Hashimoto

Though he sounds like an iron chef, he's the person that discovered the disease my endocrinologist thinks I have. I went to the doctor last Wednesday after a few long weeks of waiting. Everyone says thyroid issues are no big deal and that it'll get straightened out easily, so I expected to go in and get put on some meds and be fixed. Well, that didn't happen. Problem number one-- most thyroid issues are detected using a radioisotope test. Well, I can't get it done because I'm breastfeeding. Problem number two-- after looking over a few thyroid tests of mine, my doc notices that my thyroid fluctuates. Sometimes it's hypothyroid. Sometimes it's hyperthyroid. Sometimes it's normal. She thinks it's something called hashitoxicosis. Well, that makes it impossible to treat with simple medication.

Currently I'm hyperthyroid which makes me have a hard time sleeping, makes me super hungry, makes my heart race, makes me out of breath, makes me feel like I'm always going to ignite, etc. For now the doc says she wants me to wait to take care of it until after I'm done breastfeeding unless it gets really bad. I can't workout at all and I have to check my pulse four times a day to make sure it's under 110 bpm. Yep, that's my resting heart rate. I had no idea that's what was making everything so much harder. I was getting winded going up my stairs. I thought I was just getting extremely out of shape. They took a blood sample on Wednesday which I should be getting the results of any day now and I went in for an ultrasound on my throat last Thursday. Ultrasounds aren't ideal for diagnosing an issue but they are the best thing I can do right now. The tech said she noticed that it was bumpy not smooth like most people's. She of course couldn't diagnose anything but did confirm that it's abnormal.

So for now I'll be seeing the endocrinologist as little as every 3 weeks or as often as every week. It all depends on the results of the blood test she did. If the doc's diagnosis is correct, I'll had to have my thyroid either surgically removed or I'll have to go through a radioactive treatment. That treatment is the preferred method used by most endocrinologists but the major drawback for me is the isolation that goes along with it. I wouldn't be able to hold Adelaide for days and wouldn't be able to nurse her for a month (which pretty much means I'll just have to quit).

Well, that's what's going on in a nutshell. I'm really ready to be feeling normal again.