Postpartum Thyroiditis...again =/
Falling2Grace
Posts: 220 Member
hi there, as a young girl i suffer from hypo thyroid, so i have been over weight my entire life, though i try hard everyday. Anyways, when i had my first child, i ended up with Postpartum Thyroiditis. So at 2 months i went Hyperthyroid. Then at 5 months i went Hypothyroid. Being hyper was brutal! And when my thyroid went hypo i gained 35lb in less than 2 weeks 
My TSH went from 0.005 to 12.3 :noway:
Well i had my 2nd baby almost 3 months ago (a little less) and ive been getting symptoms of hyper thyroid again. Im getting my blood levels checked and such. I have been on Levothyoxrine since being hypothyroid the last time. 3 weeks ago my TSH was 0.35. The endocrinologist said it was slightly hyper (shouldn't be less than 0.50). So he dropped my dosing from 88mcg per day to 75mcg. I will get my bloods run this week, but im pretty convinced it's PP Thyroiditis again :brokenheart: It just makes me cry! When i was hyper i got the jitters so bad i felt like i was withdrawing from meth (or so i presume!). I was anger, hostile, and irrational. I hated it. I also got super hungry (which is why im positing this). Then when i went hypo all of that went away and i gained so much weight. I went from 160lb (10lb UNDER prepregnancy weight!) to 195lb I didn't have ANY control over it. I am now to 188lb, so ive only lost 7lb from the last time i went hypo and i fear this is going to happen again. :frown: Im just so upset by this!!!
Anyone have any advice on how to prevent that massive weight gain when my thyroid goes from one extreme to the other? Because i know from previous experience that i can eat as healthy as possible and exercise, but if your thyroid goes that bonkers, its not going to prevent weight gain...
Also, why im posting here...with being in the hyper stage i am SOOOOOOOOOOO hungry!! Yesterday i just ate and ate (healthy foods of course!) I was so hungry, none of the tricks in the book worked. I filled up on fruits and veggies. I also drank tons of water. I think because my metabolism is going so fast, my body wants me to restore the calories? I know i wasn't eating out of bordum/emotions/habit. My body was very much so not satisfied...so this pretains to weightloss because im to net 1700 calories per day (would be 1200 but im breastfeeding so i add 500). My problem is, that obviously isn't changed for the hyper thyroid and the crazy high metabolism (i.e. burning all of my calories at crazy rates!), so what do i do? I am NOT satisfied at this 1700 net-at all. I always eat back burned calories. Before being in the hyper state, 1700 was fine. but now it is just NOT cutting it. Im confused on what to do. My body is telling me this isn't enough, but im worried about weight gain...so what would you do? Listen to my body and eat more? or try my best to ignore it and stay at 1700?:huh:
My TSH went from 0.005 to 12.3 :noway:Well i had my 2nd baby almost 3 months ago (a little less) and ive been getting symptoms of hyper thyroid again. Im getting my blood levels checked and such. I have been on Levothyoxrine since being hypothyroid the last time. 3 weeks ago my TSH was 0.35. The endocrinologist said it was slightly hyper (shouldn't be less than 0.50). So he dropped my dosing from 88mcg per day to 75mcg. I will get my bloods run this week, but im pretty convinced it's PP Thyroiditis again :brokenheart: It just makes me cry! When i was hyper i got the jitters so bad i felt like i was withdrawing from meth (or so i presume!). I was anger, hostile, and irrational. I hated it. I also got super hungry (which is why im positing this). Then when i went hypo all of that went away and i gained so much weight. I went from 160lb (10lb UNDER prepregnancy weight!) to 195lb
I didn't have ANY control over it. I am now to 188lb, so ive only lost 7lb from the last time i went hypo and i fear this is going to happen again. :frown: Im just so upset by this!!!Anyone have any advice on how to prevent that massive weight gain when my thyroid goes from one extreme to the other? Because i know from previous experience that i can eat as healthy as possible and exercise, but if your thyroid goes that bonkers, its not going to prevent weight gain...
Also, why im posting here...with being in the hyper stage i am SOOOOOOOOOOO hungry!! Yesterday i just ate and ate (healthy foods of course!) I was so hungry, none of the tricks in the book worked. I filled up on fruits and veggies. I also drank tons of water. I think because my metabolism is going so fast, my body wants me to restore the calories? I know i wasn't eating out of bordum/emotions/habit. My body was very much so not satisfied...so this pretains to weightloss because im to net 1700 calories per day (would be 1200 but im breastfeeding so i add 500). My problem is, that obviously isn't changed for the hyper thyroid and the crazy high metabolism (i.e. burning all of my calories at crazy rates!), so what do i do? I am NOT satisfied at this 1700 net-at all. I always eat back burned calories. Before being in the hyper state, 1700 was fine. but now it is just NOT cutting it. Im confused on what to do. My body is telling me this isn't enough, but im worried about weight gain...so what would you do? Listen to my body and eat more? or try my best to ignore it and stay at 1700?:huh:
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Replies
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Hi, just wanted to send hugs. I have been through that too. I had PP thyroiditis after having my baby just over a year ago. The hyper stage was so terrible, I could not sleep, suffered terrible anxiety and ended up having symptoms of psychosis. It is so tough, and I know just what you are going through.
I know how hard it is not to eat everything in sight when you are feeling so hungry since you are hyper. My thoughts are that thereis no point living your life in a permanent state of hunger. It's not going to work in the long-term for weight management anyhow because if you are starving you will end up splurging. I think what I would do is perhaps focus on eating wholegrain, high-protein foods with a low GI that satisfy you while you are in this hyper stage (and even perhaps forget about counting calories for a while, or if you do count calories let yourself go to 2000 or 2200), and then if your bloodwork shows that your T3 and T4 levels are starting to drop and your TSH level is increasing, start to try to scale back your calorie intake back to 1700 then. Your appetite should be lowering by then anyway as you move away from the hyper state.
So sorry you're going through this. I really understand how hard it is. I had an absolutely awful time post-partum with exactly all of the things that you describe. And being a new mother is hard enough without that additional burden. Hugs!
PS out of interest, did your PP thyroiditis eventually resolve after you had your first baby? Or did it turn into an ongoing condition? My daughter is 13 months and my body is still yet to come into balance. Also my thyroid antibodies are high so it looks like the PP thyroiditis may have developed into Hashimoto's, but I don't have a firm diagnosis yet. I have had differing opinions from doctors, some of whom think my thyroid issues will resolve and others who think they won't. Yet no one seems to think I require medication (apart from one doctor who has prescribed DHEA which I am yet to take) as I am not suffering hypo symtpoms. It's so confusing!0 -
Thank you! That is a really good idea. I think i will follow your advice.
And to answer your question, mine never resolved itself. However, my boys are 17 months apart, so I got pregnant when my son was 9 months old, so i dont know if thats why it didn't. But honestly, for me, i think it's going to be hypo for the rest of my life. Ever since i was 10 years old i've had hypothyroid. It went away when i was 18 and then returned when i was 22 (after the birth of my first son). However, i recently found out that i was indeed hypothyroid during years 18-22, its just my old doctor didn't go by the new guidelines, so i actually was hypothyroid the entire time.
But basically, when we found out i went from hyper to hypo, my endocrinologist (i highly recommend one!), said he wasn't going to treat it and that it would resolve itself. All of the research ive done also says that most will resolve itself within 12 months of going hypo, but about half (i think) will remain hypothyroid. Ive also read that if you had it once, you have a 75% chance of getting it again =/ ...guess that means im doomed for #3 =/ Anyways, he said no to treating me, but then i gained 35lb in a matter of 11 days (to be exact, CRAZY!), So i called him up and told him i want put on something because it impacted my life so badly and i was already overweight to begin with. So he agreed and has been monitoring it ever since. Initially he had me on 75mcg per day, then i got pregnant and he upped it to 100mcg during the pregnancy (which was the perfect level). Then when i gave birth he had me drop it to 88mcg. I did that and then he did blood work a few weeks ago and said to drop it back to 75mcg, so thats where im at now but i have a feeling they are going to tell me to ditch it altogether. but when i go hypo again, i just assume im going to be on meds for the rest of my life given my history and all.0 -
Thanks for your feedback. I think at this stage that my thyroid issues are here to stay too. It probably would have resolved itself by now if it was going to. I also will probably go hyper when I have another baby.
Take care and I hope you don't have too much of a rocky ride during the next few months.0 -
Is this also Hashimoto's ??? I got Hashi's after my 4th baby, my tsh went from 0.002- 7.4 in 4 months time, I didnt even notice anything -except my weight loss stalled out and still hasnt went anywhere! It seems after you have a baby you go hyper, then hypo? Im sorry i am in the same boat , cant lose, but I keep exercising and counting cals, i guess if I would eat whatever I would gain a lot. everytime I get blood work my TSh goes up and my meds get increased too, last time my TSH was 8.2, my periods went away but I had one last week so Im hoping my levels are getting better! Its a horrible thing not to be able to control your weight, I hope you feel better soon, I had to cut out artifical sweeteners, soda, dairy and meat because the hormones and toxins in these foods isnt helping your thyroid, I may have lost a few lb. But Im not weighing anymore due to get all stressed out over it! Dont weigh too much it will make you go mad.0
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No Hashimotos (sp?) is different (though it has the potential to turn into Hashimotos). This is Postpartum Thyroiditis and its *supposed* to be a temporary condition and is only a postpartum condition (temporary, as in, it should resolves itself within one year of it going hypo). But for about half us it turns into a permanent condition either manifesting itself as Hashimotos or as hypothyroid condition. But the PP Thyroiditis, itself, is not considered Hashimotos. It is a disease all of its own.0
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Hello!
I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis as well. It is actually a genetic condition that can be turned on with the birth of a child. That is what happened to me only I did not know it. I only knew the syptoms: hair slowly going curly, dry and eventually falling out and my hands developed white patches too. 13 years later my menstrual cycle was 10 days instead of the usual 7 and I am very normal with that so I knew something was wrong. Besides the extreme fatigued!. A test showed my antibodies were over 1000 (well off the charts) and my TSH was 7.2. With my TSH levels better, I had my second child. When he was approx. 2 months old I went slightly hyper and then my endocrinologist got a little carried away and cut my dose in half worried the baby would get extra hormones in my breast milk. Well, that dried up my milk and now he is on formula and two month later my TSH was 20!! I gaing 13 pound and very moody and now have less money thanks to having to buy formula. My skin has more white patches and my hair fell out in clumps. Lovely I tell you. No more children for me. Too much on my body. But Hashimotos does not go away unfortunately just control it with synthetic hormones and be happy we have those to take.
Amie0 -
Postpartum Thyroiditis is not the same as Hashimotos. But i repeat, Postpartum Thyroiditis has the potential to turn into Hashimotos but it in many cases it does not. Postpartum Thyroidits is normally a temporary condition. Also, i stand corrected. My previous post, i stated that i thought about half of those with this condition developed into Hashimotos. I was wrong. Its actually only about 20%.
(Check out the chart at the bottom)
http://www.thyroid.org/patients/brochures/Thyroiditis.pdf0 -
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well hopefully I was able to help you recognize the symptoms should hashimoto kick in. thank you for sharing the article. Prior to staying home with my kids, I worked in research. Haven't seen a journal artical in over a year!0
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Thank you for sharing your insight :flowerforyou:
im pretty sure im going to stay hypo, after its all said and done. I was hypo for a long time (it never went high or anything, just during the first few months post partum, but thats typical), but prior and after ive always been low...is hypothyroid same as Hashimotos? Or is Hashimotos when it goes high and low? i thought they were two difference issues, but wasn't sure.
i miss academia...i went to penn state so i have done loads of research article readings....can be interesting at times, though im glad i know how to rip them to pieces to really understand them...they arn't always easy to read or interpret.0
