Thyroid Problems

[usafwife]

Does anyone have a thyroid problem? I was just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. My OB caught it during some blood work I had done two weeks ago. It really explains some of the symptoms and the way I've been feeling. I so exhausted most days that I could sleep the entire day and night if DC allowed me to. I'm looking forward to my consultation next week to discuss treatment options, the disease, and other things.

My DH and I have some questions regarding my future pregnancies, the risks involved, and other things.

[solongtogo]

Yep.

You'll start on synthroid and get bloodwork for a few months until they can determine the correct doseage for you.

As long as you take your medication daily, you'll be fine for future pregnancies, but if you don't take it, there is a higher chance for miscarriage. It dosen't have any effect on the baby...

[usafwife]

solongtogo, then you have hypothyroidism correct? I have hyperthyrodism. How long ago did you find out?

[BTB]

Good, basic information on hyperthyroidism:
(it's much longer than just the one page, click on all the links in the box near the top right to see the other sections) See especially the "signs and symptoms" page, and the "complications" page:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00344

Partner article on hypothyroidism:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=021FF7E0-FECE-4FE8-B7EBF6632546B116

As you know, I was diagnosed with hyPOthyroidism a year ago. (not yelling, it's common when discussing these two conditions to capitalize either PO or PER as they make a tremendous difference). Did you get the PM I sent?

[Juniper]

I have hyPOthryroidism too.

Here are some links that I have used...

http://thyroid.about.com/library/howto/htthyroid-test.htm

Here is another

http://www.kellymom.com/health/thyroid/thyroid-treatment.html

As soon as you get on your treatment you will start feeling much better. Both are fairly easy to control, although I know alot less about hyperthyroidism.

[HGMorgann]

I was HyPERthyroid during my pregnancy. I need to get it rechecked now that she is here (yes and 7 mo old...) Mine was not severe, so my endocrinologist thought it best to not treat it and keep an eye on it. My TSH levels were actually normal at the very end of my pregnancy, though they could be different now.

My mom and sister were/are both hyper. They had their thyroids removed/killed and now are on Synthroid. You defintely DO NOT want to be pregnant when they remove your thyroid b/c of the radiation and all. But it was totally painless for my sister when she had the radiation iodine done for her thyroid.

[Lanapoo]

Hi there,
I have HyPERthyroidism. They won't be putting you on Synthroid if you are hyper unless they kill the thyroid and then put you on Synthroid later. I was put on a drug called Tapazol, which supresses the thyroid function when I was first diagnosed.

They may not even decide to kill the thyroid. I was on medication for a couple of years and then was gradually weaned off it. My thyroid is currently functioning normally, eventually it will probably burn itself out but I will not be killing it ahead of it's time when I have an opportunity to not be on medication for it. Once they kill the thyroid you will be taking a pill for the rest of your life, I'd rather avoid that until I have to.

I just want you to know that there are other options besides killing it with the radioactive idodine. But many/most doctors are pretty kill happy when it comes to a troublesome thyroid. Luckily I ended up with a more open minded doctor who was more willing to help my thyroid get back to the point where it was functioning fine on it's own.

Let me know if you have any questions. I also had to have eye surgery due to the eye problems that can pop :eek: (my eyes looked like the eek smiley:) ) up with about 50% of hyperthyroid cases.

ETA: Now that I am stable, my Dr. doesn't think I'll have any probs re: pregnancy, staying pg, etc. We'll just have to do more bloodwork (probably monthly) than with a normal pregnancy.

[linda_loo]

I so exhausted most days that I could sleep the entire day and night if DC allowed me to.

are you sure that you are hypER and not hypO? That sounds like an underactive thyroid - if it is, then read on. If not, then ignore me. ;)

I was dx with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, at about 6 months pp with my first child. That is autoimmune thyroid disease, resulting in hypothyroidism. My first TSH was 112 (which is really high), and I was quickly put on a high dose of Synthroid. I was haphhazzardly charting, and I do not believe that I ovulated, until my TSH was much lower. Once my TSH was in "normal" ranges, I got pregnant with #2. I had frequent blood tests throughout that pregnancy, with adjustments on my Synthroid dose (higher as I progressed through the pregnancy).

I used the about.com site that Juniper posted, and have the book, written by the woman who started that site, Mary Shoman. It's terrific.

Also, there are other options for medication, Synthroid isn't the only one. There is another brand, that includes the synthetic version of T4 (Synthroid), plus T3 thyroid hormone (which your body produces from T4). I recently switched to Armor thyroid medication, which is a prescription - but natural - medicine. Made from dessicated pig thyroid (a bit gross, I know), it has T4 and T3.

[Pookie]

I have hypothryodism and Hashimoto. I had problems getting pg, but once I found a good endo and was on the right doseage of Synthroid that was it. As others have said, as long as it's being controlled, there is no problems with future pgs.

[usafwife]

BTB ~ Thanks for the links and information. I'll be checking out the links soon. And yes, I did get the PM you sent. Thank you. I know you aren't yelling as sometimes it's easy to get the two confused.

Juniper ~ Thanks for the links. I'll be checking them out soon.

HGMorgann ~ Thanks.

Lanapoo ~ Thanks. I knew that Synthyroid is for hyPOthyroidrism. Or once they there's been so much damage done to the thyroid for it not to work. I might be sending you a PM after Monday. And thank you for posting the information about pregnancy. I've heard that some OBs treat you as being high risk where as others don't, they just do more blood tests and keep a closer eye on you.

Linda ~ I have the results from my blood work and it shows that my TSH level is extremely low (0.06) and my free T4 and FTI are high. Hopefully we will find out for sure what is going on next Monday. I am exhausted but other times I can't sleep which makes it fun sometimes. And I'm so hot that I freeze DH out most of the time, especially at night. I'm going to be writing down all of the things have been going on and hopefully that will help at my appointment.

Pookie ~ Thanks. I have been talking with a woman that has Hashimoto's and hyPOthyroidism on another message board. She had problems for over a year getting pregnant and couldn't figure it out (it hadn't been a problem for them in the past). Finally 6 months later they tested her and found out what the problem was. They just kept brushing it off as stress and getting back to normal after having had her last baby. She didn't believe them and kept going back.

[amyhky]

I have hypOthyroidism and this is my 2nd pg and as others have said, my Synthroid prescription went up during pregnancy and then after the baby was born, I swung back the other way so they had to monitor the meds carefully postpartum as well b/c hypERthyroidism can cause a decrease in your milk supply if you're BF.

I HIGHLY recommend Mary Shomon's book and I think she just came out w/a book for hypERthyroidism as well. Check out her website http://www.thyroid-info.com/ it's VERY helpful, I even bought a small booklet on Fertility, Pregnancy and thyroid disease, it was only $12
http://www.thyroid-info.com/pregnancyguide.htm

Best of luck to you!

[usafwife]

amyhky ~ Thank you. I'll check out the link soon. I had been BFing DD and suddenly she stopped nursing. We had worked through the problems we had at the start and I thought we were on our way. Then she stopped nursing. I still would like to breastfed her but I think it's out of the question now (too little milk). I still have some milk but certainly not what I used to have.

[hub1176]

usawife - can't really offer advice but just add that my SIL had thyroid problems and she has two very healthy children. Hope they figure out correct dosage and you feel back to yourself!

[dzmattie]

I was just diagnosed with an overactive thyroid - my PCP wasn't much help giving me info - she just had me make an appointment to see a endocrinologist but my appt isn't till December....I have had three blood tests and they all showed mild abnormalities....I am going to have to use some of the sites you all recommended. Do you know if this runs in families? My aunts, uncle and three cousins all have thyroid issues....

Would overactive give me more anxiety? Make me exhausted? Even if it is mildly abnormal?

[Lanapoo]

Dzmattie - Just wanted to let you know that yes, having an overactive thyroid can cause anxiety and exhaustion.

I didn't have the anxiety problems but I've heard that it's very common and often hyperthyroidism is misdiagnosed because the patient is refered to a mental health professional instead.

You tend to feel tired and exhausted whether you are HyPER or HyPO. I don't know the reason when you're HyPO, but when you are HyPER your metabolism is going so fast that your body feels like you are running a marathon even when you are trying to sleep. Your heart beats a lot faster and is expending much more energy at rest than it should. You can't eat enough to feed this crazy metabolism and so your muscle starts being absorbed for energy. And this is why you feel exhausted and why it's hard to even walk up a flight of stairs. I had no idea how bad I felt until I started feeling better.

usafwife - how did the appointment go?

[BTB]

Anxiety is a classic symptom of hyPERthyroidism.

Fatigue is not. The textbook answer is that you are "supposed" to be exhausted with hyPOthyroidism, and "supposed" to have insomnia with hyPERthyroidism. This is by far and away the pattern seen in patients I have worked with. But not everyone's thyroid reads the textbook. ;) You feel how you feel.

I do think, however, that when there are signs and symptoms that differ from the norm, other factors need to be considered before it's chalked up to being the exception to the rule. In any new mom, fatigue can be situational, and not medical in nature. :) It would be negligent not to evaluate any new mom presenting with fatigue and lethargy for the possibility of PPD, however. Additionally, not all thyroid diseases are soley unidirectional. There are diseases which go through phases - for example, in some thyroid autoimmunities, the anti-thyroid antibodies are capable of activating TSH receptors, leading to a hyPERthyroid phase at the onset, then as the thyroid is damaged by the immune attack persistent hyPOthyroidism is the result. There can be overlap of symptoms in the middle.

An endocrinologist can sort this all out very easily. :)

[Lanapoo]

That's really interesting BTB. Thanks for the info.

Perhaps tiredness or exhaustion isn't the right word for it. Muscle weakness can be interpreted as being tired or feeling exhausted. And muscular weakness is a symptom of hyperthyroidism, since the weight that you tend to lose from the disease is really muscle weight and not fat.

[usafwife]

your body feels like you are running a marathon even when you are trying to sleep.

I have felt like so many times over the past month and a half. I feel like I never get enough sleep or that it's a restful type of sleep. I feel as though my muscles are really weak, tired and ache. My OB said that the exhaustion could be from the thyroid problem or from being a new mom.

I have my appointment on Monday.

[alootikki]

Bumping this up...

Anyone know if it's possible to have hypothyroidism and NOT have any symptoms?

My bloodwork just came back with a TSH level of 5.42. I won't be able to speak with my dr. until Monday, but from everything I'm reading on the web, the recently updated normal range ends at 3, and ideally your level should be 1-2 if TTC.

So according to that, I have a problem. But I don't have fatigue, brittle nails, dry skin or any of the other symptoms they describe. Anyone else deal with this?

[amyhky]

Bumping this up...

Anyone know if it's possible to have hypothyroidism and NOT have any symptoms?

My bloodwork just came back with a TSH level of 5.42. I won't be able to speak with my dr. until Monday, but from everything I'm reading on the web, the recently updated normal range ends at 3, and ideally your level should be 1-2 if TTC.

So according to that, I have a problem. But I don't have fatigue, brittle nails, dry skin or any of the other symptoms they describe. Anyone else deal with this?

You definitely want it around 1 or 2 and not 5.42. Usually you have other symptoms but I guess it's a possiblity not to?