New here~ pregnant and just diagnosed..

May 13, 2003

I joined this group shortly after being diagnosed just last Monday

(already seems like ages ago!) and have been reading all the e-

mails. You all are so great and informative, I'm really glad I found

this place. I'm pregnant with my fifth child (due Nov. 30) and have

had a difficult pregnancy already~ far worse than any of my others.

I've had a very difficult time since the birth of my FIRST child with

heart palpitations, excessive weight loss, sensitivity to heat,

etc...but the doctor's always diagnosed me with postpartum anxiety.

I now believe I've had this for years, but since I've been on

propranolol (with the exception of during pregnancy) since after my

first was born, I've just masked some of the symptoms. I went to my

regular OB appt. last Monday, and since my blood pressure was high,

my pulse was 110, and due to the fact that I've been hospitalized

three times for excessive vomiting~ my OB finally checked my

thyroid. Four days later I finally started medication. I'm relieved

but also so scared of what this will do to my baby. I'm on

propranolol (10 mgs/3 x's a day~ but my heart is still racing!) and

PTU (2-50 mgs tablets/3 x's a day). I haven't been able to gain any

weight yet, and I started out underweight. This has been so hard on

me and my family as I have 4 children ages 6 and under already...and

I've always been extremely active with them. My husband has been

having to take on a lot more responsibility as well as I've been

bedridden for a couple of weeks (been feeling a tiny bit better these

past 2 days).

If anyone has experience with Grave's during pregnancy, I would love

to hear your story! I also have Crohn's disease (I'm a mess, aren't

I?!) but have been in remission for 9 yrs~ although the past few

weeks I've had some gastrointestinal problems (could it be from the

Grave's?).

I'm sure I'll be asking LOTS of questions in the weeks to come, hope

you all don't mind!

Take care,

Christi

May 13, 2003

Hi Christi. You'll be hearing from other members who've been through this

successfully.. IIRC there's I who also has 5. (I remember those

days with 4 under 6 but I only developed GD after the birth of my last

child.) The good news is that as your pregnancy progresses the GD should

abate so you'll be able to reduce your dose.

It used to be that women who had GD while pregnant would have

thyroidectomies. That, in fact, was in the book my ex-endo #2 gave me, so

of course I thought that was standard operating procedure. It's not and

there's good reason to want to save your thyroid and be on ATDs.

Take care, Fay

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May 13, 2003

Hi Christi,

PTU is safe during pregnancy,there have been many people that have had

healthy babies while on it. Sometimes your thyroid levels get better

starting the second trimester...mine have. I am due Nov.12 with my 7th. I

was able to stop the ptu when only a few weeks pregnant,I was on 50mg 2x a

day,but there are others in this group that were on much higher doses than

you. Have you tried the chemo drug for nausea, " Zofran " ? Works really well

for many people with severe preg. sickness. I tried it this time and it

worked well during the day, at night I still threw up. One problem

though,,,they are $26 a pill!! luckily our insurance paid for 1/2,but some

don't. Perhaps you have already had several IV's of this:-). Anyway,wanted

to let you know you are not alone,I for one am with you. Keep in touch,Jen

New here~ pregnant and just diagnosed..

> I joined this group shortly after being diagnosed just last Monday

> (already seems like ages ago!) and have been reading all the e-

> mails. You all are so great and informative, I'm really glad I found

> this place. I'm pregnant with my fifth child (due Nov. 30) and have

> had a difficult pregnancy already~ far worse than any of my others.

> I've had a very difficult time since the birth of my FIRST child with

> heart palpitations, excessive weight loss, sensitivity to heat,

> etc...but the doctor's always diagnosed me with postpartum anxiety.

> I now believe I've had this for years, but since I've been on

> propranolol (with the exception of during pregnancy) since after my

> first was born, I've just masked some of the symptoms. I went to my

> regular OB appt. last Monday, and since my blood pressure was high,

> my pulse was 110, and due to the fact that I've been hospitalized

> three times for excessive vomiting~ my OB finally checked my

> thyroid. Four days later I finally started medication. I'm relieved

> but also so scared of what this will do to my baby. I'm on

> propranolol (10 mgs/3 x's a day~ but my heart is still racing!) and

> PTU (2-50 mgs tablets/3 x's a day). I haven't been able to gain any

> weight yet, and I started out underweight. This has been so hard on

> me and my family as I have 4 children ages 6 and under already...and

> I've always been extremely active with them. My husband has been

> having to take on a lot more responsibility as well as I've been

> bedridden for a couple of weeks (been feeling a tiny bit better these

> past 2 days).

>

> If anyone has experience with Grave's during pregnancy, I would love

> to hear your story! I also have Crohn's disease (I'm a mess, aren't

> I?!) but have been in remission for 9 yrs~ although the past few

> weeks I've had some gastrointestinal problems (could it be from the

> Grave's?).

>

> I'm sure I'll be asking LOTS of questions in the weeks to come, hope

> you all don't mind!

>

> Take care,

>

> Christi

>

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May 14, 2003

Hi Christi,

Welcome to the group. I'm beginning my eighth month of pregnancy with my

first child. Before the pregnancy, I was on a massive dose of PTU. My

thyroid quickly improved in the first trimester and I was able to drop my PTU

considerably. Unlike some of the other moms in this group, I haven't been

able to get off PTU completely. I'm down to 50 mg twice/day and my thyroid

levels are just above the normal range. My heart was also racing, even while

using beta blockers, so my doctor told me I could gradually increase the

dosage until my heart rate went down, making sure I allowed 2 weeks between

increases to give the body a chance to adjust. I don't recommend that you do

this on your own without discussing it with your doctor first. Once my

thyroid cooled down, I was able to cut back on the beta blocker as well.

I had heard that Graves' generally improves in pregnancy, but I wasn't

prepared for how quickly my thyroid levels dropped. It was as though my

thyroid slammed on the brakes the moment of conception! Be sure that your

doctor monitors you frequently (every 4 weeks or so), especially in the first

trimester. Otherwise, you risk going hypo and that could be dangerous to the

baby.

Also, I had a tough time finding an iodine-free prenatal vitamin. Precare is

the only one my doctor & pharmacist were able find.

The digestive problems can definitely be caused by Graves.

Take care,

Tori

In a message dated 5/13/2003 10:51:39 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

christieid@... writes: