When my second son was about eight months old I felt like I was coming down with the flu. Normally I could run five km's and suddenly I could barely walk one block– my muscles were weak and sore.
The symptoms progressed quickly: elevated heart rate, insomnia, hair loss, brittle nails, massive hunger, diarrhea, hand tremors, and sweating. I was losing weight rapidly (close to 20 lbs in three weeks) despite eating numerous meals each day and snacking throughout the night. Some people suggested I had anxiety and it did feel like it but I knew it was something more.
I felt terrible and within two weeks I finally had a blood test that confirmed that I was in a hyperthyroid state and my T4 was not even really existent. Although they were not sure if it was
Postpartum Thyroiditis or
Graves' Disease, they started treating it with
PTU which is an anti-thyroid medication that was safe with breastfeeding. I was also given beta blockers to help my heart rate come down–oh, how I loved the beta blockers. I finally felt like I could relax for a little bit as my resting heart rate had been over 100 for weeks!
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| Respect the thyroid! |
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