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Thyroid Disorders Community
This patient support community is for discussions relating to thyroid issues, goiter, Graves disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Human Growth Hormone (HGH), hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, metabolism, pituitary gland, cancers, thyroiditis, and thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH).
Postpartum Thyroiditis
by suttok, Jul 23, 2008 08:35PM
Around the middle of May, I began experiencing anxiety at night, "lump in my throat" feeling and had reflux. After about 6 weeks, I got so bad one night that I went to the ER. Had a full work up and everything was NEG. However, I was admitted and they ran my TSH...it was 8.4 They diagnosed me with postpartum thyroiditis as I was then 4 months postpartum. No treatment was done. THey told me to just ride it out. I was also having a few episodes of what was though to be SVT, but never captured.
The anxiety, lump in throat and chest tightness got worse as the weeks went on and I was started on Zoloft for postpartum anxiety (per my gp, who thought that I was not having PP thyroiditis due to my TSH being elevated and my symptoms all being hyperthyroid) After about a week on Zoloft, I felt better and was still taking Ativan twice a day for the anxiety. I have never been an anxious person. I am a healthy 26-year-old mother of 2 and am an ER nurse.
I have lost 10 pounds over the past month and am now down to 5 pounds under my prepregnancy weight. I am still breastfeeding some, but never lost that much weight with my first child. My anxiety during the day gets better with each day, and I no longer take the Ativan during the day. However, I have developed mild shortness of breath (very mild) without exertion and for the past 3 nights have had a bounding pulse around bedtime that doesn't go away for hours and keeps me up, so I end up taking Ativan to knock me out and sleep.
I had my bloodtests repeated last week and everything was normal. I am still concerned that something other than anxiety is going on. I'm sure its easy to blow off since I have a diagnosis of anxiety! :) This bounding pulse is what is really bothering me. I don't FEEL anxious and still have this pulse thing even when sitting or lying down.
I see my gp tomorrow and will discuss it all with her. I am also set up to see endocrinology in a few weeks.
Any thoughts?
Thank you!
The anxiety, lump in throat and chest tightness got worse as the weeks went on and I was started on Zoloft for postpartum anxiety (per my gp, who thought that I was not having PP thyroiditis due to my TSH being elevated and my symptoms all being hyperthyroid) After about a week on Zoloft, I felt better and was still taking Ativan twice a day for the anxiety. I have never been an anxious person. I am a healthy 26-year-old mother of 2 and am an ER nurse.
I have lost 10 pounds over the past month and am now down to 5 pounds under my prepregnancy weight. I am still breastfeeding some, but never lost that much weight with my first child. My anxiety during the day gets better with each day, and I no longer take the Ativan during the day. However, I have developed mild shortness of breath (very mild) without exertion and for the past 3 nights have had a bounding pulse around bedtime that doesn't go away for hours and keeps me up, so I end up taking Ativan to knock me out and sleep.
I had my bloodtests repeated last week and everything was normal. I am still concerned that something other than anxiety is going on. I'm sure its easy to blow off since I have a diagnosis of anxiety! :) This bounding pulse is what is really bothering me. I don't FEEL anxious and still have this pulse thing even when sitting or lying down.
I see my gp tomorrow and will discuss it all with her. I am also set up to see endocrinology in a few weeks.
Any thoughts?
Thank you!
Post Comment
I know exactly how you feel!!
My second daughter was born end of march, about 2 months after i started to get chest pains and a lump/discomfort in my throat/neck. The list continues,..... i have been having panick attacks and felt that my pulse is also going very hard and fast, especially at night. i have been having joint and muscle ahces and pains, hot flushes and slight difficulty swallowing. Prior to the birth i had an underactive thyroid but since my TSH has dropped to 0.02. These are all symptoms of an over active thyroid but my doctor seems to think that it is mostly just me being overly anxious/dealing with a new baby etc etc. and has not put me on any medication. Like you, i am starting to feel a bit better still have slight throat discomfort but not that much. My symptoms tend to come and go i just hope that i start to feel normal again sometime soon!
It is difficult to say whether it is thyroid or anxiety as a lot of anxiety symptoms match those of a thryoid problem. But, you are certainly not a lone in how you feel, if that makes things better?