My Pesky Thyroid

My Thyroid has been a little temperamental since I was a teenager. I have taken Synthroid since then in varying amounts. Apparently, the Thyroid can really go haywire during and right after pregnancy, so the doctors like to keep a close eye on it. Thyroid levels that are out of range can cause problems for the baby including stillbirth, fast heartbeat, and developmental delay.

The Thyroid is a gland in the neck that produces hormones. These hormones effect nearly all of the tissues in the body, where they increase cellular activity. In type 1 diabetics, hypothyroidism, or under active thyroid, is common because the immune system attacks and destroys the gland in much the same way that the immune system attacked and destroyed the islet cells that produced insulin. Symptoms of an under active thyroid include fatigue, weakness, weight gain, muscle cramps, cold intolerance, constipation, and depression.

Last week I got the results of my blood work from the last time I went to the Endo, and it turns out that my Thyroid is indeed low. I am not completely surprised because I have been feeling incredibly cold lately and also incredibly tired. Of course, both could be attributed to other factors (cold winter weather and pregnancy), but the cold has been especially unbearable. It just did not seem to matter what I did, I just could not get warm. I was so cold that my insides felt like they wanted to turn inside out. And not just when I was outside in the cold, but also in the evenings when I was sitting on the couch next to the fireplace. My husband was sweating, but I was shivering.

The doctor increased my dosage of Synthroid and I started the new pills on Saturday morning. The new level should take 7-14 days to get all the way into my system, but I think the higher dosage might already working. The cold seems more bearable and my energy level seems to have increased slightly.

Resources

• Thyroid Disease and Pregnancy, http://www.thyroid.org/patients/brochures/Thyroid_Dis_Pregnancy_broch.pdf
• Hypothyroidism FAQ, http://www.thyroid.org/patients/faqs/hypothyroidism.html
• How Your Thyroid Works, http://www.endocrineweb.com/thyfunction.html

Fourth Month Endo Appointment

This morning I had an appointment with my Endocrinologist. Now that I’ve been doing this monthly thing for a while, I am starting to know what to expect, and that helps with the nervousness, but the clammy palms and queasy stomach never go away completely. What if that one high blood sugar spike this week hurt my baby? I know it is not really a reasonable thought, but I am pregnant, so I am allowed to be unreasonable, right? I blame it on the hormones.

Actually, the visit went pretty well and, as usual, helped ease my mind a bit. My A1C is still 5.3 (Amazing) and my weight is up about a pound since last month. My blood pressure was still awesome, too (120/75).

On the down side, my overnight visits from the ketone fairy are coming too often. Last week I had two mornings with small ketones, two mornings with trace ketones and one morning with moderate ketones. I think it was that one moderate day that set off the warning buzzers. The doctor instructed me to eat a snack around 2 am. Crap. I just got my bladder and BGs adjusted so that I can sleep through the night, and now I have to get up to eat. To eat! Who would’ve thought?? Oh well, I guess this is just a prep course for the sleepless night that are on the horizon, huh?

We also drew blood to check my thyroid. I have been absolutely freezing lately, and I don’t think it’s just because of the freezing temperatures and blowing snow. The Endo says it is normal for the thyroid level to change over the course of a pregnancy, and my dosage was a smidge low last time, so we will check it out.

We also talked about the high risk OB. The Endo says the local guy that my regular OB recommends is great, and that they work well together, so I guess I will give it a go. He was not 100% clear when I asked how the communication will work (i.e.; how will they stay on the same page given that they will both be making changes to my therapy and who is “in charge” of my diabetes), which leaves me a little uneasy, but I guess we will just have to let that one work itself out. So today on my lunch I made my first real appointment with the high risk guy. It’s next week.

On the agenda for this weekend: shovelling out from the huge snowstorm we’ve been receiving ALL week, and investigating snow blowers. This fall, we bought two new snow shovels in anticipation of this winter, but mine sits unused in the garage and it has been snowing like mad since Christmas. By the end of the day when I get home from work, I am just so exhausted and achy that when my husband says he’ll take care of the driveway, I let him. It takes him two hours, and by the time he gets in and warms up, I am nearly asleep. I feel like we hardly see each other anymore! So I am counting our pennies to see if we can’t squeeze a snow blower out of this month’s paychecks.

That’s all from here today. It has been another whirlwind week of testing, treating, and visiting doctors.  Only 25 weeks to go!