u/weirdwidow

I got pregnant. Not quite a full 3 months on Zep. It was a chemical and within 48 hours of finding out, I was miscarrying. But since I had to go through fertility treatment to have my 7 year old, and I’m medically “geriatric” in terms of reproductive age at this point, I never, ever could have guessed that one moment of throwing caution to the wind would actually result in that. I mean obviously I know how it happens, I just really didn’t think it would happen to me.

Be careful, guys. The unexpected Zep fertility is real.

My 7 year old son just tested positive for “slightly elevated” levels of TPO. This is after about 3 years of chronic constipation and stomach aches, aching joints and muscles, chronic hives, anemia, and headaches, as well as a lifetime of frequent fevers and slow growth. His PCP ordered some basic rheumatology labs in March and his ANA came back positive so he was referred to a pediatric rheumatologist who ran labs to help rule out several types of lupus, JIA, celiac disease, and thyroid problems.

The only things that came back outside of the reference ranges from those labs were TPO at 34, borderline low C4 complement at 13, and elevated IgM at 207. His thyroid function is normal and he does not have thyroglobulin antibodies. The rheumatologist did not provide a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s, or any diagnosis at all, and said just to have his TSH checked annually. I asked if these antibodies could be causing his symptoms and she said that antibodies alone wouldn’t.

I’m at a loss. Is this Hashimoto’s? Is this the cause of his symptoms? Should I see if I can get him into endocrinology instead of rheumatology? I’m just so frustrated with my child being in pain and only ever getting half answers. My understanding is that even if this is Hashimoto’s, it’s not something that would be treatable as long as his thyroid function remains normal, but it would at least help us both understand why he feels the way he does.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

My 7 year old has been having concerning symptoms since toddlerhood - slow growth, periods of muscle and joint pain that has him limping or refusing to walk even without identifiable triggers, chronic hives, chronic stomach aches and constipation even though he consumes a balanced diet, behavioral changes, unusual sleepiness, frequent illness and even mild viruses are usually on the moderate to severe side symptom-wise, mild headaches increasing in frequency, and iron deficiency.

I wouldn’t say his symptoms are severe enough that they often keep him from being a “normal” kid, but most days his tummy hurts, a few times a month he breaks out in hives, joint/muscle complaints come and go every couple of months or so, and headaches usually accompany those. Today and over the weekend he had foot pain that had him limping and wanting to be carried. A couple months ago, he went to a dance party at school, and couldn’t get out of bed or walk the next day. This seems abnormal for a 7 year old. It’s notable that there isn’t any visible inflammation or fever with his pain.

Last year at his physical, his doctor decided to run ANA and CRP. Both were negative. I brought up my concerns that these are possible autoimmune symptoms again this year because, particularly the joint/muscle pain, headaches, and rashes seem to be increasing in frequency, and she ran the labs again. This time ANA came back positive - low positive, though, at 1:80 titer. AdsDNA was negative and CRP was negative. She sent a referral for peds rheumatology and he has an appointment next week.

I know ANA is non-diagnostic and can be positive even in children without autoimmune conditions. I feel like seeing a rheumatologist is still the right thing to do at this point because of his symptoms. At the same time, I am trying to find the balance between not putting him through more painful or frightening tests if this really is just all normal childhood aches and pains but also not just standing down and accepting “he’s fine, stop worrying” when I’m worried and he’s hurting.

I am not looking for any medical advice - that part will be covered by the appointment. I just would like tips on questions I should be asking and any information I should be prepared with to get the most out of the appointment. And I guess I’m sharing the details because I’m wondering if it is typical for symptoms like these to be brushed off or unexplained by non-specialists. I’ve been bringing this up with doctors since he was 15 months old and this is the first time I finally feel like he is going to be seen by the right people. Thank you!

After about 3 weeks of excruciating pain and spasms I am finally able to have a bowel movement without wanting to cry. There’s still mild, but tolerable pain. That being said, the bleeding is persisting. It started before the pain started and it seems to be continuing even as the pain is lessening. Is this a normal healing process? I have been in touch with my doctor but haven’t been seen and I’m wondering if I should push for an appointment, but I am also concerned that an exam will worsen my symptoms again and I don’t know if I can handle that right now.