My Hashimoto’s Diagnosis & Miscarriages

It’s been a rough past couple weeks. I thought of not saying anything about what we’re dealing with when it comes to my hashimoto’s diagnosis & miscarriages, but I had to remind myself that this isn’t what Singing A New Song is all about. The mission is to share our journey so others carrying similar loads know they’re not alone. So today I’m sharing even though this is a difficult post for me to share.

What Is Hashimoto’s Disease?

Awhile back I mentioned that I’ve been dealing with hypothyroidism. This February the reason my thyroid has been struggling was discovered.

Hashimotos.

Hashimoto’s is an auto immune disease where ones immune system begins attacking the thyroid, which can lead to hypothyroidism.

A few symptoms can include;

• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Depression
• Mood Swings
• Confusion
• Slowed heart rate & heart problems
• Heavy or abnormal menstrual periods
• Sensitivity to cold
• Puffiness of face & eyes
• Difficulty conceiving
• Dry skin
• Muscle cramps
• Sleep problems
• Enlargement of thyroid gland
• Constipation
• Joint pain
• Other auto immune diseases can follow

In this letter titled I AM HASHIMOTO’S DISEASE: A LETTER FOR PATIENTS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS, more symptoms some people experience are listed.

I was surprised to see some of the things listed there because I’ve been experiencing quite a few of them (like gall bladder issues, vision problems, etc…).

When I Started Getting Sick

We have no idea when I developed Hashimoto’s. According to WebMD some women can develop thyroid problems within the first year after having a baby and although the problems usually go away as many as 20% develop Hashimoto’s later in life.

I found the following excerpt by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, very interesting,

Postpartum thyroiditis is an inflammation of the thyroid that affects about 1 in 20 women during the first year after giving birth¹ and is more common in women with type 1 diabetes. The inflammation causes stored thyroid hormone to leak out of your thyroid gland. At first, the leakage raises the hormone levels in your blood, leading to hyperthyroidism. The hyperthyroidism may last up to 3 months. After that, some damage to your thyroid may cause it to become underactive. Your hypothyroidism may last up to a year after your baby is born. However, in some women, hypothyroidism doesn’t go away.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease

I found this interesting because a few months after our fourth child was born in 2013 I was in out out of the hospital for three months. I was very sick and had been bedridden with what we eventually found out was soft gallstones and ulcerations from them. I very distinctly remember having severe hyperthyroidism symptoms through the process-for example right before I got sick I lost ALL the baby weight which was about 30 lbs in 2 months, and I remember feeling a lump in my throat the entire time I was sick (maybe swollen thyroid)?

I have no idea if the doctor I had ever checked my thyroid but I don’t think he did (I found out later from a nurse that had worked at the hospital I was going to that the doctor I had did have a reputation for being airhead).

So maybe the first episode started after my fourth baby but we just don’t know for sure because all the sickness and symptoms did go away.

Another Crash, My Hashimoto’s Diagnosis & Miscarriages

In 2018, after our sixth baby was born we began our moving process from the midwest to my hometown 1700 miles away.

Through the moving process my body started crashing again. I know a lot of it had to do with the prolonged, intense stress.

Over the winter of 2018/2019 I was sick with undiagnosed Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism and experiencing pretty much all of the symptoms, but we didn’t know what was going on.

Then in February 2019 we were surprised to find out we were expecting, but in March at exactly 12 weeks I miscarried.

Around July, I went to see my Doctor. I had been experiencing symptoms of what we thought was perimenopause for quite some time, and so I wanted to find out if I was perimenopausal.

She agreed it sounded like I could be, so she ordered the test but she said “I’m also going to order a thyroid test too since some of your symptoms could also indicate thyroid issues.”

I’m so thankful she was on the ball. Apparently, based off of what I’ve been reading lately a lot of women around age 30 to 50 develop hypothyroidism and it is passed off as early perimenopause by doctors. I’m convinced I have the best doctor because from what I’ve been researching so many doctors don’t do what my doctor did and check the thyroid!

I got a call in August confirming I was not in fact perimenopausal, I had hypothyroidism.

We talked about how it was very likely simply postpartum hypothyroidism since I didn’t have issues when I was pregnant with baby #6 the year before. But, since auto-immune disease is on both my mom and dad’s side and especially strong on dad’s side, I asked her if we could also do some tests for Hashimoto’s just to be safe.

My Dr. didn’t hesitate to put in the order to the lab for more testing. Once again, I’m so thankful she was right on top of things for me.

But…. then life happened and I kept putting off going in.

For most the winter I was feeling great on the treatments I was doing. I would have a rough couple days if I forgot to take my treatment for even a day, but overall it never got as bad as it did last year.

During the last week of January I started crashing again rapidly though. On Feb. 3rd I realized my cycle was late and took a pregnancy test. We were surprised to find out we were expecting again!

Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism & Pregnancy

I was thrilled at the idea of baby #7 because our family didn’t feel quite complete to me, but I was nervous too because Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and pregnancy can be a bad mix. If not treated, or if treatments are not working the risks can be very serious.

According to THIS REPORT risks include the following:

• miscarriage, including habitual or repetitive miscarriages
• premature babies
• stillbirth
• fetal retardation and fetal congenital anomalies
• congenital hypothyroidism
• postpartum bleeding
• anemia
• post-partum depression
• cardiac dysfunction and can lead to increased maternal morbidity
• perinatal morbidity and mortality

Knowing hypothyroidism and pregnancy is so risky I immediately scheduled a prenatal. I was also nervous because this would be a high risk pregnancy for me for a few reasons beyond hypothyroidism.

At my prenatal the OB ordered more blood work at which time I also got tested for Hashi’s.

A week later my results started coming in. The first one that came through were my thyroid levels. They had improved but were still not ideal, especially for pregnancy.

But then more results came in and it was confirmed. Hashimotos.

During this time the hashimoto’s symptoms were getting worse and worse. I decided to tell a few caring family members and friends what was happening, and ask them for prayers, especially that my levels would hurry and balance out because we really wanted to keep our little one on the way!

Miscarriage

Sadly, last week at what we think was 7 weeks I miscarried.

Although our hearts are heavy over this loss, we know our little one is with Jesus, along with his/her three other siblings (this is my fourth pregnancy loss).

We also trust that this is likely God telling us my body needs to be finished with the child bearing chapter of my life considering how badly I crashed during these last few weeks while expecting again, and that I need to set my sights on getting and staying healthy for my self and family.

Everytime I come to this realization of no more babies I cannot help but cry. I have realized I’m the kind of mom that no matter how many children I have I will likely always want “just one more”!

I’m so thankful for the 6 healthy children God has given me though.

The Next Steps

One of the next steps is I’m going to schedule consultations with our kids doctor about when they should start getting checkups that involve thyroid testing, since Hashimoto’s can be passed down.

For myself, I’m currently taking levothyroxine but I’m going to talk with my doctor about including some more natural options as well. I’ll be getting regular blood work to check my thyroid levels.

Currently I feel like I’m gaining ground daily. We are praying this continues, especially since so many people have mixed results even with treatments.

I’m currently taking steps towards going gluten free and I’m looking into autoimmune protocol diets and diets specifically for Hashimoto’s like this one on Medical News Today….

The best diets for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

I know some of my readers have experienced or have a family member that has experienced Hashi’s, I would love to hear your stories, what works for you, what doesn’t. Please share them with me!

Since my diagnosis I have been getting a ton of questions about Hashimoto’s and what tests to ask for, if you are one of these people HERE’S A LINK TO A GOOD ARTICLE LISTING THE TESTS YOU SHOULD ASK FOR.

I’ll be updating this article as this journey continues and I learn more!