It's been awhile since adding to this section of my site - having a baby really makes time a commodity! Suffice it to say, my pregnancy was extremely difficult. I put on nearly 100 pounds (possibly more, but I didn't weigh myself the last 10 days). The majority of that weight was water weight & you could see the water pockets in my legs & feet. I did not want many pictures taken of me during my pregnancy because I felt & looked so bad, but I took 2 pictures on my cell phone of my face & feet right before my water broke, because I knew I wouldn't believe just how bad it was. Because I am no longer this fat & miserable, I'm posting those pictures right below this month's update!

Without going into the gory details of the birth, I had a few unexpected complications (I am unaware of whether these were in any way related to my hypothyroidism). One thing I did see connected to my thyroid problems, however, was my post-partum depression. It hit me like a ton of bricks on the 4th day after my little guy was born! My husband was very supportive, and read a lot of literature during those days (that felt like years). Winds up, a lot of PPD is actually misdiagnosed low thyroid problems. Imagine that! He also found that women with low thyroid are more prone to PPD. Sigh.

My Doctor Right lived up to his name during these miserable days. He reported that hypothyroid are more prone to PPD, and agreed that a lot of times PPD is really just lower thyroid levels following the birth of a child. Dr. Right also e-mailed me a few articles showing that increasing T3 can help relieve PPD symptoms, and then upped my T3 meds. Most importantly, Dr. Right was there for me and my complaints and even checked back in on me a few times at home offering condolences and additional support if needed. DOCTOR RIGHT, no doubt!

Fortunately my PPD was short lived, lasting a total of about 2 months but really minimizing itself after 2 weeks. Let me tell you - those first few days of PPD were the worst of my life. If anyone ever knows anyone going through that, have them e-mail me for support on that alone! It was miserable, but it truly does pass!

Anyways - as to my weight - I finally got the baby weight off. Not being able to get yourself to eat for 5 straight days while in the midst of PPD caused me to shed 35 of those water-induced pregnancy pounds.  In hindsight, I'm surprised at how quickly it came off. There were a few fat pounds that were tough for me to lose, but remember the majority of my weight was water and was therefore easier to fix. Nothing felt quick about it coming off, though, when I was actually in the midst of it. The hardest part, though, is getting rid of the extra pounds I put on while TRYING to get pregnant. Think about it - why diet when you know you're gonna be packing it on in the near future? At least, that was my thought (I'll worry about it later!) Now, I'm dealing with that poor philosophy. I'm about 5 pounds less than when I got pregnant, but I still have a bit to go. Those are the hardest suckers to get rid of!

24 Hours Before Delivery & Christmas 2006 (the guy I went through it all for!)

February, 2006:

Boy did I pack on the baby weight! I think part of it might be the change in doctors. I was very nervous about miscarrying, which is one of the effects of hypothyroidism, so I wanted to see a local doctor every month. So, I stopped seeing Dr. Right in California so that I could be managed monthly by the local doctor. Big mistake!!

While I am not concerned that my 60 pound weight gain is anything but pregnancy related (and I am not at all worrying about that right now) I am concerned that he did not tweak my thyroid meds ONCE during the entire pregnancy. In fact, at the last visit he said that he was relieved that my thyroid numbers had finally DROPPED to within what he considers "normal". Knowing other hypothyroid women who got pregnant, their doctors were constantly modifying their dosage given the large amounts of hormonal changes during a pregnancy. I got nothing!! Which makes me question . . . am I a little more tired than I should be, because I'm exhausted! And other little things like that . . .

I've already had a conference wtih Dr. Right and we will start managing my thyroid levels together as soon as the baby is born. I am looking forward to that for obvious reasons, but also look forward to trying to get my body back on track!!

August, 2005:

Well, I won't be worrying about my weight for awhile - for 9 months, that is! I found out I am pregnant in June, and am expecting in February. So, diets are out the window and I am resigning myself to putting on baby weight! 

In the meantime, I am seeing a local Arizona doctor on a regular basis to make sure my thyroid levels remain in check during the pregnancy. This doctor is very good, listed as one of Phoenix's top endocrinologists. That having been said, I miss seeing Dr. Holtorf! At least I have someone local to turn to during the pregnancy.

February, 2005:

Thanks to the advice of one reader, I have eliminated caffeine from my diet. There is some literature suggesting caffeine interferes with thyroid medication; I have nothing to lose by eliminating caffeine, so I've been off it since Christmas. I also have a new elyptical trainer, and am hoping that it will help me get my butt in shape!

I still feel that there is something out of balance in me, but I am scheduled to get blood work done on February 19.

September, 2004:

Well, my doctor thinks I may have thyroid antibodies. That would explain why I've been feeling sluggish lately, huh? I just got the meds he sent me for that today - I should be on it for a few days to try and fix the problem. Hopefully, that will do it.

In the meantime, I started a new job and joined a gym near my new office. Wish me luck!

July, 2004:

I went to my regular doctor for a check up last month, and that doctor told me that my thyroid gland was visibally swollen! I immediately contacted my thyroid doctor, who has ordered some additional tests. Seems that there is a chance that I have developed thyroid antibodies. I need to look into what this involves. Anyways, I'm going to go get more blood drawn tomorrow, and I'm hoping that we can get some solid feedback from the results.

In the meantime, Weight Watchers has helped me shed a few of the bloating pounds. That, and jogging every morning. But man, I'm sooooo exhausted!

May, 2004:

Yikes! My husband and I just got back from a trip to Costa Rica for our anniversary. That part is great. I needed a vacation. The part that causes me to go "yikes" is that our vacation was on an "all-inclusive" resort in Guanacaste. You know we had to make sure that our money was well spent! 

Everything was included in our fee. Room service. The mini-bar. Dinners. Breakfasts. Lunches. Snacks. Wine & Alcohol. Restaurants. Bars. EVERYTHING.  For an entire week! Since we were looking at the week as a reward for the past year of hard work, we took MAJOR advantage of that.  And I am paying for it now.  I have yet to get on the scale, but seeing our pictures from the trip is enough. The photos were great, but they opened my eyes to my need for fitness in my life.  If only energy weren't such a major issue with hypothyroidism!

So, back to low-carbing on Weight Watchers, starting TOMORROW!  Wish me luck!

April, 2004:

My doctor is increasing my thyroid meds!

In addition to having continued to put on weight [which I'm not totally stressing over, because I'm not eating so great].  I've started to slowly morph into the girl I was before medication.  I'm so lethargic, my periods are so painful, I'm retaining water, and my muscles feel so achey!

On April 13, 2004 my thyroid meds are going up.  I'm really hoping it will do something, because I've hit my pre-thyroid medication weight.  How depressing! I don't know how much of it is a result of my diet, and how much of it is from being under-medicated.

I decided to try a new diet, so this month I am starting The South Beach Diet.   My first day on it was April 8, 2004, and I'm hoping that I can stick to it.  Representing Child Protective Services at work is really stressful and I've responded to that stress by eating and working late [hence, little exercise].  I'm really hopeful I can break that cycle!

March, 2004:

I continue to fight with eating better foods, but am still feeling so much better these days. I just saw my doctor a few days ago in California, and again I need to adjust my thyroid medication. It's amazing how much of an impact thyroid medication makes on me. My thoughts are more clear, because the "brain fog" gets lifted when I am on adequate thyroid medication. That alone impacts so many different aspects of my life. I'm hoping to lose a few pounds now that my medications have been adjusted, but truly it now comes down to me just sticking with Weight Watchers [and not eating all those darned Girl Scout Cookies!]

February, 2004:

By now, my hair has grown back in significantly. It is still thin, but enough hair has regrown for me to notice a difference. I've also noticed that I don't get colds as much. This is awesome! Nearly every Winter since I've been in my twenties I get bogged down with never-ending colds. Following every airline trip to visit relatives over Winter, I'd always catch something from all the recirculated air in the plane. I've only recently noticed that this doesn't happen anymore!

My weight has increased, but that's attributable entirely to me overeating this holiday season. I'm comfortable with this, because I'm entirely in control of my weight now. It's so nice being able to see a cause & effect relationship between my diet & exercise and my body shape!