Re: a few questions!

[Guest guest]

> How does it feel to be pregnant when you are Hypothryoid?

I've felt great during pregnancy, probably because having an autoimmune

illness.... that tends to be more in remission during pregnancy... it's

afterwards I fell apart.

> & do the doctors are suppose to keep an eye on you when pregnant?

YES! And I didn't know that last time. Neither apparantly did my midwife

or Dr. So..... next time I will be checked by an endo, who knows what sort

of changes are normal in pregnancy and what requires dosage changes. It

could be part of why I lost two babies. I don't know for sure.

[Guest guest]

> How does it feel to be pregnant when you are Hypothryoid?

I've felt great during pregnancy, probably because having an autoimmune

illness.... that tends to be more in remission during pregnancy... it's

afterwards I fell apart.

> & do the doctors are suppose to keep an eye on you when pregnant?

YES! And I didn't know that last time. Neither apparantly did my midwife

or Dr. So..... next time I will be checked by an endo, who knows what sort

of changes are normal in pregnancy and what requires dosage changes. It

could be part of why I lost two babies. I don't know for sure.

[Guest guest]

Terri, these were GREAT questions!!!

With Hypothyroid:What kind is the best kind of water to buy?

It would be cheaper to filter your own water.... What you're trying to do is reduce the impurities in the water, especially, chlorine and fluoride. I happen to use a Brita pitcher... but there are other brands that work well too.

Is it ok to drink coffee, tea?

Caffeine is not good for our adrenals. They're under enough pressure and stress helping us out when our thyroid levels are low. So avoid caffeine if you can. Herbal teas do not contain caffeine, many of those are good for us. So if you can find an herbal tea (Not black tea, or green tea - which contains fluoride)it would be a good choice.

How does it feel to be pregnant when you are Hypothyroid? & do the doctors are suppose to keep an eye on you when pregnant? (not that i am pregnant) I just like to know about hypothyroid and what to expect and what I should know.

It depends on how low your thyroid levels are.. if they are too low miscarriages are common. If you are not as bad what happens is that the mom starts using the baby's thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone can cross the placental barrier from baby to mom but not from mom to baby. So a hypo mom, if she doesn't miscarry, uses the baby's hormone, causing it's gland to work harder. These babies are at risk for developing thyroid problems later. This is why babies are supposed to be checked for thyroid levels at birth now. That's why some mom's feel great during pregnancy and crash after. On the other hand, if the mom is hyper the extra hormone does not affect the baby.

A mom's thyroid levels should be checked throughout the pregnancy, at least every three months. If levels are fluctuating she should be checked more often.

The mom taking thyroid hormone to elevate her own levels will not harm the baby - thyroid hormone can not cross the placental barrier to the baby. So the mom getting thyroid hormone if she needs it is not only of great value to her but cause absolutely no risk to the baby - it will help the baby by reducing the demand on it's gland.

Are there certain exercise or work outs you have to do?

Not exactly. You should do exercises that feel good, you shouldn't do those that cause pain or discomfort. So it depends on your physical level. Some can walk, run, do aerobics... others do chair exercises... Find your own starting level (for me that was Bedxercises until I worked up to walking) and then go from there. Don't compare yourself to what others can do. Find your level and make your challenge to increase from there. Often we push too hard to be like everyone else, before our bodies are ready and we end up hurting ourselves and then crawl in bed (or wherever) because we are in pain.

Remember that you can get farther with a half dozen baby steps then you can with four giant steps that side line you for a couple of weeks and force you to start over.

Depression is part of the hypothyroid symptoms right? Do you think it would be ok to be on them depression pills? My doctor says that it can't be from hypothyroid because my thyroid levels are normal and that she would put me on pills if I still get depressed.

Yes, depression is a part of being hypo. But the solution is not to be on antidepressants, it's to optimize the thyroid levels. That means understanding how to interpret the labs and realizing that labs are a guideline and the bottom line is relieving symptoms. Don't let your doctor tell you that 'in normal range' is just fine and then start pushing other medications to relieve your remaining symptoms. Get the thyroid levels correct, your symptoms will pretty much be gone.

Keep in mind, too, that if your adrenal glands are fatigued that that can cause you to feel depressed as well. Another reason to avoid caffeine.

*female issue*when you get your period...would it always change? if you know how long it lasts and than all of a sudden it changes to lesser days....that's a good sign enit?

That's a hard one. Some women naturally have longer cycles than others. So I guess I'd have to say if you had a 'normal' length days that got longer when you got hypo then going back to that would be what you'd expect as your hormone levels came back up. Some women get horribly long periods when hypo... those gals are looking to get back to normal for sure.

For me, when I was hyper mine were four days, my endo thinks I was hyper from puberty on, based on eating habits, weight and when my periods started. As my hyper increased my periods stopped... for about 10 years or so. When I had the RAI to stop my thyroid storm in my early 30s, my periods came back within about 6 months. For a long time they were maybe 6 days... now they are back to 4... so that seems to be the length for me.

Topper ()

[Guest guest]

Depression is part of the hypothyroid symptoms right? Do you think it

would be ok to be on them depression pills?

____________________

Depression is a definite sign of low thyroid levels and

undertreatment for hypothyroidism. It means that the brain is not

getting enough energy and oxygen. It can also be caused by poor

conversion of Synthroid (synthetic T4 thyroid horomone) to T3 needed

by the brain for energy and oxygen use.

Pregancy requires that thyroid doses be raised significanly since

more thyroid hormone is needed in pregancy and if it is too low,

miscarriage is a real risk as well as poor mental development of the

child. You really need to see a specialist in pregnancy and

hypothryoidism to get the best treatment.

A shorter menstural cycle after thryoid therapy can mean that

thryoid therapy is working or that you have low adrenal output from

too low of thyroid replacement. So, it can be either bad or good.

Your doctor is wrong that you are normal ro you wouldn't be

depressed. If you still have symptoms of hypothyroidism and still do

not feel weel or have good energy, then you are still hypothyroid.

He sounds like the typical numbers Nazi who ignores the patient in

order to force their blood tests into some spot they like. Humans

very hugely in their thryoid needs and he thinks they are all cookie

cutter the same. Today thyroid doses are about 1/3 of what they were

prior to this fixation on numbers of blood tests. If you don't feel

good, do not tolerate it because you are risking your health and

life If hypothyroidism is not properly treated, you will be at

greatly increased risk for cancer, reproductive problems, arthritis,

cardiovascular disease and many other problems that can ruin your

life. You wouldn't tolerate poor care for your car would you? Your

doctor is working for you and so should take your assessment of your

situation seriously.

A good article on this is at:

http://thyroid.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?

site=http://www.thyroid%2Dinfo.com/articles/docdon.htm

Tish