Help wanted with Post Partum Hyperthyroid diagnosis

[Tbone107]

Hi Everyone,

My wife is 3 months post partum and finally went to the doc bc she was complaining about a racing heartbeat, and measured fluctuations in blood pressure.

When she went to see her primary care they did some blood pressure tests and did blood work, and leaving the office he said she has POTS.

Her labs came back yesterday for her thyroid with her TSH almost undetectable low and T3 out of range with T4 on the high end:

TSH- .007 normal range 0.27-4.2
Thyroxine Free- 2.08 normal range .78-2.19
Free T3- 4.6 normal range 1.6-3.9

Her PCP wants to refer her over to an endocrinologist, but wants her to start on beta blockers immediately, and our concern is with breastfeeding, but at the same time she feels terrible with a pulse that will jump into the 130s whenever she stands up and goes through being hot and cold all day. Anyone with any help or suggestions on what we could do?

 

[Tbone107]

Bump

 

[InChristAlone]

Yeah sounds like thyroiditis. She is not adjusting to the stress of having a baby it seems. Is her blood pressure only high when she stands up or all the time?

First things first is getting plenty of good food and plenty of rest. I know that's hard with a new baby but it is absolutely without a doubt essential. (See my log for details on how lack of sleep with a baby can lead to burnout and thyroiditis)

Has she been using any supplements or hormones? Best to be leery of supplements right now. Certain herbal supplements can cause organ failure.

 

[Tbone107]

Yeah sounds like thyroiditis. She is not adjusting to the stress of having a baby it seems. Is her blood pressure only high when she stands up or all the time?

First things first is getting plenty of good food and plenty of rest. I know that's hard with a new baby but it is absolutely without a doubt essential. (See my log for details on how lack of sleep with a baby can lead to burnout and thyroiditis)

Has she been using any supplements or hormones? Best to be leery of supplements right now. Certain herbal supplements can cause organ failure.

Thanks for the response, much appreciate!!

It drops when she stands up if I remember correctly but pretty sporadic I know her rate rate definitely goes up by 30-40 bpm when she stands but ill double check with her. She was actually put into labor due to a pre eclampsia diagnosis on her due date, but her blood pressure was normal when we got to the hospital. Looking back seems it was this issue probably.

She has been taking a pre natal (against my wishes)

She actually tried progesterone for a couple days a couple weeks back to help, but noticed a rash where she was applying and stopped after 3 or 4 days.

 

[Tbone107]

Her blood pressure goes from normal to high. Her pulse goes from 85 while sitting to 130+ when she stands or walks up the stairs or anything like that. She tried exercising a couple times and was absolutely exhausted when she tried. She's in generally good shape and eats pretty peaty.

 

[InChristAlone]

Thanks for the response, much appreciate!!

It drops when she stands up if I remember correctly but pretty sporadic I know her rate rate definitely goes up by 30-40 bpm when she stands but ill double check with her. She was actually put into labor due to a pre eclampsia diagnosis on her due date, but her blood pressure was normal when we got to the hospital. Looking back seems it was this issue probably.

She has been taking a pre natal (against my wishes)

She actually tried progesterone for a couple days a couple weeks back to help, but noticed a rash where she was applying and stopped after 3 or 4 days.

Yeah the pre-natal may be doing more harm than good. Especially knowing the mish mash of stuff they put in those. You may try convincing her of that. And 3 months post partum is not the time to be worrying about exercising! But her body already told her that. I have dealt with POTS, but not the high blood pressure. I don't have it much anymore (unless i'm stressed and undereating), and it's hard to make a list of things to do to get to a better place that's why I said first things first REST! and lots of good food. Melted vanilla haagen dazs is extremely anti-stress. Try not to eat beta carotene and plant toxins during this time. Her liver is having a hard time with the hormone changes. Look up the Karen Hurd bean protocol for excess estrogen.

 

[Peatful]

My wife is 3 months post partum and finally went to the doc bc she was complaining about a racing heartbeat, and measured fluctuations in blood pressure.

When she went to see her primary care they did some blood pressure tests and did blood work, and leaving the office he said she has POTS.

Her labs came back yesterday for her thyroid with her TSH almost undetectable low and T3 out of range with T4 on the high end:

TSH- .007 normal range 0.27-4.2
Thyroxine Free- 2.08 normal range .78-2.19
Free T3- 4.6 normal range 1.6-3.9

Her PCP wants to refer her over to an endocrinologist, but wants her to start on beta blockers immediately, and our concern is with breastfeeding, but at the same time she feels terrible with a pulse that will jump into the 130s whenever she stands up and goes through being hot and cold all day. Anyone with any help or suggestions on what we could do?

I had this postpartum

It is a temporary state moving into hypothyroidism
Yes
Hypothyroidism


If she could lower her stressed state
Easier said than done

But meaning:
Rest
Robust meals
Frequent balanced meals
More rest
Consider tapering off all supplements for a season
Get sun if able
Let her have a girlfriend over at least once a week- or where she can go out and watch The Bachelor or whatever


Im not a doctor
These are my opinions based on experience

But to add to the list
Be very leery of this MD
And pleeeeaaase don’t go to an endocrinologist


My opinion!





She’s gonna be ok with the right rest, food and love

Congratulations on the baby

 

[Tbone107]

Seems like food and rest are the two remedies.

The only thing I'm afraid of is the doctor/Endo really pushing the beta blocker to get her heart rate down. Is there anything I could potentially have her try that could help with that in the mean time?

Yeah the pre-natal may be doing more harm than good. Especially knowing the mish mash of stuff they put in those. You may try convincing her of that. And 3 months post partum is not the time to be worrying about exercising! But her body already told her that. I have dealt with POTS, but not the high blood pressure. I don't have it much anymore (unless i'm stressed and undereating), and it's hard to make a list of things to do to get to a better place that's why I said first things first REST! and lots of good food. Melted vanilla haagen dazs is extremely anti-stress. Try not to eat beta carotene and plant toxins during this time. Her liver is having a hard time with the hormone changes. Look up the Karen Hurd bean protocol for excess estrogen.

 

[Tbone107]

I had this postpartum

It is a temporary state moving into hypothyroidism
Yes
Hypothyroidism


If she could lower her stressed state
Easier said than done

But meaning:
Rest
Robust meals
Frequent balanced meals
More rest
Consider tapering off all supplements for a season
Get sun if able
Let her have a girlfriend over at least once a week- or where she can go out and watch The Bachelor or whatever


Im not a doctor
These are my opinions based on experience

But to add to the list
Be very leery of this MD
And pleeeeaaase don’t go to an endocrinologist


My opinion!





She’s gonna be ok with the right rest, food and love

Congratulations on the baby

Did you end up going hypo after it came down? Did you eventually need to supplement thyroid to get it caught back up if so?

 

[Peatful]

Did you end up going hypo after it came down? Did you eventually need to supplement thyroid to get it caught back up if so?

Yes
I slowly descended into hypothyroidism

Remember
I had no clue as to what was happening
Nor did my MD, my endocrinologist, my pediatrician, my OBGYN nor my natural alternative guy


So her hyperthyroid state will level off
And then turn into hypothyroidism




My story was-
No
Thyroid supplementation was not helpful
I was too stressed and underfed
I needed food and rest before I could handle thyroid medication

Taking thyroid medication was like pressing on the gas while nothing was in my tank
It made things worse


Hope this helps

 

[Tbone107]

Yes
I slowly descended into hypothyroidism

Remember
I had no clue as to what was happening
Nor did my MD, my endocrinologist, my pediatrician, my OBGYN nor my natural alternative guy


So her hyperthyroid state will level off
And then turn into hypothyroidism




My story was-
No
Thyroid supplementation was not helpful
I was too stressed and underfed
I needed food and rest before I could handle thyroid medication

Taking thyroid medication was like pressing on the gas while nothing was in my tank
It made things worse


Hope this helps

Thanks. Did you ever take any meds to help with the hyperthyroidism on the front end?

 

[Peatful]

Thanks. Did you ever take any meds to help with the hyperthyroidism on the front end?

I personally did not

I was nursing and was verrrrrrrry cautious about pharmaceuticals

This is my experience only
My opinion

 

[sunny]

Search for Ray Peat talking about cabbage juice to inhibit the thyroid as it slowly releases the stored colloid and returns to normal.
I was hyper thyroid after pregnancy.
I saw an endocrinologist.
I asked why, they said "it just happens "
My guess ( now), they did not know (or more likely care, cause they had a brutal RX, see below)
"Graves" they said.
Murder thyroid with RAI was their treatment.
I was naive.
Had no reason to see a doctor in life until pregnant.
Googled at the time (yesrs ago), found nothing else.
Had I knew Ray Peat, my result would have been different.
Now, thyroid supplement for life- that is no picnic either.

 

[mostlylurking]

My wife is 3 months post partum and finally went to the doc bc she was complaining about a racing heartbeat, and measured fluctuations in blood pressure.

When she went to see her primary care they did some blood pressure tests and did blood work, and leaving the office he said she has POTS.

She may have POTS because she has either a thiamine deficiency or a thiamine functional blockage.

How Can Something As Simple as Thiamine Cause So Many Problems? - Hormones Matter

Is thiamine deficiency too simple to explain the devastating nature of the systemic adverse reactions to some vaccines and medications?

www.hormonesmatter.com

Her labs came back yesterday for her thyroid with her TSH almost undetectable low and T3 out of range with T4 on the high end:

TSH- .007 normal range 0.27-4.2
Thyroxine Free- 2.08 normal range .78-2.19
Free T3- 4.6 normal range 1.6-3.9

That's an out of range free T3, which of course, you know. Hyperthyroidism can cause a thiamine deficiency.

Her PCP wants to refer her over to an endocrinologist, but wants her to start on beta blockers immediately, and our concern is with breastfeeding, but at the same time she feels terrible with a pulse that will jump into the 130s whenever she stands up and goes through being hot and cold all day. Anyone with any help or suggestions on what we could do?

You are describing thiamine deficiency/functional blockage symptoms. Hyperthyroidism will cause a thiamine deficiency.

THIAMINE DEFICIENCY IN HYPERTHYROIDISM

Experimental or spontaneous hyperthyroidism increases the rate of cell metabolism and thus leads to a higher requirement of essential factors involved in the breakdown and resynthesis of metabolites. Among these factors the important role of thiamine is well established. The phosphorylated form...

jamanetwork.com

You could consider supplementing some thiamine hcl, it is considered to be a "safe" supplement. There are several types of thiamine to choose from. The dosage depends on the type of thiamine you use. You could also consider suggesting to her to eat a little raw cabbage (cole slaw) to see if this will help lower her T3. Don't put mayonnaise or any other polyunsaturated fat on the cole slaw (sour cream is fine though).

I went through a period fall of 2020 where my thiamine function was blocked via taking Bactrim antibiotic. I suspect that I was also borderline thiamine deficient when I took the Bactrim. Although I stopped the Bactrim in June/July, my thiamine function was nonexistent October of 2020, so I started supplementing with thiamine hcl. My symptoms seemed like hypothyroidism to me with erratic pulse and higher blood pressure than was normal for me, along with brain fog, lethargy, low body temperature. I'm hypothyroid; I got my thyroid blood tests run 2 months early because I thought my prescription desiccated thyroid medication wasn't working for some reason. The test results showed that my T3 was above the normal range (high free T3). My doctor lowered my thyroid med down from 180mgs to 135mgs and I increased my thiamine hcl supplement amount. I recovered from the symptoms pretty quickly.

 

[Tbone107]

She may have POTS because she has either a thiamine deficiency or a thiamine functional blockage.

How Can Something As Simple as Thiamine Cause So Many Problems? - Hormones Matter

Is thiamine deficiency too simple to explain the devastating nature of the systemic adverse reactions to some vaccines and medications?

www.hormonesmatter.com

That's an out of range free T3, which of course, you know. Hyperthyroidism can cause a thiamine deficiency.

You are describing thiamine deficiency/functional blockage symptoms. Hyperthyroidism will cause a thiamine deficiency.

THIAMINE DEFICIENCY IN HYPERTHYROIDISM

Experimental or spontaneous hyperthyroidism increases the rate of cell metabolism and thus leads to a higher requirement of essential factors involved in the breakdown and resynthesis of metabolites. Among these factors the important role of thiamine is well established. The phosphorylated form...

jamanetwork.com

You could consider supplementing some thiamine hcl, it is considered to be a "safe" supplement. There are several types of thiamine to choose from. The dosage depends on the type of thiamine you use. You could also consider suggesting to her to eat a little raw cabbage (cole slaw) to see if this will help lower her T3. Don't put mayonnaise or any other polyunsaturated fat on the cole slaw (sour cream is fine though).

I went through a period fall of 2020 where my thiamine function was blocked via taking Bactrim antibiotic. I suspect that I was also borderline thiamine deficient when I took the Bactrim. Although I stopped the Bactrim in June/July, my thiamine function was nonexistent October of 2020, so I started supplementing with thiamine hcl. My symptoms seemed like hypothyroidism to me with erratic pulse and higher blood pressure than was normal for me, along with brain fog, lethargy, low body temperature. I'm hypothyroid; I got my thyroid blood tests run 2 months early because I thought my prescription desiccated thyroid medication wasn't working for some reason. The test results showed that my T3 was above the normal range (high free T3). My doctor lowered my thyroid med down from 180mgs to 135mgs and I increased my thiamine hcl supplement amount. I recovered from the symptoms pretty quickly.

Thanks a ton for the info. I'm going to have her drink homemade cabbage juice a couple times a day along with some thiamine. Also going to have her do inhaled H2 gas from a machine I have daily.

 

[makaronai]

I’ll just share my experience as a breastfeeding mom (still breastfeeding my 3yo). I barely ever supplemented for the first 2.5 years and ended up deficient in vitamin d and iron (and most likely many more things). This happened despite eating a varied diet and spending time in the sunshine daily. I might have had deficiencies prior to getting pregnant but had no obvious symptoms until the 2.5 year mark of breastfeeding. I suddenly started feeling as if I was going to die - tired, out of breath, joint pain, cramps, hair falling and what not. Now I’m a couple of months into supplementing and starting to feel like a human again. Supplements do work. This is a painful revelation to me. In your case, I’d also try to get your wife’s vitamin and mineral levels tested. Vitamin d, b12, folate, zinc, magnesium, ferritin, etc. I don’t think a good prenatal (I never took one as never found a trustworthy brand but I’m more sceptical about not taking at all now) is the worst idea as supplementing only one nutrient might deplete others. If it’s the postpartum thyroiditis, it must have developed due to nutritional deficiencies.

 

[mostlylurking]

Thanks a ton for the info. I'm going to have her drink homemade cabbage juice a couple times a day along with some thiamine. Also going to have her do inhaled H2 gas from a machine I have daily.

Don't overdo the cabbage juice. I think you'll need to feel yourselves along. You don't want to over-correct the problem.

I've no idea what inhaling H2 gas would do.

I take thiamine hcl myself. It requires a higher oral dose than other types because of poor absorption via the small intestinal wall. When I started taking it, I took 300mg, 2Xday, which improved my situation remarkably well within 45 minutes of the first dose (increased body temp by a full degree, relieved all the inflammation, etc.). It is important to take it with water, never juice and to space taking it at least 30 minutes away from eating. Don't take it first thing in the morning before eating because it will lower your blood sugar and make you feel bad. I take mine mid morning and again mid afternoon.

I found the information on Dr. Costantini's website to be very helpful. He always used thiamine hcl to treat his Parkinson's Disease patients so the information there is about thiamine hcl.

Here's a link to a collection of Ray Peat quotes about thiamine.

 

[mostlylurking]

Thanks a ton for the info. I'm going to have her drink homemade cabbage juice a couple times a day along with some thiamine. Also going to have her do inhaled H2 gas from a machine I have daily.

Here is an article for your consideration:

Hypertension, the Autonomic System, and Thiamine - Hormones Matter

It has been shown in the above text that hypoxia and pseudo-hypoxia have virtually identical effects in the area of the brain that is peculiarly sensitive to thiamine deficiency.

www.hormonesmatter.com

 

[sunny]

Here is Dr Peat mentioning estrogen and progesterone and pregnancy in reply to a question about POTS.

bioenergetic search

Transcript search engine

www.bioenergetic.life

 

[sunny]

More on cabbage, start a bit earlier than the clip starts.

bioenergetic search

Transcript search engine

www.bioenergetic.life