Anyone navigating GCSEs with a teen with thyroid issues?

HRTeenageMum · 2023-09-12T13:17:48+00:00

Mean-ager is Hyperthyroid/Graves Disease, diagnosed the summer between year 8 and 9. It's been a thrilling ride so far of missing school hours for medical appointments, dropping GCSEs, having Rest Breaks provision and giving up sport. She has career aspirations, which are keeping her on track but just wondered if you have similar experiences or advice?

Mum2aTeen · 17/09/2023 06:37

Can you have a meeting with her teachers' year advisor/vice principal and see what help they can offer.
My son has hypothyroidism and other medical conditions that fatigue him (I know not quite the same but similar) he is 14 years old.
They allow him extra time to have a support teacher to help him type it on a computer. If that's easier and get rest breaks during tests.
We also can be excluded from the exams altogether, and how my son will get his school certificates is that they will calculate all his work together he has done over his schooling life and will get a result that way so he doesn't have to become too stressed/fatigued.
Where we are, we have classes that go over to technical collages or university that help get their marks up, and you can do part-time school part-time college and then transition into full-time college or university and there is a heap of bridging courses if you don't get the full marks you need from the GCSEs you can do a bridging course then that will get you into the course you want and if you tell everyone about her diagnosis they should be very accommodating.

Giveituphq · 17/09/2023 06:47

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Original poster

HRTeenageMum · 17/09/2023 13:15

She is on medication and supported by our local Paediatric Endocrine department.

OP posts:

Original poster

HRTeenageMum · 17/09/2023 13:23

Thanks for sharing. It's just nice to know that there are others out there in a similar boat. She has provisions in place - the brain fog and lethargy sound similar- and the school are supporting her.
I have never heard of the bridging that you mention so will definitely investigate.
Academically she was on track for 8s and 9s but the unpredictability of her symptoms mean we simply don't know what her results will be.

OP posts:

MaybeSeven · 17/09/2023 13:58

Ah I'm so sorry to hear that OP. It was Graves disease for me too, although at a different time in my life.

If you don't want to chat about anything other than the school aspect that's obviously quite ok (that's all you asked about!) but I just wondered whether your daughter is quite a perfectionist ...? An anxious perfectionist high-achiever profile often goes along with GD from what I've seen (I know a few cases), and triggers can be a big hormonal period of change plus a period of stress (eg school pressure or extra-curricular pressure, on top of teenage hormones). It's a circular problem then, as the stress of not knowing how the GD will affect things, and feeling like you might fail at everything, can exacerbate the autoimmune symptoms.

Anyway all I wanted to say was that if she's worrying about school, hopefully if you and the school can confirm that there are alternative pathways for completing her studies, and that it ultimately doesn't matter if she doesn't sit the GCSEs, or (if she does) what results she gets - then hopefully that might actually help her mind settle and hopefully some of her symptoms might lessen a bit too. Likewise if she knows that if she gets better enough to go back to sport etc, that noone will be expecting her to be at the same level as previously and that's ok. Inner calm, and coming to terms with not always being on top of things, is imo v important for autoimmune healing.

Sorry if this is way off the mark - obviously I don't know your DD so her situation might be completely different, I just thought I'd mention in case it was useful.

You sound like an absolutely lovely Mum trying to help her navigate everything to reduce her worrying about it. I really hope she feels much better soon x

Original poster

HRTeenageMum · 21/09/2023 12:47

MaybeSeven · 17/09/2023 13:58

Ah I'm so sorry to hear that OP. It was Graves disease for me too, although at a different time in my life.

If you don't want to chat about anything other than the school aspect that's obviously quite ok (that's all you asked about!) but I just wondered whether your daughter is quite a perfectionist ...? An anxious perfectionist high-achiever profile often goes along with GD from what I've seen (I know a few cases), and triggers can be a big hormonal period of change plus a period of stress (eg school pressure or extra-curricular pressure, on top of teenage hormones). It's a circular problem then, as the stress of not knowing how the GD will affect things, and feeling like you might fail at everything, can exacerbate the autoimmune symptoms.

Anyway all I wanted to say was that if she's worrying about school, hopefully if you and the school can confirm that there are alternative pathways for completing her studies, and that it ultimately doesn't matter if she doesn't sit the GCSEs, or (if she does) what results she gets - then hopefully that might actually help her mind settle and hopefully some of her symptoms might lessen a bit too. Likewise if she knows that if she gets better enough to go back to sport etc, that noone will be expecting her to be at the same level as previously and that's ok. Inner calm, and coming to terms with not always being on top of things, is imo v important for autoimmune healing.

Sorry if this is way off the mark - obviously I don't know your DD so her situation might be completely different, I just thought I'd mention in case it was useful.

You sound like an absolutely lovely Mum trying to help her navigate everything to reduce her worrying about it. I really hope she feels much better soon x

Actually @MaybeSeven I really appreciate your insight, and reassurance. She does get frustrated with the whole thing and it is cyclical. School keep suggesting she reduce her workload and she gets frustrated: she says she needs more support not less work. Academically, she is capable of doing all that she is but on the bad days, she can barely get out of bed and she catastrophises. I can sympathise with her, and advocate for her but am not experiencing things in the same way she is so it can be hard to know what to do for the best.

OP posts:

Original poster

HRTeenageMum · 21/09/2023 12:50

Mum2aTeen · 17/09/2023 06:37

Can you have a meeting with her teachers' year advisor/vice principal and see what help they can offer.
My son has hypothyroidism and other medical conditions that fatigue him (I know not quite the same but similar) he is 14 years old.
They allow him extra time to have a support teacher to help him type it on a computer. If that's easier and get rest breaks during tests.
We also can be excluded from the exams altogether, and how my son will get his school certificates is that they will calculate all his work together he has done over his schooling life and will get a result that way so he doesn't have to become too stressed/fatigued.
Where we are, we have classes that go over to technical collages or university that help get their marks up, and you can do part-time school part-time college and then transition into full-time college or university and there is a heap of bridging courses if you don't get the full marks you need from the GCSEs you can do a bridging course then that will get you into the course you want and if you tell everyone about her diagnosis they should be very accommodating.

I have an ongoing conversation with (private) school, who are very supportive and have actioned things such as rest breaks. I have not heard of the bridging you mention so presume that's not something we have access to but it is great to know that there are other things that are accessible.

OP posts: