Comments on: Postpartum Thyroiditis http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/ Breastfeeding 1-2-3: A Blog for Breastfeeding Tips and Support Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:48:56 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: SS http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/comment-page-1/#comment-13779 SS Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:24:16 +0000 http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/?p=1847#comment-13779 Hi, So happy to see other posts and know that I am not crazy. My baby is 4 months old, and although felt well for the first couple of weeks, I went down hill after that. I have been ill for months. I knew I had a hyperthyroid, and was watching my weight loss, but I did not know all the other symptoms. I am suffering from depression, anxiety and worst of all insomnia. Not to mention my milk supply is suffering, and thus my baby is nursing ALL the time. At night I am so over heated! My husband thought I was going crazy. I finally went back to the doctor today and she assured me I am not crazy, it's probably the PPT. I take Ativan periodically to help get a good night sleep. Hi,

So happy to see other posts and know that I am not crazy. My baby is 4 months old, and although felt well for the first couple of weeks, I went down hill after that. I have been ill for months. I knew I had a hyperthyroid, and was watching my weight loss, but I did not know all the other symptoms. I am suffering from depression, anxiety and worst of all insomnia. Not to mention my milk supply is suffering, and thus my baby is nursing ALL the time. At night I am so over heated! My husband thought I was going crazy. I finally went back to the doctor today and she assured me I am not crazy, it’s probably the PPT. I take Ativan periodically to help get a good night sleep.

]]> By: F... http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/comment-page-1/#comment-10598 F... Fri, 29 May 2009 05:42:01 +0000 http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/?p=1847#comment-10598 Hi, am a mom for the first time and my son is 4 months old, i have been sick since i had him !i almost went CRAZY my blood pressure hit 160/120! I almost had a stroke that day!! they kept on dismissing me ,my Gynecologist diagnosed me with PPD and put me on Zoloft but it made it worst!! so i stopped it after a week of feeling drunk! (COLD TURKY) and i was still sick and my heart rate was 144 at some point last week! finally my family physician found out after a series of tests that i have HYPERTHYRODISM!! ohh i was crying FINALLY someone knows what's wrong with me ...i dont know what happens from here i suppose to see an specialist ASAP, i went to the Er today because i couldn't breath!!! and my heart rate was so high too. Am glad that someone shared their experience and i hope that you all feel well!! i know that all of as wanted to be done after they have their precious one. Oh well is not always as we plan! Hi,
am a mom for the first time and my son is 4 months old, i have been sick since i had him !i almost went CRAZY my blood pressure hit 160/120! I almost had a stroke that day!! they kept on dismissing me ,my Gynecologist diagnosed me with PPD and put me on Zoloft but it made it worst!! so i stopped it after a week of feeling drunk! (COLD TURKY) and i was still sick and my heart rate was 144 at some point last week! finally my family physician found out after a series of tests that i have HYPERTHYRODISM!! ohh i was crying FINALLY someone knows what’s wrong with me …i dont know what happens from here i suppose to see an specialist ASAP, i went to the Er today because i couldn’t breath!!! and my heart rate was so high too. Am glad that someone shared their experience and i hope that you all feel well!!
i know that all of as wanted to be done after they have their precious one. Oh well is not always as we plan!

]]> By: Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/comment-page-1/#comment-10346 Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor Tue, 26 May 2009 23:24:11 +0000 http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/?p=1847#comment-10346 Hi Carly! Did your doctor run the blood test for TSI (Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin, the anti-thryoid antibodies present in postpartum Graves' Disease as opposed to postpartum thyroiditis)? That test can be run instead of doing a radioactive uptake scan (which would require pumping and dumping for a certain number of hours). You definitely want to rule out (or in) Graves' Disease which can be treated rather than waiting to see what happens. I am not sure what the normal plan is for postpartum thyroiditis. Seven months seems like a long time to be in the hyper phase (I was hypo by then) but I simply do not know enough about it. A second opinion certainly wouldn't hurt especially since you are unhappy with how the doctor dismissed your concerns initially. Good luck! Hi Carly! Did your doctor run the blood test for TSI (Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin, the anti-thryoid antibodies present in postpartum Graves’ Disease as opposed to postpartum thyroiditis)? That test can be run instead of doing a radioactive uptake scan (which would require pumping and dumping for a certain number of hours). You definitely want to rule out (or in) Graves’ Disease which can be treated rather than waiting to see what happens. I am not sure what the normal plan is for postpartum thyroiditis. Seven months seems like a long time to be in the hyper phase (I was hypo by then) but I simply do not know enough about it. A second opinion certainly wouldn’t hurt especially since you are unhappy with how the doctor dismissed your concerns initially. Good luck!

]]> By: Carly http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/comment-page-1/#comment-10298 Carly Tue, 26 May 2009 17:26:02 +0000 http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/?p=1847#comment-10298 Thank you for posting this! After I had my baby, I lost way too much weight (still am 15lbs underweight), lost handfuls of hair, and felt like I was going crazy. I asked my doctor if it was my thyroid and she quickly dismissed it and did no tests. 7 months postpartum I went back and she did test my thyroid, and diagnosed me with hyperthyriod. I have a follow up appointment, and I'll make sure she is aware of PPT! I strongly encourage anyone who thinks they may have PPT to be your own advocate and keep asking your doctor for the test. I wish I would have been more persistent sooner. My doctor says we just have to wait and see what happens with my thyroid...I wondered if I should see someone else, or if there is medication I should be taking for hyperthyroid? Thanks!! Thank you for posting this! After I had my baby, I lost way too much weight (still am 15lbs underweight), lost handfuls of hair, and felt like I was going crazy. I asked my doctor if it was my thyroid and she quickly dismissed it and did no tests. 7 months postpartum I went back and she did test my thyroid, and diagnosed me with hyperthyriod. I have a follow up appointment, and I’ll make sure she is aware of PPT! I strongly encourage anyone who thinks they may have PPT to be your own advocate and keep asking your doctor for the test. I wish I would have been more persistent sooner.

My doctor says we just have to wait and see what happens with my thyroid…I wondered if I should see someone else, or if there is medication I should be taking for hyperthyroid? Thanks!!

]]> By: Dawn http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/comment-page-1/#comment-8490 Dawn Fri, 01 May 2009 21:23:14 +0000 http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/?p=1847#comment-8490 I was just diagnosed with PPT for the second time. Hair loss, increased weight loss rate and increased heart rate were my first clues. This definitely affected my ability to breastfeed with my first child - we made it eight months but had to supplement often during the last two. I am now working with a lactation consultant to monitor supply and baby's growth. One suggestion she had was to use nutritional yeast (a b complex vitamin supplement) to encourage overall health and hopefully, lead to continued success with breastfeeding. I think more women need to be made aware of PPT - I spent many weeks after my first child feeling like I was losing my mind when really it was just my thyroid (thank goodness!). I was just diagnosed with PPT for the second time. Hair loss, increased weight loss rate and increased heart rate were my first clues. This definitely affected my ability to breastfeed with my first child – we made it eight months but had to supplement often during the last two. I am now working with a lactation consultant to monitor supply and baby’s growth. One suggestion she had was to use nutritional yeast (a b complex vitamin supplement) to encourage overall health and hopefully, lead to continued success with breastfeeding. I think more women need to be made aware of PPT – I spent many weeks after my first child feeling like I was losing my mind when really it was just my thyroid (thank goodness!).

]]> By: Andi http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/comment-page-1/#comment-6981 Andi Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:40:53 +0000 http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/?p=1847#comment-6981 I found out my thyroid was off after the birth of our first son. It corrected itself. But after the second pregnancy the doctor diagnosed Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism. For me, it means I take medication daily and get blood work regularly to check for an imbalance. If it wasn't for the post-partum hair loss, that triggered me to investigate this, I might have never figured this out. So thankfully, the pregnancies gave me the chance to get this under control. I found out my thyroid was off after the birth of our first son. It corrected itself. But after the second pregnancy the doctor diagnosed Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism. For me, it means I take medication daily and get blood work regularly to check for an imbalance. If it wasn’t for the post-partum hair loss, that triggered me to investigate this, I might have never figured this out. So thankfully, the pregnancies gave me the chance to get this under control.

]]> By: Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/comment-page-1/#comment-6762 Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:18:34 +0000 http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/?p=1847#comment-6762 Jennifer, I second your book recommendation. And you make an excellent point about the knowledge you gain helping with the next baby. I'm glad to hear you got to the bottom of your supply issue. Good for you! Jennifer, I second your book recommendation. And you make an excellent point about the knowledge you gain helping with the next baby. I’m glad to hear you got to the bottom of your supply issue. Good for you!

]]> By: Jennifer B http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/comment-page-1/#comment-6749 Jennifer B Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:19:54 +0000 http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/?p=1847#comment-6749 Oh, I am so glad to see someone educating women on PPT! I have a strong family history of Hashimoto's Disease (autoimmune hypothroidism, the opposite of Grave's). I have had thyroid function bloodwork on a regular basis over the years, and never fell out of "WNL", but was always on the low side. After the birth of my daughter, I lost weight very quickly (about 27 lbs in less than 6 weeks), but certainly wasn't complaining about that! I did have a terrible time with nursing, never having enough. My daughter lost a significant amount of weight, and I needed to supplement. I tried all the mechanical fixes for undersupply (pumping, pumping more pumping, nursing all the time, etc.), herbs, etc, and it never helped much. Finally a LC told me to have bloodwork done and my midwife called me to say I was hyperthyroid. I went to a supposedly breastfeeding friendly endocrinologist, who didn't think that my PPT was significant enough to cause undersupply, and although sympathetic, didn't seem to think that nursing was important in the grand scheme of things. He opted to do nothing, since he figured that my thyroid would settle down eventually. This is usually standard treatment for PPT as I found out, but it was really frustrating! Within a few months, I was indeed hypothyroid, and was diagnosed with Hasimoto's Disease (a simple bloodtest was necessary). I started taking synthroid and felt much better, but it did not improve my supply issues. I found out much later (while I was weaning) that the PCOS i have was probably the major cause of my undersupply. That could and shoul dhave been addressed from the beginning, but no one seems to have a good understanding of the influence of hormones on nursing. A really GREAT resource is "A Breastfeeding MOther's Guide to Making More Milk". It talks about thyroid issues, PCOS, breast reduction, etc. I didn't get this book until after I weaned, but now I know what to do next time! I may not have been able to nurse exclusively like I planned, but I did nurse for 6 months (with supplementation to keep my daughter's weight healthy). And I did not just accept that I couldn't nurse, I researched and asked questions and just kept going on my quest to find out WHY I couldn't nurse exclusively. My advice to moms who are struggling is, Don't give up. Nursing doesn't have to be an all or nothing proposition, and don't just accept what others tell you, do your research, read and talk to every LC, LLL leader, midwife, mom, etc who will talk to you about your problem. A lot of the time, it is treatable, if you know what is going on. Even if its not going to work out the way you want it to, the knowledge you gain is useful for the next baby, or another mom who is going thru the same problem. Oh, I am so glad to see someone educating women on PPT! I have a strong family history of Hashimoto’s Disease (autoimmune hypothroidism, the opposite of Grave’s). I have had thyroid function bloodwork on a regular basis over the years, and never fell out of “WNL”, but was always on the low side. After the birth of my daughter, I lost weight very quickly (about 27 lbs in less than 6 weeks), but certainly wasn’t complaining about that! I did have a terrible time with nursing, never having enough. My daughter lost a significant amount of weight, and I needed to supplement. I tried all the mechanical fixes for undersupply (pumping, pumping more pumping, nursing all the time, etc.), herbs, etc, and it never helped much. Finally a LC told me to have bloodwork done and my midwife called me to say I was hyperthyroid. I went to a supposedly breastfeeding friendly endocrinologist, who didn’t think that my PPT was significant enough to cause undersupply, and although sympathetic, didn’t seem to think that nursing was important in the grand scheme of things. He opted to do nothing, since he figured that my thyroid would settle down eventually. This is usually standard treatment for PPT as I found out, but it was really frustrating! Within a few months, I was indeed hypothyroid, and was diagnosed with Hasimoto’s Disease (a simple bloodtest was necessary). I started taking synthroid and felt much better, but it did not improve my supply issues. I found out much later (while I was weaning) that the PCOS i have was probably the major cause of my undersupply. That could and shoul dhave been addressed from the beginning, but no one seems to have a good understanding of the influence of hormones on nursing. A really GREAT resource is “A Breastfeeding MOther’s Guide to Making More Milk”. It talks about thyroid issues, PCOS, breast reduction, etc. I didn’t get this book until after I weaned, but now I know what to do next time! I may not have been able to nurse exclusively like I planned, but I did nurse for 6 months (with supplementation to keep my daughter’s weight healthy). And I did not just accept that I couldn’t nurse, I researched and asked questions and just kept going on my quest to find out WHY I couldn’t nurse exclusively. My advice to moms who are struggling is, Don’t give up. Nursing doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition, and don’t just accept what others tell you, do your research, read and talk to every LC, LLL leader, midwife, mom, etc who will talk to you about your problem. A lot of the time, it is treatable, if you know what is going on. Even if its not going to work out the way you want it to, the knowledge you gain is useful for the next baby, or another mom who is going thru the same problem.

]]> By: Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/comment-page-1/#comment-6621 Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:14:38 +0000 http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/?p=1847#comment-6621 Maria, I agree that it is important to get diagnosed early and be proactive in your own care. As I'm sure you know, it is particularly important to have normal thyroid levels when trying to conceive and when actually pregnant. I'm glad to hear you haven't had any problems! Maria, I agree that it is important to get diagnosed early and be proactive in your own care. As I’m sure you know, it is particularly important to have normal thyroid levels when trying to conceive and when actually pregnant.

I’m glad to hear you haven’t had any problems!

]]> By: Maria http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/postpartum-thyroiditis/comment-page-1/#comment-6607 Maria Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:14:44 +0000 http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/?p=1847#comment-6607 I actually have hypothyroidism, which was diagnosed about five years before the birth of my son. In both cases (hypo and hyper), it is important to get diagnosed early! I made sure to manage my care (with a doctor), and as a result have been nursing over two years. I suppose I am a lucky one, but a lot of that luck is a result to caring for myself. I actually have hypothyroidism, which was diagnosed about five years before the birth of my son. In both cases (hypo and hyper), it is important to get diagnosed early! I made sure to manage my care (with a doctor), and as a result have been nursing over two years. I suppose I am a lucky one, but a lot of that luck is a result to caring for myself.

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