appt. good for babies, not for mommy

I had a great doctor's appointment yesterday as far as the boys were concerned. My "little guy" no longer has growth restriction and the doctor is amazed at their progress. We have been watching them very closely as they showed signs of having TTTS, but have not developed it yet. It looks like they probably share some vessels in the placenta, but are compensating themselves for the difference. Both boys now weigh the same (39th percentile)! This is amazing since it was only 8 weeks ago that baby b was stuck to the uterine wall with no fluid and was in the less than 3rd percentile for weight.

As far as I'm concerned, I passed my glucose testing! At the same time they took blood for that, OB asked to have my thyroid tested (my hair has been falling out by the fistfull). My thyroid is low and I need to be on medication for it. Anyone else have this problem?? They also noticed that my red blood cells are larger than they should be and are doing further testing. I'm a little scared about that but am trying to remain calm until they know more.

Any advice??

 

That is great news about the babies!

Congrats on passing the glucose test!

I have friends who have to take thyroid medicine. It isn't a big deal but they do get checked yearly to confirm they are on the correct dosage and all the levels are within the range they are supposed to be.

Don't know anything about the red blood cells but I hope everything works out for you. Is the size of the cells related to the thyroid issue?

 

I had thyroid disease before pregnancy (and will forever) and it can be difficult to get on the correct dosage even without being pregnant. But, it's really important because your thyroid gland controls a heck of a lot and if you're hypothyroid, you need to get monitored asap and likely have your blood checked every 4 weeks during your pregnancy. The medication is perfectly fine to take while pregnant but you may need more now than you will later once your boys are born. Thereafter, you may only need to be tested once or twice a year but you need will take a pill every day for life if you are found to be suffering from hypothyroidism post-delivery.

I've had the best luck with the generic form of synthyroid (it's vastly cheaper too). During my pregnancy, I've also had to up my intake considerably.

I recommend taking your prenatal vitamins (if you're taking them) in the morning and take any thyroid medication in the evening before bed. You need to take them on an empty stomach. I learned that they should be taken with as much separation from your vitamins throughout the day. Certainly check with your doctor, but at the very least I wanted to relay that my experience in doing it this way has been successful. Most pharmacies will recommend taking the thyroid pills in the morning but I've always found more stability in taking them at night. Then I learned from my endo that they just did a study and found that taking the pills in the evening are more beneficial. Go figure!

And, find a really good endocrinologist right now. My last one was a general practitioner who specialized in endo and that was fine. But, once I became pregnant with twins, he really didn't have a clue on how to best monitor me (and all those hormones). So, he saved me money in being my primary care physician but he became rather useless during my pregnancy. So back to a specialist I went. You will want someone to really take care of you post-delivery too.

Best of luck to you! Don't worry...you will be fine!

 

Thanks ladies! I'm not looking forward to taking another pill for life, but you have to do what you have to do. I will be looking for an endo (didn't even know there was a specialist needed for thyroid stuff). Juniper, I'm pretty sure the dr. gave me an rx for synthyroid, so I'm glad you've had luck with it.

As far as the red blood cells, he didn't give me any possibilities of why, but is having my folic acid and b12 levels checked along with some other tests I couldn't pronounce. I may just need to be taking more of a certain vitamin. I'm trying not to google it or I'll get really worried about all the possibilities!

 

Hi Meg,

That is wonderful news about the boys!!! I know this was a huge relief for you. Keep up the good work with your diet and taking it easy.

I have no experience with thyroid issues or with red blood cells, but I think you have a great attitude - not stressing out and waiting to hear what the results are, and willing to accept what you need to do (meds) ensure you are healthy.

Please keep us posted. I'll be thinking of you!

 

Update:

Everything came back normal on my "large blood cells". I'm getting used to the thyroid medicine, but am a little worried as the boys didn't gain much weight in the past too weeks. I hope we caught the thyroid issue before it causes them any damage.

Thanks for the support!