THYROID HELP!

[aes17]

I am so confused by the doctors, and hoping someone (or several of you!) can help me understand what is going on.  I gave birth to my first child in June  In November, I started to not feel well.  I felt like I was coming down with the flu all the time - achy, sore muscles.  I also couldn't sleep.  I finally made an appt with my PCP in January and the bloodwork showed my TSH was .15 and my t4 was high.  He put me on 10mg of methamazole (sp?).  I scheduled an appt with an endocronologist who did more bloodwork, this time my TSH was .1 and my t4 was normal.  However, my esr came back high (41).  Just to throw this in there that my OBGYN did bloodwork at a followup appt at the VERY beginning of January ans my TSH was .31.  

MY PCP and the endocrynologist are telling me different things.  I've heard Graves, Thyroiditis, simple hyper.... I'm not a fan of the endo - immediately talked about the radioactive iodine treatment and didn't understand I wouldn't want to be away from my son for 2 weeks ... and would still like to have more babies!  

Any experience anyone has had is greatly appreciated!  THANK YOU!

[Amethyst8324]

I was diagnosed with Graves Disease 8-10 months after I have given birth to my daughter. I took the RAI and had to stay away from my kids for about 2 weeks. About a month or 2 after I took the RAI I soon became pregnant again. The doctors did say I shouldn't have kids for awhile but managed to get through my pregnancy and birth normally. I was even surprised to find out that I was also pregnant with twins. I also had to continuously change my Levothyroxine medication every month to make sure my babies were getting enough thyroid hormone.

[aes17]

Thank you all so much!  It's refreshing to hear such knowledge.  I have an appt with my pcp today and now have many questions !  Again thank you so much !

[Barb135]

You should also have antibodies to test for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, since Hashimoto's often has hyper phases in the beginning.  The tests you need for Hashimoto's are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TGab).

[goolarra]

Yes, the TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin) is a simple blood test that tests for the presence of the antibodies that cause Graves' Disease.  Since you've been hyper, your doctor should order that test asap so you have a better idea what you're dealing with.

There are a couple of forms of "temporary" thyroiditis that often have an initial hyper phase, followed by a return to normal and then a hypo phase.  They usually resolve on their own, but resolution can take up to a couple of years, so meds are often required in the interim.  Elevated ESR is often associated with "silent thyroiditis".  You might do some reading on that.  Another temporary thyroiditis is "postpartum thyroiditis", which is also a possibility for you considering the timing within six months of delivery.  "DeQuervain's thyroiditis" is another.  It's usually preceded by a severe upper respiratory infection.  

I agree that, unless your doctor knows for sure that you have Graves', talking about RAI at this point is a little premature.  RAI not only could leave you hypo for the rest of your life, it WILL leave you hypo and dependent on meds for the rest of your life.  That doesn't preclude having more children by any means.  In addition, Graves' is often controlled by medication for as long as it remains under control with meds.  RAI and/or surgery are often put off until meds no longer control the condition.

[Gibbon1]

Did you have an thyroid antibody tests done?  What I understand the TSI antibody test is it's fairly specific for Graves Disease.

All I can say if you have thyroiditis, which may resolve over months, you likely don't want to nuke your thyroid with radioactive iodine, since it could leave you hypothyroid, which isn't the end of the world but involves taking meds the rest of you life.

I'd suggest if your PCP agrees stay on the current meds and make another appointment with a different endocrinologist who isn't trigger happy. Maybe someone else will chime in, but I think lots of people go the route of meds to suppress thyroid function with graves.