Help needed for a friends daughter

[mummytina]

My friends daughter was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism last September and is on carbimazole (I think my friend said she was on 5 tablets) has been very up and down for her and quite scary because of being hyper, eyes bulging lump in the neck which came up over night always on the go. She was told last April that she was borderline then this happens, I think its terrible the way they say "BORDERLINE" and didn't give her any medication and then the former happens. I wonder if they had give her medication then albeit a low dose whether this would have happened to her.

Shes 29 years old and has one child and she would like another but the Endo has told her to wait until they take away her thyroid gland which they have told her would be best, but she is having second thoughts doesn't know what to do, I have told her about this site and have fantastic it is and all the good advice that is given.

Im hoping she will join soon, but should she take the endos advice and wait for a baby or could she start now.

Tina

[Hennerton]

I think if she is not stable, it may be better to wait until this settles, unless it is proving difficult to establish. There are two issues here, however, one being becoming pregnant and the other being the potential thyroidectomy, which is not to be viewed lightly. I had Graves (hyperthyroid) which would not settle and foolishly did as my endo suggested and had my thyroid removed. I have regretted it ever since and wish I had known more and tried harder to find alternative treatments, which I now know exist. Nobody suggested anything other than thyroidectomy, as in the case of your friend's daughter. She is only 29 and has time on her side to have another baby.

My friend's daughter managed a successful pregnancy whilst on anti thyroid meds, so it is possible but each case is different, as you can imagine. I hope she gets good help and does extensive research herself, before making a decision.

[mummytina in reply to Hennerton]

Thanks for replying so quickly I will pass this on to my friend and what other treatments are available instead of having her thyroid removed? Did your friends daughter have a baby after her thyroid was removed or before while she was on treatment?

Thanks

Tina

[Hennerton in reply to mummytina]

Yes, my friend's daughter was on a different medication to Carbimazole. I think she called it PPL but cannot be sure. Her pregnancy and the baby were fine and she's now trying again for a second child, is still on the same drug and is very stable.

Regarding different treatments, these would only be suitable of she is not trying to conceive but may help with the stability of her over activity. One is the drug mentioned above and the other is "block and replace". Here, large amounts of Carbimazole are taken to block thyroid action completely and then Levothyroxine is given, as in someone who is hypothyroid.

Radioactive iodine treatment can be used instead of thyroidectomy but can be just as final in ultimate loss of thyroid function. It is not recommended if there is any associated eye disease problem, which is quite common with Graves' disease, as it is said to exacerbate this.

I hope this helps and wish her lots of luck whatever she decides to do. There is so much support on this site, do try to persuade her to register and ask questions herself. x

[Hidden in reply to Hennerton]

And Radioactive Iodine treatment would be difficult for a mum with young children - you're supposed to stay at a distance, especially from children, for a period of time. 5 days rings a bell. And one wouldn't want to be preggers while the radioactive pill did its stuff.

Another caveat with thyroidectomy is what happens to your voice. If your friend's daughter values her singing voice she should be very wary of letting anyone with a sharp knife that close to her vocal chords. People report that even a normal speaking voice can take a long time to come back.

[spring13]

She should not try to get pregnant while on carbimazole, especially a large dose.

[mummytina in reply to spring13]

Hi thanks for replying, why shouldn't she get pregnant what will happen if she did?

Tina

[spring13]

Although there are successful pregnancies on antithyroid drugs if she is still thyrotoxic she has increased risk of miscarriage, and carbimazole can cause malformations, with the risk higher if using large doses. Can I suggest you Google carbimazole & pregnancy? That is probably why she has been advised to sort thyroid out first before she tries to get pregnant.

[Busdy123]

Hi there

I think she should get her thyroid under control first. There are options if how to get that sorted as mentioned earlier. Maybe hers is really bad though some people's are past medication stage and removal of the thyroid is suggested.

I would encourage her to research for herself there is loads of info on the net. Also to ask lots of questions to make sure she makes the best decision for her health for herself. I wish her the best and what a good friend you are to be reaching out to help her.