Hashimoto's

[Emmi]

This is really a long story, but Ill shorten it for the sake of people who may read this.


In March this year I had some blood tests after having had depression for 8 years and developing PND when DD was 6 weeks old. I was also probably pretty overweight.
It turns out I have Hashimoto's Disease. Its an auto immune disease where my body attacks my thyroid gland. With HD your body swings between HYPO and HYPER thyroid. It is often misdiagnosed as bi-polar disorder because of the manic epsiodes you go through.

SIne starting hormone treatment in March the depression has gone and Ive lost 30 kgs!

I never realised I was lucky to concieve as women with Hypothyroid often have trouble falling pregnant and have a lot of misscarriages. We figured I must have been in a swing when I concieved and therefore must have been HYPERthyroid. DD was also born with out and complications as women with untreated Ha****motos in pregnancy their babies often have problems ranging from cleft palate to kidney and heart problem.

Ive basically got the Hashi's under control now, except for when I have gluten (Im pretty sure I have coliac disease which is also common in people with Hashis) and therefore whenever I have gluten my body goes haywire and I do get depressed again. I also have trouble absorbing iron which is another problem with thyroid condtions like mine. Its a never ending circle! :laughing:

Like I said this is the shortened version.
I really want to try and help anyone else with problems like this as the sad thing is that doctors just dont understand. We have an awesome Doctor in Sydney who specialises in condtions like this.

Thanks for reading :)

[trin_007]

Hi Emmi

Thanks for posting your story. You are right when you say HD is often missed or misdiagnosed. A friend I worked with several years ago had trouble falling pregnant - they told her it was because of her age, so she underwent several IVF treatments and eventually fell pregnant. I think it was the most horrendous pregnancies I have seen anyone endure :( She could barely eat for 9 months and basically lived on mashed potato.

It wasn't until several months after her baby was born and she was verging on exhaustion, that some doctor finally had a lightbulb moment (or however it happens) and she was diagnosed with HD. I don't think she's looked back since :)

Congrats on your diagnosis (and losing 30kg - woohoo!!). I hope your life continues to improve and that maybe by sharing your story, others might find an answer to their problem too!

[Emmi]

Thanks Trin :D It's not the nicest illness to have and the trouble is you don't physically have anything wrong with you and so people have trouble realising that you do have an illness.
My mum and sister are very overweight and Im trying to convince my sister to get tested but my mum just doesn't believe there is anything wrong with me :no:.
We also have to keep an eye on DD as it is herditary. :(

[melmummy2be]

Hi Emmi,
Am so glad to hear your story and so happy you got treated correctly!
I am currently 15 weeks pregnant and my first blood test showed a high level of T4s. I was told I had hashimoto and freaked myself out with reading all the info on the net. I don't know how I conceived but like you we did! And all is going well.
I am so happy that i have found out and now i am on medication and feeling so much better.
Thank you again for sharing xx

[arabesque]

I'm another sucess story despite having been diagnosed with Hashimoto's earlier this year!

As long as it is well managed it shouldn't affect our pregnancies :thumbsup:

My next medical hurdle is getting through the rest of my pregnancy without my Anti-E antibodies doing damage to my baby.

Good luck to anyone else with Hashimoto's who is TTC.

[Emmi]

Congrats on your pregnancy Mel! :yelclap: And I'm so glad you are treating your condtion and that your doctor found it and acknowledged that you have it.
Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and that it is trouble free. :D

[Emmi]

Yes, that is true, that if its managed properly it won't affect your pregnancy. But unfortunetly for me I was diagnosed AFTER my pregnancy :( so we now have to keep an eye on DD that she doesn't develop it.
There is a high risk to the baby of a pregnant women with untreated Hashi's to also have the condition. Im seriously hoping that Ill have some more good luck and that DD doesn't have it.
Good Luck to everyone who is pregnant with HD! :thumbsup:

[Tgirl]

Hi Emmi,

thanks for sharing your story. A year ago I found a lump in my throat, and was found to have a large lump that had taken up pretty much the whole of my right thyroid gland. In July last year I had the right thyroid gland removed, as they could not separate the lump. While in surgery, my Endocrinologist saw swelling and redness in my thyroid, which is symptomatic of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. He told me to have blood tests every 6 months, which I've had, to monitor the levels of TSH and T4 that my remaining thyroid gland is producing.
He said I only needed to go onto medication if the levels start to go out of the 'normal' range, and said that it may not happen yet, but that it would happen eventually, as it's a degenerative condition.

Hashimoto's is a disease, and hyperthyroidism is a condition. Thankfully, I haven't developed hypo or hyper yet, and my bloods remain normal. I was scared at how this would affect me conceiving a child, but the Endo said it shouldn't be an issue, that he'd treated lots of women and they had no problems conceiving. And he was right! I conceived only a month after we started trying.

Hoping that my bloods remain normal throughout the pregnancy, although, I do worry about my hormones suddenly going crazy, due to the pregnancy. But only time will tell, I guess. :wave:

[abbynmonique]

i have got Hashimotos and my youngest is 3 yrs old now. I am overweight , but if i try to exercise i get really burnt out. Im always tired, fell very slow and unmotivated , my hair is very frizzy and i basically feel like crap most of the time. i have a constant pain in my throat , like i have been crying and doctors and my husband think im a hypocondriac. Even the throat specialist said its all in my head. I have had an ultrasound that shows i have thyroiditis and am on oroxyn(spell?)
I get temperatures often, especially after a week of taking the tablets if i have forgotten them for a fweek or two. i really try to take it every day but i just hate taking pills and sometimes forget. i have taken them pretty regular lately but have just suffered another temperature and now my throat is sore again and im so tired i can barely work. i just want to lay down.

Does anyone know someone i can see on the gold coast, or anyting other that the hormone that can help the thyroiditis go away? im getting desperate now, im so sick of feeling so flat.

abby

[threechooks]

Abbynmonique...You should see a specialist, an endocrinologist. I can PM you the name of mine. She is on the southside of Brisbane. Is that too far for you to come?

My thyroid is underactive ( due to possible hashimoto), but with meds I feel fab. I have previously been over active too. Its an odd feeling, I felt like the energiser bunny all the time

You need to take your tablets everyday, otherwise you will continue to feel cr@p. I have a cup of tea every morning, so i leave the tablets ontop of my tea bag conatiner so i don't forget to take them. If i forgot my tablet I can tell at about lunch time, cause i get super tired and feel really yucky.

Good luck!

[gophbeav]

I was diagnosed with hashimotos five years ago and now have a 2.5yr and 2month old. My thyroid levels have been fine for several years with medication however I continued to feel depressed, extra-tired and kept putting on weight despite being on 1000 calories a day and exercising at least 5 days a week. I finally found a doctor who told me that for people with hashimotos your TSH level needs to be between 0.5 and 1, otherwise you may still be symptomatic. He discussed increasing my meds or using alternative meds.

A few things I've learnt about hashimoto's:
1. Its ok if you forget your pills, in some situations where people forget often doctors will give patients a week's treatment in one shot.
2. Your dosage should increase by about 30% when you're pregnant.
3. The common auto-antibody associated with hashimotos does not pass over the placenta so should not harm your baby.
4. If you're trying to lose weight you need to do a lot of weight exercises to try and boost your metabolism.

[sugruppe]

I accept with information: In March this year I had some blood tests after having had depression for 8 years and developing PND when DD was 6 weeks old. I was also probably pretty overweight.
It turns out I have Hashimoto's Disease. Its an auto immune disease where my body attacks my thyroid gland. With HD your body swings between HYPO and HYPER thyroid. It is often misdiagnosed as bi-polar disorder because of the manic epsiodes you go through.