Google Causes Pregnancy Crisis-- A True Story

Last Friday, my doctor scared the bejesus out of me. Or, I scared the bejesus out of myself. Really-- let's just blame it on Google. Will and I went in for a routine appointment two weeks ago. My doctor informed me that my blood test from the month before came back showing my thyroid was producing a lower amount of hormone than normal; they were going to retest me and if it was low again she wanted me to see an endocrinologist and get on meds. This was not news to me, as I've known this was a possibility for a couple of years. However, last time I saw my endocrinologist and after several blood tests to compare, he opted not to put me on medicine because I was on the lower side of normal, but still in the normal range. Once you begin medicine for your thyroid, it's usually for the rest of your life, which is why he was hesitant to put me on them if I was still "normal." Back to the appointment. They are going to do a retest at the obstetrician's office, but "really, it's nothing to worry about." So they redrew my blood and I went on my merry way. Last Friday, a week later, they call me to tell me that again, my thyroid was low; I should make an appointment with my endocrinologist to discuss my options. Sure, no problem, right away. Well, last Friday night as I'm googling "low thyroid causes, symptoms, and treatment," I see a side effect: "Hypothyroidism could be harmful to your baby if pregnant." WHOA, WHAT?! This was the first I'd heard of this! My googling amped up into high gear at this point; I was googling faster than I'd ever googled before. What happened next was the exact reason  that we are told "do not diagnose yourself on the internet," and "don't rely on the internet for medical information," etc. And that exact reason is that IT SCARES THE CRAP OUT OF YOU. Apparently, my thyroid functioning properly directly affects my baby's brain development. YES, BRAIN DEVELOPMENT. See why I was freaking out??? I was FREAKING OUT. After going to several sites, and reading the same thing over and over, I finally turned to the most trusted source for all expectant moms: What To Expect If You're Expecting. There I found out finally that it is only imperative in the first trimester, before the baby is making its own hormones, which alleviated some concern, but also opened a whole other can of worms for me: DID THEY WAIT THIS LONG TO TEST MY THYROID??? I am just a couple of weeks away from my THIRD trimester! The upside was that by now, the baby is making its own thyroid hormones and doesn't need mine anymore. But still-- "Is the damage already done?!" I thought. I am in the middle of a pregnancy crisis. Will is next to me watching TV, telling me, "She's fine, stop googling everything!", my parents were preparing for a weekend out of town for their anniversary and I didn't want to bother them or scare the crap out of them too and ruin their weekend, so I was at a loss there. Thankfully, I had a bunch of mommy friends to turn to on a Facebook page my friend started for moms. So I posted there, and one of the moms is a doctor. She told me that if it was drastic, they wouldn't have waited so long to retest me, that I should just make an appointment and get in as soon as possible, and she reassured me that my obstetrician had been testing my thyroid level since the beginning, which made me feel much better. My best friend Jennie (mommy I trust the most and turn to for everything, besides my own, of course) and my friend Heather (who is a nurse and a new mommy) all reassured me of the same. This was enough to get me through the weekend and I'm leaving in about half an hour to see my endocrinologist. I picked up my lab results from the obstetrician this morning so that Dr. Hassan (my endocrinologist) can make a plan for baby and me. I will update his findings and his decision afterwards. Here's hoping the best for baby and I! Say a little prayer for us.

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