Being pregnant automatically makes you a pin cushion for 10 straight months.  I’ve spent more time in labs getting blood drawn in the last 2.5 years than most non-breeding people spend in their entire lives. 

Wednesday was no exception.  I went in for my routine Glucola screen, which is a 1 hour glucose tolerance test that screens for Gestational Diabetes.  It’s a fairly common pregnancy affliction.   Not a big deal really, it just means you have to be extra careful about your diet for the duration of your pregnancy.  They give you a syrup to drink, and in an hour they draw blood to see how your body handles sugar.

I called yesterday for my test results, and the receptionist told me the doctor wanted to talk to me.  That is never a good sign.  As I was waiting for him to get on the phone, I started having some serious panic attacks.  I didn’t want to be told that I couldn’t eat Cadbury Eggs for the next few months.  Come on Doc, it’s Easter…. Candy season…. Have a heart!

But he says my glucola test came back just fine.  Phew!  Oh, then what?  Well, because of the postpartum depression, and the fact that I’ve put on over 20 pounds in 6 weeks, he ordered a THS test on my blood as well.  That’s the test that tells you how your thyroid is functioning.  My doc had asked me to get screened for that when I was diagnosed with PPD, but I never got around to it.  It would have required me to take a day trip up to the lab to get blood drawn, and back then I had no time for that nonsense.  The only reason I can get to the lab now is because my job understands that I’m pregnant, and they have no problem with me taking time off work to go do these things.

Well, I guess I should have made time to get tested back then.  My thyroid hormone levels are low.  I have Hypothyroidism.  It explains my constant fatigue, metabolic malfunction, extreme sensitivity to cold, depression, and a number of other things that have annoyed me for a long time without explanation.  I have no idea how long I’ve had it, but doc says he needs to get me on synthetic hormones right away.  He says I should get my energy back in two weeks, and will start to feel better all around.  I asked him if this could have been the actual cause of my depression, so maybe I don’t need to be on Zoloft after all, and he said that it’s possible, and they’re going to keep monitoring my levels closely to see what the next step is.

This news makes me feel strange.  A coworker has Hypothyroidism.  It’s no big deal, as long as you’re taking the hormones, and she’s been taking hers for 13 years.  So wait…. I’m going to have to be on a daily pill for the rest of my life?  I’m really not sure how I feel about that.

I’m glad there is an explanation.  It sure would be nice to have some energy again, and not be freezing cold all the time.  But….. hmmmm….. Hypothyroidism?  I need some more time to digest that one.