Hi Jak. Welcome.

Tanya, if you've got hashi's, it's not temporary.

There is a thyroid complaint which can be temporary during pregnancy and it can resolve itself a few months after the pregnancy is over. But if you have antibodies, you have hashi's and it's permanent.

I'd say definitely get tested. You can, as Aussi says, have more than one auto immune disorder... Lupus tends to be common with thyroid, as does Reynauds and other odd things.

Oddly, sufferers of auto immune disorders tend to partner up. It's quite common, so maybe you and your oh are like that.

Get him tested too. Get the full thyroid panel... You can have a normal 'TSH' level and still have a thyroid problem. TSH test is not entirely trustworthy in many cases and is only an indicator.
His skin issues plus depression etc, could well be part of thyroid issues. It's also hereditary, and therefore if your family members suffer, try to find out what they've got and for how long.

Tiddlypom can i ask you, do you have to keep off gluten if so what are the main things that you have to avoid.

Very true.

I don't eat baked products from bakeries... anything made with flour really.

So no bread, no cakes (I make my own or buy gluten free if I want), no pastry products... Then I avoid thickeners made with wheat and glucose from wheat. Sometimes that's slipped in to places you don't expect... milk shakes etc.

I generally eat meat, fish, fruit and veg. I eat corn chips and potato chips but make sure they're gluten free.
I eat Carman's gluten free muesli for breakfast if I want cereal.

It keeps me healthy cos I avoid all the crap basically. (apart from eating chips whilst the England team loses to the Aussies. )

I make my own cakes... I use rice flour, almond flour (almond meal) buckwheat flour, and other rice products.

Oh dear....better get used to it then!
Hey, does anyone have any experience/ knowledge about breastfeeding whilst on thyroxine?
My GP says I should stop....but I really want to continue until Harriet is 1...
Thanks,
Tan

What?!!!! You should NOT stop at all.
More evidence that your doctor doesn't have a clue what he or she's talking about!

Thyroxine taken during pregnancy does not cross the placenta and it does not affect breast feeding!

'Physiological amounts of thyroxine are excreted by a *normal* breast feeding woman. A hypothyroid mother taking adequate thyroid supplement should have thyroxine levels the same as a normal woman. Breast feeding thus should not be discouraged.'

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/apfdfy/Breast.html

Do a google for it if you're in doubt.

I'd be getting a new doctor.

Thanks so much for you help and support Tiddlypom....I've been worrying about this all weekend. Harriet was really sweaty on Friday...that was when I called the GP for advice.....I guess the QLD climate was to blame
I just hope my Thyroxine levels are not TOO high now.....he (the GP) has apparently started my dose quite high at 100mg....

Yes, that is high. Normally you'd start on 50mcg and increase over 6 weeks to 75mcg and then onto 100.
It might be that it's a little high but he obviously thinks you need it. However, if he doesn't know what he's doing then this may be why you're now on 100. Its a gradual thing ...

What you need to remember is that you're not on a medication per se. It's a hormone replacement and you'll normally be putting out thyroxine in your system. I can't think it would be affecting your daughter like that but as with all hormones and meds taken, it's wise to keep an eye on any side effects when you're breast feeding.
Probably the climate Tan... not the meds ... You'll be using most of it and she'll be getting trace elements as all breast fed babies do.

When you take the thyroxine, it converts into T3 in your cells. That's the active stuff you use for your energy. It's not like there's masses of T4 (thyroxine) flooding through your system, not going anywhere and ending up in your baby!

[QUOTE=TiddlyPom;6933848]I don't eat baked products from bakeries... anything made with flour really.

So no bread, no cakes (I make my own or buy gluten free if I want), no pastry products... Then I avoid thickeners made with wheat and glucose from wheat. Sometimes that's slipped in to places you don't expect... milk shakes etc.

I generally eat meat, fish, fruit and veg. I eat corn chips and potato chips but make sure they're gluten free.
I eat Carman's gluten free muesli for breakfast if I want cereal.

It keeps me healthy cos I avoid all the crap basically. (apart from eating chips whilst the England team loses to the Aussies. )

I make my own cakes... I use rice flour, almond flour (almond meal) buckwheat flour, and other rice products.[/QUOTE

Thank you for the info Tiddlypom.
I do all my own cooking and baking as well but of course i have been putting in normal flour from the supermarkets as i did not know that was one of the ingredients to avoid.
So does the flour bags have on them gluten free and when i buy bread in the bags will that have gluten free on as well. Mind you i do make my own bread but of course its the same thing with the flour, bread recipes state that its to be made with strong white flour so i dont know if you can get that in gluten free.
The last few months i have been making my own pastry but will have to change flour when i find the right one.
The last three to four months i have not been having breakfast as i can not find anything that will not upset me so i will try some thing like what you have suggested.
I have started to panic a little since the hospital last week told me i have got to go gluten free.
I did not realise that it meant changing your whole eating pattern around.
This is obviously why i have had to stop eating a lot before as it was upsetting my body and i was loosing so much weight, so hopefully when i can find the right things to eat i will start to feel a lot better.
If i am making things with all gluten free ingredients what about the rest of the family, it will not do then a lot of good if they dont have to have it gluten free, so i will have to make two of everything one normal and one gluten free.

You would normally start off on 50mcg and slowly work up if needed.

Yep, the pharmacist commented that 100 was a high starting dose....

When i started my thyroxine i was started on 25mcg as i was feeding my first new born and then 50,75 100 and now 125.
If you are unsure of anything you could always recheck it just to make sure but i am sure there must have been a good reason why you were started at a higher dose, you must have needed it.

Just wanted to welcome JAK and Tanya, although I don't have any directly comparable experiences to share so I'm leaving it in Tiddly's more than capable hands.

ausi - I don't officially have a gluten intolerance (just lots of others!) but I do try to limit my intake as I have IBS. I DON'T bake bread and cakes - I'm the world's worst housewife - but here in Sydney I find it very easy to buy gluten-free products, both in supermarkets (yay, Woolies ) and cafes and restaurants.

For breakfast I have oats. I'm dairy-intolerant but I make up my own sort of muesli with oats, a ground seed mixture (for the good fats - 2 parts flax, 1 part each of sesame, sunflower and pumpkin), a chopped up apple/pear and sheep's yoghurt. I was just having it with water but my nutritionist said I need more protein for breakfast.

My afternoon snack when I go grocery shopping is usually a soy latte and a friand, as they are made with almond meal. (I shouldn't have them anyway though, I'm totally intolerant to eggs ). I do limit my soy as it's not great for thyroid sufferers but being bovine dairy-free I do have some occasionally.

Meals at home are easy, as we don't use much in the way of processed food. Meat/fish and veg, with lots of spices and seasonings. I'm garlic-intolerant so use a lot of ginger. I buy Tamari - gluten-free soy sauce.

My local pizza takeaway does the most amazing gluten-free pizzas for a small premium (pay for large, get medium). One of those and a salad makes a great treat for me and The Geek. Thai food also, which we love.

If I were you, I'd feed the family your gluten-free stuff and see if they comment. It will do them good, honestly.

Read up on it, there are tons of great sites and also recipes online, and you'll see it's really not that hard.