You are a hero. Your kid is a hero. Most days you probably don’t feel like one. Maybe your cape is crumpled up in a closet underneath a pile of old outgrown shoes. Don’t let that fool you.
Being a parent is challenge enough–add to that the fact that your baby was born with a medical condition, and you don’t have any choice but to ACT AS IF.
Act as if you can handle it
Act as if you know everything will be okay (even though the doctors and the internet will scare the pants off your derriere!)
Act as if you aced science in the eighth grade– because even though you failed basic physics, you’ve now read enough medical gibberish to qualify you for a black belt in endocrinology.
Every time you take your baby (or your toddler, or your tween, or teen) in for a blood draw; every time you stand up and ask the hard questions; every time you speak up in a doctor’s office or a school meeting to make sure your child’s needs are met—you are a hero. You may feel like a fraud, a failure, a train wreck some days—remind yourself of everything you are doing.
You are not alone. There are lots of us walking around with our invisible capes on. Be proud. Hold up your head.
Maybe you got nothing done on your to-do list today. Maybe your bills are piling up. Maybe your great artistic masterpiece remains in the back drawer of your head. But if you got out of bed, if you gave your kid her medicine, you held her when she banged her head on the coffee table, you talked her through her third or tenth of fiftieth blood draw, then for today—that is enough.
You’re the fighter that makes the biggest difference in your kid’s journey. You will wade through mud. You probably already have. You will encounter naysayers, patronizers, back-patting old-school doctors who won’t believe you when you say “My kid is suffering, something’s not right.”
For Parents of Kids with Congenital Hypothyroidsim:
Does your kid have “normal levels” but still get sick much too often? Have terrible headaches? Leg pains? Hives? Have frequently cracked dry lips? Have roller coaster ups and downs? Have trouble focusing? Seem spacey sometimes? Get easily exhausted? Sure some of these symptoms can come from the flu or a virus or just normal kid stuff, but if they are intense and don’t feel right to you trust your gut. Many of these symptoms are signs of a thyroid that is not functioning optimally. If this sounds like your child, then it’s possible that the traditional hormone treatment may not be fully supporting your child’s health.
Here’s the hope part. For some children a functional endocrinologist (also called integrative, blending Western & Eastern medicine) may better support your child’s journey to health. Visit functional endocrinology to learn more.
My goal is to spare you the years and mistakes that my family went through. I will share some endocrinology “secrets” that most ”traditional” Western trained endocrinologists won’t share with you. I will share with you some tricks on better blood draws, I will share some of the things that have helped support optimal thyroid health—organic diet, daily exercise, a blend of vitamins and herbs, and the power of T3/T4 combination treatment. I’m giving you extra knowledge–but before you make any changes be sure to consult with a respected doctor that you trust. Not sure who to trust? Get a few different opinions. In the end, trust your gut.
Caveat To Cover My Fanny & Clarify All Misconceptions:
I’m not a doctor, I am not a scientist, I am just one smart over-educated single mom (with 2.5 master’s degrees in unrelated fields) on a journey to heal my child. The information here is not intended to substitute for medical treatment. It is meant to arm you with knowledge so that you can ask the right questions, demand the correct tests, and so that if your child is not thriving, you will know what to do next.
I am honored to be a part of your journey. I welcome your feedback, and am happy to field any questions that I have the capacity to answer.
I’m a parent advocate with my own crumpled up cape, which I pull out whenever the need arises.
You got this!
Mighty Kids 