I’ve been
treated with hypothyroid for a while. To some people, it’s nothing big. The
same thought I had before. I didn’t know there is hypothyroid and hyperthyroid
even. So I’ve been having maternity checkups with multiple doctors. And most of
the time, they’re all really concerned about the hypothyroid that may affect
the baby. Even my pink book had a yellow tag which means quite risky.
I don’t have
all the symptoms tho, only a few: fatigue, increased sensitivity to cold and
emotional unbalanced. Most common questions were: do you gain weight, do you feel
something when you swallow, is your thyroid gland enlarged, do you feel slower
or have impaired memory. I didn’t feel any of that. I feel quite normal
actually.
Here’s all
the symptoms, to those yang rasa ada symptom2 tu cepat2 pergi check ya. Takut
affect the baby </3
I took the
first thyroid test during my early pregnancy which I didn’t even know I was
pregnant at that time. My TSH was 5.4 which was above normal (0.2-4.2), and my
T4 was within normal range. About after 2 months consuming the prescribed
medicine, I took another test as requested by my Gynae. Shockingly, my result
was stable and normal. My TSH was 0.3! So this is where all the fuss comes.
Most of my
maternity checkups have been about updating my thyroid condition. But what
annoyed me was that each Gynae had their own theory which contradicts one
another. Some say I should stop taking the medicine right away, some say it may
affect the baby where I shouldn’t breastfeed them, some say it will affect my
milk production, some say I shouldn’t stop taking the med, some say I have to
take the med for the rest of my life and some say that I should be taking
another medicine that is safe for pregnancy. Case ni pelik sangat ke that they
don’t encounter this kind of situation before? Why is it so hard to come to a
final decision that is tally and agreed upon all parties?
So I decided
to refer to the specialist, for once, to get the right and final answer to all
the questions. At this point, I’ve lost track on how many blood samples I’ve
given, not the kind of small test tubes we normally see, but big ass blood
test tubes! With every injection left a blue-black bruise that lasted for about
2 weeks. I only found out that the bruises were due to my small vessels and the
use of big needle so the blood won’t freeze. That’s why I normally leave
Klinik Kesihatan KJ with pretty bad bruises. But at Hospital
Sg Buloh, they acknowledged the situation and used a small needle instead. The
most pain-free injection ever :)
I’ve been
assigned for a Combined Clinic that I need to foresee a Gynae and Hypothyroid
Specialist. The process took about half a day, longer than I expected. I had to
reach at the Hospital at 730am to take a number, to see a Gynae at 830am and
wait another 4 hours for the Thyroid Specialist as they need to attend to their
patients first then only see us at the Combined Clinic. It was tiring but I finally got
the answer I deserved.
The
specialists asked me to continue to take the medicine, the one I’ve been
taking, with the same dosage. There is no such thing as another safe medicine
for pregnancy. It’s the same med, only differs at dosage. There's also a possibility
that I got hypothyroid due to pregnancy as well. So fred not, just take the med
until give birth. About 6 weeks after delivery, take another thyroid test. If
the result and my hormone are normal, I can discontinue the med until the next
pregnancy where I need to take another thyroid test whether I should be taking
the med again or not. Most importantly is the continuous medical treatment
for the mommy in order to protect the baby. It won’t affect the milk
production, breastfeeding or whatsoever.
Here’s some diet plan for hypothyroid that
korang boleh ikut :)
Yours truly,
CONVERSATION