[Anonymous January 31, 1998 at 7:36 am Post count: 93172]

#1052042

Six months ago I gave birth to my second child. 3 months ago a gradually developed multiple hyperthyroid symptoms. 2 wks ago an endo diagnosed me with Graves, however after much time spent on the web I’m wondering if it could be postpartum thyroiditis. My TSH is .02 and my Free T4 is 4.2 so it would be a pretty severe case if it is pp thyroiditis. I am on 100mg PTU 3 times a day. The problem is, I can’t have the uptake test because I am nursing my baby. I am awaiting results on an immunoglobulin test which won’t tell us anything definitively. Does anyone have any insight or advice for me? Has anyone else been in the position of having to distinguish between the two? Obviously I’m hoping and praying it’s the postpartum condition. If it is Graves, however, I’ll feel lucky that I was so quickly diagnosed after reading how long and terrible it has been for some people to reach a diagnosis. Once effectively treated is it always as bad as some people have made it sound? I’ll appreciate any information that you can give me. THANKS

[Anonymous January 31, 1998 at 9:27 am Post count: 93172]

#1153055

Hi, Welcome to My Nightmare!!!

I was in your exact position 1 1/2 years ago. I ended up having to stop nursing my baby altogether. My milk became very thin due to the hyperthyroidism and I was very concerned about the anti-thyroid meds passing into the milk supply.

The stuff you read on the web will tell you that symptoms usually appear in “X” time and disappear in “Y” time – but remember that is just the average. There will be people with it worse than that or not as bad. I stopped taking antithyroid meds after one year and am in remission. My doctor in FL says that he thinks that after all this I may have been just one of the worst possible cases of PostPartum Thyroiditis ever! Regardless, an Endo will tell you that getting Graves after pregnancy makes you more likely to be a candidate for remission.

Also remember that your body is in hormonal chaos – all those postpartum changes, the hormonal changes from nursing. Make sure you take vitamins and eat right.

Instead of going over my whole story here, you can read it on my web page: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/7533/gravesstory.html

Feel free to email me anytime you’d like. I’ve been there! I can tell you that after my thyroid hormones leveled out AND my female hormones got back in-line, I started feeling like myself again.

God bless!
Glynis

[Anonymous February 1, 1998 at 4:58 pm Post count: 93172]

#1153056

Hi–My story is similar to Glynis’s. I came down with hyperthyroidism
when my baby was about 4 months old. I was diagnosed with Graves’,
and the disease is in my family–but I don’t know how PPT was ruled
out. Anyway, after six months on PTU, I went into remission. About
five months after that, I became pregnant with the child I’m now
carrying, due this August: we’ll see if the birth sets things off
again–so far I’m fine.
Are you sure you can’t have the uptake while nursing? I did, and
I was told I only had to stop nursing for three days.

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