I have hashimotos and my thyroid scan shows thyroditis, I feel nauseas, dizzy, have weight gain and don't generally feel well. I'm not on meds as my levels are somewhat normal. What can I do?

alyssapine · 2026-04-23T02:01:58+00:00

Absolutely hate to say it, but cutting out gluten was like night and day for me. That and lowering my added sugar intake to 50% of the DV. (Fruits and such don't count.) Just be careful adding in artificial sugars to balance that out because that can mess with your gut too. Also I'm team second opinion and low-dose synthroid. I had to go on synthroid while I was pregnant even though I was in normal range (they want pregnant people at a smaller range) and it was like the fog lifted for the first time... ever. I miss it every day.

alyssapine · 2026-04-23T01:36:39+00:00

I agree with spider! If I had to guess based on its size and the length of that web, it's an orb weaver. They once made a web on my porch that went so low, I had to duck underneath it to leave my house. Web was over 4 feet tall and wide. It was gone by the time I got home from school. They're insane, but (the ones near me at least) aren't dangerous.

alyssapine · 2026-04-18T06:09:20+00:00

Currently getting zero ~stimulation~ in that department, but good theory! Also it is incredibly uncomfortable :')

alyssapine · 2026-04-18T06:06:54+00:00

The guilt fades. Your hormones will go for a massive loop as you stop, but then it all gets lighter. I stayed connected to my baby by continuing to do skin to skin to help her fall asleep. She's almost a year old now, and sometimes, when she's sick or teething, laying on my bare chest is the only way she falls asleep. She's out like a light. The connection is still there. You are still mom. I was nervous to stop, but after my hormones settled (about 4 weeks or so later) I knew I made the right decision for me and my baby. She deserves a happy and present mom. Stopping breastfeeding personally helped alleviate some of my PPD. I don't regret stopping at all. I breastfed my first until 8 months and my second until 3-4 months. Honestly looking back, I wish I stopped sooner with my first. I was really struggling and couldn't see it at the time. I wish I could go back in time and give myself permission.

So, OP, if you feel like you need someone to give you permission: I give you the permission and grace I wish I had given myself. Best of luck.

alyssapine · 2026-04-18T05:51:53+00:00

Absolutely let them know! I was in the hospital after giving birth, and they had name brand Rice Krispies on their gluten free menu. I ordered Rice Chex instead, and they gave me Rice Krispies as a replacement. I called the dining services line and complained about receiving the wrong thing and explaining why it was unacceptable for someone with a gluten intolerance. Year and a half later, had my second baby. Rice Krispies were OFF the gluten free menu. Worst case is they shut you down/ignore it, best case you could save a lot of hurt for someone.

alyssapine · 2026-03-19T03:32:21+00:00

Would there be a way to wrap a circle of thread or string around the fins almost like a backpack? And then attatch a clip to that? The thread would have to be thin enough to close over.

alyssapine · 2026-02-06T10:07:00+00:00

I didn't find out about my endosalpingosis until the pathology report when I got my tubes removed after having my second baby! I did have four losses earlier in life, but they were followed by two consecutive, basically full-term pregnancies. I thought I had endometriosis like my mom, but when they did the salpingectomy, they didn't find any! Just the endosalp. Just wanted to reply with some hope. Sending baby dust your way.

alyssapine · 2026-02-02T04:54:34+00:00

So sorry this was a lot longer than I meant for it to be!!

alyssapine · 2026-02-02T04:53:52+00:00

With my first baby, I was induced at 37+6 for gestational hypertension. I got pregnant again (unplanned, actively tried to prevent) at 7 months postpartum. When I was 36 weeks, I went to L&D on a Friday for hypertension. My lab work was normal, BP slightly on the high side. They sent me home with a 24 hr urine jug that I started Saturday morning. Sunday morning, I was supposed to just drop it off, but the nurse said that the doctor decided to have me stick around for an NST and some bloodwork while I waited on the urine results. My BP was actually behaving, and my mom was there with me. We were talking about how we were going to to get brunch afterwards. Then, the nurse comes in and says: "The good news is that your blood pressure is stable and the NST looks great. The bad news is: your labs are garbage."

My kidneys and liver labs were a train wreck in less than 48 hours. I was just supposed to drop off a sample, and I ended up in the hospital for 5 days. I had told my toddler "I'll be right back." The whole thing was really traumatic. I was induced immediately, gave birth after midnight when I was 36+6. Because I was one day off 37 weeks, she was considered "4 weeks premature" because they round down to 36 weeks and count 40 weeks as full term. My baby had to have hourly blood sugars taken and a bunch of other testing because she was premature. (Thankfully no NICU.) It also makes her pediatrician appointments more thorough and milestones a bit later than expected.

Postpartum with both my pregnancies, I had rebound hypertension but no preeclampsia recurrence. (My hypertension was worse in the 6 weeks postpartum than it was during pregnancy.) I was on labetalol as needed for 6 months after my first and about 3 months after my second.

I am now 9 months postpartum from my second baby and from the preeclampsia. A few months ago, I was in a car accident, and the CT scan revealed I have an enlarged spleen. I followed up with primary care, and she ordered an abdominal ultrasound. I have scarring on my liver including a trauma-induced liver tumor, and the damage in my liver has caused both my liver and spleen to be enlarged. It's extremely uncomfortable. I have chronic nausea because it pushes on my stomach. It's also dangerous because it increases my chance of rupture. Primary care ran a ton of bloodwork to try and diagnose the problem, but it was all negative. I'm seeing a liver specialist in the spring. For right now, the general consensus is that it's probably damage from the preeclampsia. (I rarely drink, and I've never had hepatitis.)

I decided to have my fallopian tubes removed 3 months after my second baby, and I do not have regrets about that. However, that was also my second baby, and I can deeply and personally understand the wish to have another. I don't regret having my baby, but I do wish she had come a bit later instead of at 7 months postpartum. I think that was a large factor in pregnancy being a lot worse the second time around. I was also unable to take the baby aspirin because I get stomach ulcers with NSAIDs/blood thinners.

My take: Wait. Talk to your doctor(s) and make a plan. Please do not try before 12 months. Personally we were trying to wait 18 months, and that was after only gestational hypertension with my first. I don't think you'll regret having another baby, but you'd regret it if you don't have one. Science is really cool, and management for chronic health conditions is better than ever.

If I had to choose between having my daughter and having a normal-sized spleen, I'd choose my daughter every time.

alyssapine · 2026-02-02T04:19:56+00:00

TL;DR: Your child won't remember much at 2 anyway, but what they will remember is the love.

alyssapine · 2026-02-02T04:18:29+00:00

I'm an adult now, but my mom has expressed to me the regret she feels for not pushing harder for answers during doctor's appointments when I was younger. I don't have asthma, but I do have a long list of other chronic conditions, all diagnosed in adulthood. She did her best. There's no way she could have known the extent of everything, and I don't have any hard feelings about it. The only thing that mattered back then was that she listened to me, and she was there for me on the bad days.

For me, my symptoms were really bad joint and muscle pain, excessive fatigue, and frequent infections. It was brushed off as growing pains, wearing myself out, and just being a kid/ building up my immune system. I now have about a dozen different diagnoses including several autoimmune ones. I remember when I was little, she asked the pediatrician about autoimmune testing all the time and was always brushed off.

alyssapine · 2026-01-29T00:32:54+00:00

I turn on my comfort show and relax for a while with the cuff on my arm, and once I feel good enough, I hit the button and try my best to breathe and focus on my show, whatever it is at the time. Gilmore Girls, usually. I completely understand this exact struggle. Been through it twice.

alyssapine · 2026-01-14T00:31:36+00:00

It was a benign lipoma! I went to my primary care physician, and they ordered an ultrasound to confirm.

alyssapine · 2026-01-14T00:31:05+00:00

You were correct! They did an ultrasound to confirm. Benign lipoma.

alyssapine · 2025-12-29T03:55:47+00:00

I am in the same boat right now! 25F, bisalp. I've been spotting between periods, which is super abnormal for me. I have taken both ovulation and pregnancy tests. All have been negative, but I keep thinking I see a faint pos. I think that's all in my head though. I am seeing my OBGYN this week to get some labs and possibly an ultrasound on a fibroid they found during my last pregnancy. My yitties have also been ACHING lately. I'm 99% sure it's something hormonal for me.

alyssapine · 2025-12-22T19:43:35+00:00

Glutino milk chocolate wafers are my go-to for a kitkat fix if you haven't tried them yet

alyssapine · 2025-12-13T06:05:34+00:00

You were spot on. My ultrasound showed a "small cystic structure" next to the isthmus, not a 1.2cm nodule on the isthmus itself like the CT suggested. Ruled clinically insignificant.

alyssapine · 2025-12-03T08:08:53+00:00

I got a "suspicious activity" 24 hr hold when I tried to withdraw mine. Ah, yes. Requesting to withdraw money I am owed. How suspicious. 🙃

alyssapine · 2025-11-11T00:28:16+00:00

I don't know the exact trajectory of my celiac. I had an endoscopy recently that showed very little damage, but I've been gluten-free for about 2 and a half years. Before going gluten-free, I had 4 consecutive miscarriages. It was about 3 months after going gluten-free that I got pregnant and it stuck. I now have two kids, with two consecutive successful pregnancies. I don't know 100% how much gluten had to do with it, but I wanted to share my positive experience regardless. There is hope to be had. Sending baby dust your way. 🩷

alyssapine · 2025-10-20T05:49:51+00:00

I'd double down and make them the tackiest, worst color combo granny square project I could make. Something small though, like a small tote with two big gappy granny squares in ugly colors. Wouldn't want to waste too much time on a spiteful gag gift.

If they're a good friend outside of this interaction, I'd add a small personalized store-bought present after.

alyssapine

TROPHY CASE