Thyroid function

[gmailconfusion2]

I'm currently 22 weeks. At 17 weeks I nearly blacked out so went to gp who did blood tests, turns out I have low thyroid function, was put on medication for this at 18w4days.

This was news to me, so rang midwife a d ended up being given a consultant appointment, which was today where i was told I had low thyroid function back in October and should have been told then.

There was lots of telling me it will be fine, no risk to peanut etc, but on googling (I know I shouldn't have) risks being low IQ and development delays which is now stressing me out more.

I am being followed up but at this point I don't appear to be able to change anything and it's waiting and seeing, potentially for the next five plus years.

Not sure what I actually want to achieve with this... Has anyone has a similar situation and it been fine?

Hi gmailconfusion2

I've been in a similar situation so I can empathise with the panic. Found out in first trimester that I was hypothyroid - maternity hospital didn't seem very bothered but I did the same reading as you and went into full panic mode and spent a lot of money seeing a private endocrinologist. Tbh he didn't seem hugely bothered either and pointed out that it's a very small variation in IQ which is not going to affect the child's life a huge amount, but I still felt like I'd let my child down before they'd even been born .

Sadly I don't have a "happy ending" as the pregnancy ended in miscarriage just prior to 12 weeks (n.b. there is NO suggestion that the thyroid issue caused the miscarriage). Tbh having had the miscarriage makes me a bit more relaxed about the thyroid issue (I found out in the current pregnancy that I was a tiny bit low at the start but now I'm more focused on having a healthy happy baby than exactly what his/her IQ will be).

Anyway, I don't really have any advice but I just wanted to say that I really empathise with your situation and I would be very angry with the hospital too. I guess you have to focus on the future and not look back at things you can't change but of course that is far easier said than done!

@badcatdirtycat thank you for repling, while it was just one of those things i was ok as it was unavoidable, whereas finding out another of my consultants had the result back on october and just didn't tell me- after i told him i was pregnant- i could have started treatment 4.5 months ago and reduced any risk, and not had the stress, and why should peanut be at risk of development delays and even a marginally lower IQ due to negligence. From what i saw the key time is the first trimester which i was completely through by the time i found out.

This is on top of some other ways they've failed me anyway.

I'm sorry OP, that really is what and I don't blame you for being angry.

Can you speak to PALS to make a complaint about the consultant?

If you can afford it maybe speaking to a private/independent endocrinologist to get their view of the situation and any possible effect on your child would be a way forward? It sounds like you don't really trust what your current doctors are telling you (and I don't blame you for that either!) X

That really is shit

Just to make matters worse... i work at the hospital so yes i am going to go to see someone at pals on my next shift, if nothing else i want copies of all the blood tests since i registered with this hospital, and to know whats been officially reported (they should have done an official incident report once this was realised) so at least i've got paperwork if in a few years there is an issue.

I dont trust doctors generally, too many years being told collapsing and chronic pain was all in my head, and unfortunately we won't know if there are issues for a few years at this point.

I will look into a second opinion, if nothing else to see what they say.

Thank you