thyroiditis and breastfeeding anyone?

[charlie15]

I have had bloods taken for what is certainly thyroidotis, I'm in the hypothyroid stage of the progression and it sucks big time!

It is known to reduce your milk supply quite a lot and clearly has. Probably slowly over the last month. Luckily I have a freezer stash of expressed milk which I will use to suppliment for a few days then I will probably have to combi feed until the thyroxine kicks in. Just wondering if anyone else has been through this and what experience peeps have with bfing. It breaks my heart to think of my diminishing supply and I really hope it gets back to normal soon!

 

[Leids]

I was diagnosed with thyroiditis (hypo) and hashimoto's disease in late November. I was put on levothyroxine for a few months and they couldn't get the dosage right, so my thyroid became inflamed. It got to the point where I couldn't even move my head from side to side very well!

There was a brief time where I experienced supply loss, but I was able to get it back up fairly easily. It was worse when my thyroid became inflamed and I could physically feel every symptom. I was taken off of levothyroxine and re-tested 4 weeks later, my TSH levels had reduced on their own and are now in the 3-ish range (1-4 is considered 'normal' but ideal is between 1-2). My thyroid is still enlarged though, so I'm always worried about supply!

I drink a lot of water. William was 6 months when I was diagnosed and having a lot of issues, and is almost a year now and still thrives on breast milk. That's without any pumping or anything! I did take fenugreek/blessed thistle for about a month when I started noticing a drop in my supply. I also ate a lot and that helped too, surprisingly I didn't gain any weight.

Since you're just starting the thyroxine you may go hyper. What dose did they start you on? I ended up with crazy hyperthyroidism levels that helped me lose 10lbs while eating like a cow. I asked my doctor to let me stay on it for another month or two but she was like yeahh I can't do that.

 

[charlie15]

Thanks for that info. My neck is certainly very swollen but not as bad as yours by the sound of it. You can feel the thyroid gland when I swallow quite easily. I am not yet on thyroxine but had urgent bloods today. What symptoms did you have when your supply dropped? At the mo I have weight gain, I now am more than full term preggers! Dry dry skin, itchy skin, dry hair, totally exhausted, but disproportionate to LO's needs and sleep if you see what I mean. Low moods, generally feel like am walking through treacle to do anything! Oh and muscular aches. Not to mention I look like shit on a whole new level of looking unwell that I have never felt before, just want to curl up in bed and sleep. Luckily OH has taken emergency leave to stay at home and help as by the afternoon on my own with LO, I am on the edge!

 

[TigerGalLE]

I was diagnosed with hoshimoto’s thyroiditis when my LO was 6 months old. I didn’t even know something was wrong. I felt awful but was contributing it to working full time and having a baby. I was having terrible back pain and had an MRI for what they thought was a slipped disc. Turns out my thyroid was enlarged. I went to an endocrinologist and he said post partum hormones caused hoshimoto’s. I did not have postpartum thyroiditis which usually resolves.

I feel soo much better now that I am on levothyroxine. I never saw a reduction in my milk supply though. I am skinny skinny now. I eat like a cow and haven’t gained a pound. My last level was 2.5 and they kept me on the same dose. I have lots more energy now too.

I hope you feel better sooN!

 

[charlie15]

Thanks tigergaile, good to know treatment worked for you so well, you hear so many negative stories about treatment for thyroid probs. I am still waiting on my thyroid function test results but I have every symptoms in the book, it's all very textbook including my enormous goitre, which is getting bigger each day and now I have a painful neck when I move it from side to side (pretty limited range of movement tho!) all other results were normal so highly likely thyroid, and probably hypo, but I also have some bizzare symptoms that could suggest hyper!! I'll probably know more on Tuesday after bank hol weekend. The only thing that is keeping me going is my OH is around so I am able to sleep lots and that is helping hugely, otherwise I'm exhausted in a way I never thought possible.

 

[charlie15]

Well I have had a crazy time of it with this thyroid malarkey and ended up been admitted to hospital for treatment, I came home yesterday. My TSH was over 100 and thyroxine undetectable which explains how bad I felt. I am now under the endo docs for follow up, had bloods done for immunology to verify what type of hypothyroidism it is, but whatever they will keep me on thyroxine for 1 year and then we shall see. I have on,y been on the meds for 4 days. Still very up and down with symptoms, have been advised that it can take up to 2 months for me to feel back to normal again, OMG! Am glad on treatment but just want to enjoy been a mum again, which is hard with no energy so I hope I at least see a gradual improvement. My milk supply is slowly picking up. Today we have had a lot of poo and nappies are wetter, so I'm happier about that. It was my evening supply that was the problem, I still don't think it's quite back to what it was but I'm still needing so much rest otherwise mill drops, so have put everything on hold until I feel like I have more energy. I have a new found respect for the thyroid gland, I really never knew you could feel this bad and all because of 1 hormone!

 

[TigerGalLE]

OMG over 100! You poor thing. No wonder you couldn't function. Feel better soon!!!!