Anyone Ever Have Post Partum Thyroiditis?

The "my eyes are kind of bulgy" part is what caught my attention. We had a neighbor with thyroid issues that were not taken care of. His eyes became "bulgy" and there is no reversal for that. They let the problem go on too long and his eyes bulged more and more and when they finally went in and diagnosed him, it was too late to reverse it. The "bulginess" is permanent and makes him look (sorry to say it but it is true)rather like a space alien. It is really sad as he was quite a handsome man before.

So my vote is to go with the doctor and take this seriously.

VickiS

Alex,
Hyperthyroid can be very serious. I have a great endocrinologist. Her name is Audrey Miklius and she is with Dallas Endocrine Associates.
Good luck and God bless.
Victoria

I had post partum hypothyroidism and it can be difficult to get it adequately treated. My sister was hyper post partum and her thyroid did calm down some. But, you need to make sure they test for thyroid antibodies. When you have autoimmune thyroid disease, your thyroid can swing from hyper to hypo. You may be able to calm it down with herbs - my sister did, BUT this is not a time to totally self-treat. I highly recommend you join the Texas Thyroid Yahoo group - lots of ladies have been through what you're going through and you'll get excellent advice, as well the group maintains a doctor list of the good and bad:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas_Thyroid_Groups/
If you're not familiar with Yahoo groups, you do need an id, but feel free to be creative and leave out personal information if you have any concerns about privacy. The group is a closed group, so it's quite safe. In your note to join, tell them "M. B" recommended you and just give a brief synopsis of your issue, and then you can provide more details once you join. Folks in the group are experts in looking at the lab results to see if your doctor did run all the right tests (honestly the majority don't).

You need a good doctor!

Well, I have postpardom HYPO thyroiditis. Not the same thing, but a malfunctioning thyroid nonethe less. I know that postpardom thyroid problems are not uncommon and I would do what your dr. recomends. Having thyroid levels out of wack can more than make you have a high resting HR, it can actually dammage your heart. I would recomend a second opinion if you are not totally comfortable with what your dr. has said. He is probably saying you will have to stop nursing due to the beta blocker. I think it could harm the baby (not a dr. but seem to remember hearing that somewhere). I know before I got my thyroid levels back to normal I lost my milk and couldn't get it back with any kind of drugs or anything. I would have loved to nursed my first as long as you have gotten to. Good Luck!

I had the same problem. Although I was diagnosed while I was pregnant. I also hate to take medicine, and after doing some research found that it would damage the baby if I did not take the medicine. I was able to nurse with the medicine (synthroid).

After I had the baby I tested again and still have a thyroid problem. I took myself off the medicine, and also noticed a lump, which no one could see. I went back to my OB who sent me to an endocrinologist. She felt my thyroid and checked other vitals and took more tests.

I am now taking my medicine and have found that if I don't take it, I am tired and have headaches and forget eveything I am doing!

Personally, I have to take my medicine!

The thyroid tends to go crazy after childbirth. I was hypo before pregnancy and then, after my son was born, I was hyper. My Internist elected to keep monitoring it and did not adjust my meds. It returned to normal (normal for me, anyway) by 13 months post-partum.

An out of whack thyroid can make the rest of your body go nuts. It could throw off all your blood work... cholesterol, heart rate, etc.

I'm one who does not take a lot of meds either. My advice would be to have the tests run so you know what you are dealing with and then make an informed decision (which may or may not include a wait-and-see attitude, medication, or a second opinion)about how to proceed.

Try not to panic. An out of whack thyroid is usually extrememly controllable and if it is simply a post-partum issue it will eventually return to normal for you.

Good luck and hang in there!

L.

Hi A.,

I had the opposite--post partum hypo-thyroiditis, so luckliy I just have to take synthroid or natural thyroid for the rest of my life. My hubby is an internist, and I asked him, and he said that your doctor's recommendations are probably correct. Do take this seriously--my husband says if you ignore it you can end up with serious heart conditions, like atrial fibrillation, an enlarged heart, or arryhthmias. It's pretty serious. If you're really uncomforatable, get a second opinion. Just please don't ignore it or put it off!

I'm sorry about having to stop breastfeeding, but at least you got 8 months in, which is great.

Your family sounds sdorable--wishing you all all the best! God Bless!

Hey A.
Sounds like you have gotten all sorts of thoughts here...bur I will add in my 02.
Many women deal with some thyroid issues after birth--especially for women who have kids back to back and are nursing....so some abnormalities can be common--but its always good to find out a better picture of whats really going on. I definitely encourage at least 2-3 opinions--I had some testing done for mine and 3 different care providers found 3 different things. ( and it was interesting that the least supportive ones of breastfeeding wanted me to do the most radical things!)
if for some reason it is suggested to stop breastfeeding, I encourage you to speak with a certified lactation consultant FIRST! Most Dr's are very unfamiliar with what meds and procedures are truly safe during breastfeeding--and so many will just say you have to stop to cover their liability. ( even though if they did some research they would often find that its a rarity that a woman has to TRULY stop nursing.)

Of course you want to take care of yourself...but you also dont want to get unsound advice about breastfeeding after you have nurtured this relationship for so long!

I ended up going on supplements through my chiropractor for my thyroid issues and continued to nurse.
I wish you the best!
L., Birth and Postpartum Doula

Hi A.,
I had this when my daughter was born and she's now 22. I still have my thyroid. Typically they don't remove your thyroid for postpartum thyroiditis. With Postpartum Thyroiditis it takes about 12-18 for things to return to normal and you'll need to be on medicine and have your thyroid levels monitored. That's usually it.

When you say you tend to run "hot" do you mean that your body temperature is hot because you're hyper? I'm sure you know that that's a symptom of the disease, right?

Here's my suggestions:
1. DON'T LET THEM TAKE OUT YOUR THYROID unless it's cancerous it something really bad. Now a days that should be a last resort in my opinion. Typically, postpartum thyroiditis doesn't turn into cancer!
2. Read as much as you can on this. There are some really great, easy to read books on this disease. The internet wasn't around when my daughter was born but be careful that you go to websites that have good information. Honestly, I still like books for this. Learn about your symptoms so when you talk to the doctor you can list what symptoms you have. This effects so many wierd parts of your body - ie hair falling out, dry skin, dry cuticles, how you go to the bathroom, your appetite, etc. And then things may change and you become hypothyroid and you get a whole different set of symptoms.
3. Get a second/third opinion. I see Endocrinologist Dr. David Feinstein ###-###-#### at Medical City Dallas - http://drdavidf.com. I think he is very knowlegdeable.
4. Your eyes - I have had the bulgying eye thing - This is from the inflammation of the tissues around the eyes causing swelling. I was given steriods (Prednisone) to help with the inflammation and this seemed to help a lot. The prednisone comes with many, many side effects. I was on it for 3 weeks and every side effect listed on the medicine I experienced. However, my eyes don't bulge anymore. Sometimes, the eye bulging can take care itself without you doing anything. I have a friend who had this really, really bad and I can't remember the details but if you want me to find out, just let me know.

So, this is probably enough info for now. PLEASE feel free to contact me if you need more. I don't mind at all. I have been dealing with thyroid issues since before my daughter was born - Graves Disease, PostPartum Thyroiditis, SubAcute Throiditis, and now I am hypothyroid. I still have my thyroid and I take synthroid everyday.

I hope this helps.
J.

I've never had this, but I did have Graves disease (or overactive thyroid). I was very frustrated by the doctors. I went to Dr. Kathleen Perry (www.healthbyhandswellness.com). She's a chiropractor and does all kinds of homeopathic treatments.

She completely cured or reversed or whatever my Graves disease. No drugs, just strange homeopathic treatments that I don't fully understand. I went through another tough pregnancy after this and my thyroid never faltered. It's still normal and it's been 3 years since I did this.

A.,

Try seeing a competent natural minded physician to help you ease yourself out of this crisis.

A great local MD is Dr. Margaret Christensen. www.christensencenter.com She will help you find a way to actually HEALING your body without causing long term damage to your body.

"Natural" medicine, in my opinion, is much more powerful and effective than conventional drugs and surgeries, provided it is approached competently.

Good luck.

I would be worried about the HR... If not treated and it gets worse, you can have whats called a thyroid storm and it can be fatal.

be careful and discuss all options with your dr before going "natural"

goodluck
A. J

Be very careful about seeing a Chiropractor for supplements to treat your thyroid. I have been invovled in Chiropractic education for 12 years and know that most Chiropractors only received 1 semester of Nutrition education. Some do take Postgraduate training so please be sure to ask what Postgraduate training they have in Nutrition before allowing them to treat you for such a dangerous condition.

My Mother had Graves disease and was not good about following her doctors instructions about taking her medication after her thryoid was removed. She died of a sudden heart attack at age 60 and the coroners believed that her constant hyperthyroidism contributed to her heart failure. As others have noted this is not something to take chances with. Please take this seriously and get a second opinion from an endocrinologist if you are not comfortable with your OBs advice.