I’ve shared a bit here and there that my thyroid has gone a bit haywire. I was warned about postpartum with Hashimoto’s but I still didn’t expect it to be quite so challenging. The situation wasn’t helped at all by me accidentally taking the wrong dose of medication for five months. I hope you have your warm drink of choice in hand and, for my sake, a bread of some sort. Any sort. Let’s dive in to the full thyroid update, shall we?

I started to feel pretty depleted towards the end of my pregnancy which is obviously to be expected. The clash of the new postpartum and breastfeeding hormones coupled with my body fighting Covid made for an epic battle I felt every single bit of. I had bloodwork done just before I hit 3 months postpartum and it revealed my numbers are through the roof. I’ve swayed from hypothyroidism to hyperthyroidism which explains the new symptoms.

If I weren’t breastfeeding, I’d ideally do a liver detox right away. Detoxing isn’t safe while nursing since all the toxins would go right to the baby so I’m on a strict supplement and vitamin regimen instead. If anyone else is battling a flare right now, I’m here to encourage you to take care of yourself as best as possible. The hard work is worth it because your health is more than worth it. 

Current Symptoms: I’m in a flare so my symptoms are intense and lengthy. Before my third trimester, I didn’t have even half of these symptoms which is encouraging. I know I’ll get back to that place. For now, I have IBS-like symptoms, Muscle inflammation, arthritic symptoms in my back and joints, brain fog, intense bloating and cramping pains, mood swings, pretty rapid hair loss and exhaustion.

Medication: I mentioned this earlier and it’s a long story, but it ends in me taking double of one of my medications every single morning for five months. I can’t even imagine how I made a mistake so severe, but I’m left with a body that needs a break from medication for a while. My thyroid doctor took me off both Levo and my Unithroid until my bloodwork reveals my thyroid is ready to be treated with medication again.

Diet Changes: Zeameh has had a few interesting digestive and skin issues since she was born. Everything really ramped up around the 3 month mark and resulted in about 4 trips to the pediatrician in one week and countless other appointments to manage her digestion, eczema and rash. O and I have been through this before so we requested she have blood drawn for an allergy test. In the end, it turns out she is allergic to egg (an allergy she’ll likely grow out of like Oshiolema did.) This means I have had to drastically change my diet over the past three weeks since we got the results. As someone who eats a strict paleo diet, eggs are a staple in nearly all my foods. It’s been an adjustment for sure and I often end the day feeling like I didn’t eat enough as I’m in the transition phase. I’m doing the best I can to nourish my body and will continue to retrain my taste buds here in this place. When I breastfed Oshiolema, I couldn’t have eggs, nuts, soy, gluten, or dairy which is my same diet now- except back then I could have grains and legumes. The addition of oats, corn, rice, quinoa and beans made all the difference in the world and I’m looking forward to attempting to reintroduce eggs when she’s about 8 months old.

Strategy: I am, as always, working closely with my Nutritionist and Endocrinologist to manage my healing. My body is working overtime because I’m exclusively breastfeeding so I could never do this without their help. My short term goals are to get as much rest as possible while still staying on top of my responsibilities, getting exercise back into weekly routine and calming down the flare.
I look forward to doing another update very soon where I hope I’m able to report miraculous, swift healing. In the meantime, I’m keeping my eye on the goal and doing my best to stay positive right where I am. If you’re battling Hashimoto’s, I’d love to answer any questions in the comments. We’ll fight through this, friends.