Scared about thyroid problem

[Mom to Aidan & Daniel]

I went to the endocrinologist today, who says that I will inevitably develop hypothyroidism. Argh. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism during my pg with Aidan, and was surprised that it has now swung the other way.
I wonder about the link between thyroid issues and hg, as many of you know.
Well, now Aidan is constipated, and that is a symptom of hypothyroidism in babies. I'm all paranoid, as it can cause mental retardation in kids if left untreated (I shouldn't read all the scary articles online, I self-diagnose too much and get hysterical ). At first he was pooping every 2-3 hours, and the doctor mentioned that he must have a fast metabolism. Now it's 1-2 times a day, and he's suffering with major cramping. I hope he hasn't been affected by my thyroid problems.
The doctor says that I will need to be monitored, and that it's a matter of months or a few years and I will probably need meds. I asked if pg and bf'ing can be influencing the numbers, and he said no. of course it says differently online.
Anyone know anything about this? I'm concerned.

Thanks so much

Sarah

[megs4413]

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism just a few months before my first pg and started treatment for it. during the pg i ended up hyper...which my endo said was quite normal. I don't know why...i know he told me the reason why that happens, but i just can't remember. So, I wouldn't be surprised if you were alrealdy hypo pre-pg and then became hyper, and are now back to hypo again. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Thyroid problems while complicating are easily controlled. The medication is easy to take and small, and has little or no side effects if you are given the right dosage. It is extremely important for your health that you have your thyroid levels monitored and controlled, so don't be afraid to take control of the situation. If you are having trouble trusting your endo, get another one. I think I remember you posting about thyroid problems before and I think I said that you may want your doc to check different levels than the standard T4 test. My thyroid problems, though evident in my symptoms, went undiagnosed for years, because my T4 levels remained in the normal range, even though my thyroid was swelling up and not functioning properly. My problem was the Anti-thyroid antibodies were too high so they were negating the normal T4 levels. Make sure your endo has done the entire thyroid panel. Even, though problems in other areas are more rare, they are still possible if your case has been difficult to diagnose. As far as passing it on to DS, it's probably not gonna happen. It's way more common in adult and adolescent women and is in fact very rare in men. Have you examined other reasons why he may be constipated? if you are bf, what are you eating? i know my dd has struggled with constipation, but it's because she's on soy formula and soy is constipating. does he have any other symptoms? Have you talked with his ped about it? I do the same thign online where I find all these horrible articles basically telling me I'm gonna die or something and I gt completely freaked out. Try to relax and work with your doctors to relieve your fears. Good luck and big hugs!

[Mom to Aidan & Daniel]

Hi Meg,

Thanks so much. I feel a bit better about it now that I've talked with my endo at length. So far I'm not hypo, so that's good. If it happens, like you say, better to know and get treated then not. I'm not sure how complete the blood tests were, but I know they included something like 5 various thyroid numbers.
Aidan's better, and his constipation has passed He is fine, and I'm going to try not to worry too much about this. We're moving in a few months, and I will recheck my thyroid again then with a new endo.
I'm worried about gaining a lot of weight and feeling sluggish. But I suppose the meds prevent that from happening?

Thanks again and hugs

Sarah

[megs4413]

well good to hear...yeah if you have trouble with fatigue or you put on weight just get your levels check and have the meds adjusted accordingly. You shouldn't experience too much of that. The medicine really does work. I'm glad to hear Aidan's doing better. Good luck to both of you....it's ok to be worried, you're just a loving mommy! I'm sure you'll both do great...