haven't been able to find any other mention of this- does anyone know for sure?

Anyway, due to the high incidence of thyroid issues in Celiac patients, I am going to get his thyroid tested. I know I need to request T4 and T3 levels, not just TSH- but am unsure about the "antibodies" tests I should ask for to rule out an autoimmune thyroid issue. Can anyone tell me?

Funny how the longer you deal with Celiac, the more pieces of the puzzle that seem to fall into place. I have a pretty strong feeling that there is a thyroid issue at work here as well- not that I WANT that, but KNOWING what is wrong at least gives me the power to try and fix it!

[TeknoLen]

I would suggest free T4 and total T4, free T3 and total T3, thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies test for sure. Perhaps TSH receptor antibody as well. Your doctor might also consider a thyroid ultrasound since this can give a good visual of what is going on in there... Best of luck...

[Skylark]

The test for graves is called TSI, for thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin. I just had it done (negative, whew). He probably needs TPO and anti-thyroglobulin as well to rule out Hashimoto's.

[MitziG]

Actually got in to see doc today, he was so supportive and agreed it was a valid possibility. So nice to not be treated like an over-reacting mother! Anyway, he did TSH, free T3 and free T4, TPO, and Tpag- he said total T3 and 4 would be redundant and that they don't use those anymore. I don't know if he is right or not, but he was being pretty cooperative, so I didn't argue! He also did another celiac panel to re-check antibodies, total iron studies and B12. he said thyroid issues could cause an inaccurate B12 reading. My insurance company will probably kick and scream about all those tests, but if the other docs he saw would have been on the ball, he would have had them done before anyway! I will post an update when I get the results. Thanks for your help!