[countryprincess]

#1018567

Okay to start… I would never ever ever ever EVER let anyone get any where near me with a needle as child.. actually up until I was pregnant at 20. Anyways at the age of 15 I was always having abnormal heart beats and rate. And I was researching it but I noticed that I fell under all the symptoms for a child with Graves’ Disease. All of them. Especially the serious moodiness. Since no one could ever draw my blood nothing like hyperthyroidism could have ever been diagnosed through a lab. But when I was pregnant I had my blood drawn all the time which is why the doctor that I had only since I was nearing the end of my pregnancy guarantees that I did not have hyperthyroid until I delivered my son. Is it possible that I was graves’ before pregnancy and my hyperthyroid mellowed out during the pregnancy and got sever afterwards?

[Bobbi]

#1065749

During pregnancy the body suppresses the immune system a bit, to avoid the possibility of antibodies being created against the baby, and our overall antibody levels go down. AT least that is the (probably over-simplified) way I understand things. It is very normal during pregnancies for women already diagnosed with Graves to need less or none of the medication that suppresses excess levels of thyroid hormone. When the antibody numbers go down, the symptoms abate. Then, after the pregnancy, these women typically have to go back onto the medication to control their thyroid levels.

[snelsen]

#1065750

My thought is that you begin with the present. There is really no way to determine what was happening when you were fifteen. I am assuming that you are willing to have a blood draw now. I have two suggestions on that subject.
Drink a lot of water (as opposed to being dehydrated, as you might be first thing in the morning) before your labs, and tell the person drawing the labs that you have a history of being needle phobic. There are a very few labs that require no food and water before the blood draw, but they not your everyday labs. This has been my experience from being an RN who drawn a lot of labs.

Not sure what you read @ childhood Graves. I had the following symptoms:
an extremely rapid heart rate, (130-160 or above) this would have been noticed by you and others, plus weight loss that cannot be explained, a voracious appetite, intolerance to heat, and much more.

I am not a professional qualified to offer factual advice. Mostly what I say is reflecting my own experience. Enjoy your new baby. All of the above symptoms did happen to me after I had a baby. But maybe it will be a non-issue for you. If you are concerned @ yourself, go to your doc, has for thyroid labs. Most doc will draw a TSH, T3 and T4.

[countryprincess]

#1065751

Well I do have Graves’ now I was just wondering if I could have had it before I was pregnant.. it sure would explain a lot. Im not afraid of needles anymore. I even donate blood now, proudly. I dont know why I was so scared of needles before I got prego. Anyways, because I was not allowing my blood to be drawn as a teenager/child I had to go to a cardiologist because of my rapid heart rate/palpitations. They even had me carry a heart monitor around for thirty days. But your right, I should only focus on here and now. Im just worried about any possible damage done to my heart letting it get out of control for so long. I get chest pain now and then and it worries me.

[lwddgt]

#1065752

I am also sure that I had Hyper as a child without the proof and noticed someones reply to you talked about symptoms changing when pregnant. I have vitaligo (white skin spots) which I NOW know is a symtom of graves and each time I was pregnant ( four babies later), my spots would start to fill in and my body would stop fighting itself, I told my GP that at the time but we knew nothing about thyroid or graves or vitaligo so it was looked at as just an ovbservation, now that I have graves I realize it was so plain to see if the correct doctor would have seen it. Now my only concern is that at least three of my four kids where also born with vitaligo and I have a heads up of what their future could be. The oldest has Celiac which is also one of the great autoimmune diseases out their. Hope this isn’t too negative, I just wanted imput on letting you know that you know better than anyone what your body was telling you all those years it is just sometimes frusterating getting others to believe you.

[snelsen]

#1065753

I would like to preface my comments with the fact that I am with my own knowledge and experience, and encourage you to check with one of your health care providers to get further good information about vitiligo.

Hi, it might be reassuring to you to talk with an endocrinologist (begin there) or rheumatologist, or even the docs who diagnosed your child with celiac. What I am saying is, that, yes, some people who are hyperthyroid may have vitiligo.

But it does not mean your three children will have hyperthyroidism. Or any autoimmune disease.

Vitiligo can happen with hyper, but there are some other explanations, like heredity. After thinking about it, maybe a dermatologist might be the most efficient way to discuss it.

From my experience with my own family, it has been explained to me that most people who have vitiligo do not have an autoimmune disorder. And that some folks with certain autoimmune disorders, may have it. In my family, it is familial.

[countryprincess]

#1065754

huh??….

[lwddgt]

#1065755

thanks for all the discussion , this foundation is fantastic and it is so good to hear so many great stories and advice from all of you out there.

[elf]

#1065756

It occurred to me that the rapid and strong heartbeat, starting from when I was in the middle-high school and later in college and workplace, in social only situations (when, for example, I knew that my turn was coming up to speak publicly), the type of heartbeat that I thought should be heard by everyone around me, – could have been an indicator of my thyroid troubles starting from puberty. It was some kind of social anxiety. Since it has been gone after my thyroid was gone, I’m inclined to think that it was connected to my thyroid. But in the end, who can go back and sort it out for us. I am just glad it’s gone.

[Author]

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