[Rach74]

in reply to: 38 and pregnant one year after RAI #1171783

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Sounds like you are in good hands with your medical team.

I don’t know if my medical advice has been as good as yours. I started trying to conceive with a second child while I was on ATD’s (PTU) and my endo never mentioned the potential risk to the fetus. However, it ended up not being an issue as it took me 2.5 years to get pregnant and it was after I had been off the ATD’s and in remission for a year (I am in my late 30’s also and had almost decided it wasn’t going to happen).

My baby did get neonatal graves, despite my tests being normal during the pregnancy, however it really was not an issue. She had to have a couple of blood tests and by the second one she was fine – no treatment required! She is a very happy healthy bub and much calmer and more chilled than our first!
Another advantage of having had RAI is that you will not relapse after the baby is born! I have gone hyper again and my levels are even higher than last time and taking longer to go down again. I guess at least I caught it early this time because I recognised the symptoms. Hopefully I will go into remission again, but otherwise will look into more a more permanent solution.

All the best,
Rachael

[Rach74]

in reply to: In need of support #1171729

Alexis – Thats great that you have access to top surgeons, however it still sounds like you have a lot to think about!

I’m not sure if it applies to you, but the following link indicates that there is an alternative for the uptake scan which allows breastfeeding after about 4 days. If it is not relevant, then I am sorry, but it may be worth some research or a question for the endo?

http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q4166.html

Good luck,
Rachael

[Rach74]

in reply to: In need of support #1171726

Alexis – I’m sorry to hear what you are going through. I am also hoping my liver results come back ok tomorrow.
Are you able to express enough milk to go without feeding for 3 to 5 days? I read that is about how long you wouldn’t be able to breastfeed for after an uptake scan. You could ask your endo how long they think it would be.
My baby doesn’t take the bottle, so I know if I was in the same boat as you it would be very difficult for her to make the transition.
I hope it all works out.

Rachael

[Rach74]

in reply to: Remission and possibly no more children…. #1171705

Hi,
I was diagnosed with Graves a year after the birth of my first daughter (about 6 years ago) and like you my levels became normal quite quickly on PTU. Within 3 months I was only on 1 tablet of PTU a day and I took this for about 2.5 years after which I was in remission. I think that they tend to keep you on a low dose for quite a while to make sure you are in remission and that your TSH is normal. I felt better after a week of taking the medication , and didn’t have any side effects so it never really bothered me to continue the meds.

During my second pregnancy, I had regular blood tests which were all normal. My daughter tested positive for neonatal graves, however the doctors closely monitored this and it resolved itself without needing treatment.
About a month ago started feeling hyper again (my daughter is 5 months). This time I knew what it was and got tested straight away. I have started on a higher dosage of PTU than last time, so I guess my levels are higher this time. I also think that it may not be enough as still feel hyper, but will find out soon enough as just had a blood test on Monday.
This probably confirms your concerns, however I believe that it can also be triggered by other stresses that come up in life, not just childbirth.

I love my baby to bits, she is such a chilled baby compared to my first and I am really enjoying the baby stage despite being hyper – I didn’t really enjoy the baby stage as much with my first as she was quite full on. I always wanted two kids and now when I see how much my oldest adores her baby sister it feels like the right decision.
I have also had other health problems (not autoimmune) triggered by child birth so feel a bit like I am falling apart so I can’t say its not hard at the moment. Despite all this, I have to try and be positive and think that this time next year I will be back to my normal self and I will have two beautiful girls making it all worth it!

If you really want another child I wouldn’t let it stop you, however it is really a personal decision.

All the best,
Rachael

[Rach74]

in reply to: 1st Labs post ATD tomorrow! #1171646

Good luck Alexis! I hope it is good news for you.

I have mine done again on Monday, but I suspect they are going up not down.

[Rach74]

in reply to: Started PTU but levels still increasing? #1171567

Every 3 months is really not too bad, I was thinking it would be more often than that. I am also keen to keep breastfeeding as I think it would currently be more traumatic for my baby to stop breastfeeding than to get occasional blood tests. She is not the least bit interested in the bottle – even if it contains expressed milk!

Rachael

[Rach74]

in reply to: Started PTU but levels still increasing? #1171565

Thanks so much for posting this info Alexis.

Do you have your baby’s thyroid levels monitored?

The doctor said on a higher dose of medication that my baby would have to be checked. She had a couple of blood tests after birth which weren’t much fun – poor thing screamed her head off and then collapsed into a deep sleep. She tested positive for neonatal graves (despite my levels being normal all through pregnancy and before), but fortunately it resolved on its own by the second blood test without any noticable symptoms ever occurring.

Rachael

[Rach74]

in reply to: Started PTU but levels still increasing? #1171563

Alexis – Not all ovarian cysts have to be removed, mine is just particularly large (7cm) so there is risk of twisting and it has been there a while – they noticed it during early pregnancy scans. However it is non urgent surgery which is why they were able to cancel due to the hyperthyroidism. Ovarian cysts are fairly normal and can come and go with your natural cycle and small ones are usually just left unless there is something unusual about them.

Bobbi – thanks, yes perhaps the beta blocker is masking my symptoms despite the thyroid levels increasing.

I am still wondering if it is possible that my levels could stabilise on the current dosage of PTU (given that the test showing higher thyroid level was done so soon after I started the medication) or if I am likely to have to increase my current dosage?
I am breastfeeding, so was really hoping that the current dosage would be enough.

Thanks,
Rachael

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