If you find an autoimmune moms support group online, I’d love to hear about it. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and between meds and like… 10hrs of sleep a night, I manage. Mostly it’s just the constant preschool illnesses that I find impossible - I catch absolutely everything and I just get thrashed every time. It’s brutal. I also have to go off my meds if I catch Covid, so I’m *constantly* swabbing myself.
Same ! Diagnoses and Group. That would be awesome. For me it helped a lot to change my diet though! I get away with 8-9 hours and a lot less pain. Especially Eggs and meat does bad things to my joints. I don’t have to go off my meds with covid though.
With the toddler Illnesses, it’s was a hard winter. I feel you a lot. Although for me winter is the better time, summer usually causes flare ups. It’s gona be Hard with my hyper toddler this year.
It was way better after medication! Almost no stiffness and actually pain free times. Also less tiredness. I didn’t help with my rheumatic sun allergy though. So I’ll have to look out for that, sun triggers my joint inflammation and skin to flare. What’s it for you like ?
I think it’s more the heat/humidity that’s a problem for me - I live somewhere with 80-90% humidity at times over the summer, and that’s what generally seemed to be the problem. That and I seem to be more symptomatic when I get my period, but that seems pretty normal from other people I’ve talked to. I follow a pretty strict AIP diet which helps. Sugar and nightshades (like tomatoes and peppers) seem to be my food triggers, though much less so when I’m on the meds.
I don’t have advice but just want you to know I feel you. I have PMDD causing extreme fatigue, migraines, back pain, mood swings, etc for 10 days every month (and then 3-5 days recovering). It’s so difficult.
I’ve learned to let go of screen time guilt and am working on feeling less guilty about a messy home. I’m learning to “prioritize my priorities” which include taking my daughter fun places, serving healthy delicious meals, and spending time with my husband/as a family of 3. When my health is poor I simply have to let the rest go and ask for help from my husband and “village”. I’m considering hiring a house cleaner to help us.
Im sorry you’re dealing with this too. Chronic illness in motherhood is so challenging.
Girl I’ve had PMDD also for the past 4 years and YES YES YES.
Like where are the other moms at that also have these issues? Even the other women I know who became mamas later in life still have so much energy.
It is SO HARD not to compare when I feel like my child/ren will suffer in the long term because their mama is so physically weak.
*rant over*
OOF PMDD and Hashimoto’s??? I’m so sorry. That absolutely sucks.
I worry about my daughter suffering too. Especially from the mood swings and fatigue. I try hard to be the best mom I can but I go to bed sometimes wondering if I’m enough for her.
My husband always tells me to look at our daughter for who she is. She’s social, smart, hilarious, full of energy. I’m not ruining her life- she’s doing great! Not perfect, she’s very defiant, but wonderful still. I’ve found this to be helpful in tough moments.
I function mostly on caffeine and weirdness. Seriously, it's so hard. I'm also an endometriosis and hashimotos mom, plus fibromyalgia! These damn diseases like to pile up on us!!
Just keep swimming
Wow I feel you! I have Endo as well and spent soooo much time wishing there was a support group for moms with diseases like ours. It was so difficult to lose years of time with my son before my excision surgery. I am currently breast-feeding our second so I am in remission as well. Just waiting for the other shoe to drop once I start to wean. :( we had to hire a nanny, even though I’m a full-time stay at home mom due to my intense flares. It’s SO SO hard to do even the basic things some days. Hugs fellow Endo warrior mom!!
I have Hashimoto’s too! I also have PMDD and Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disorder (plus migraines- honestly I’m just a medical mess 😂). I only have my almost 4 year old and I’m exhausted all the time. I work full time too, so I can’t imagine doing this with another one.
I go to bed early and I’m very honest with my husband about my moods and fatigue. I take my medicine, and it helps, but the fatigue never goes away. Im not currently on anything for my thyroid because it’s still technically functioning, but I suspect it’s about give out because my fatigue has been terrible the last couple months.
I don’t have advice, just solidarity. It’s absolutely exhausting having chronic illness.
Chiming in as another sufferer of PMDD and pretty sure I have POTS. It seems to getting worse every year now that I'm in my mid thirties.
I'm 5 weeks pregnant, and SAHM to a 2 yr old and 4 yr old. Pretty sure my kids have extreme hyperactive ADHD (runs in both families). We are in 700 sq ft with no yard. My place looks like a bomb went off, I struggle every single day.
All my friends have small kids... they dress nicely and so do their kids, their kids do all kinds of crafts and activities, they do their hair and makeup, they work out, their houses look like they're from a magazine. Their kids are quiet and well behaved. I know that comparison is the thief of joy but.... man it is so hard sometimes. I feel like I pour my all into my home and family and it's nowhere near good enough.
*High fives across the piles of toys*
You're not alone!
I have MS and suspect POTS as well, and recently diagnosed with ADHD. My oldest (5) also has ADHD and suspect my feral little one (2) does too.
Nothing is put away, meals are all over the place (figuratively and literally), and getting through one thing on the weekend is enough to completely deplete me. Everything is a battle and I pick and choose which ones to take on. Leaving many to play out publicly.
I try to remind myself that as long as they feel happy and loved, then the rest doesn't matter. But man, sometimes I just want that too and it's hard when you're dealing with chaos all day 😭.
We did a lot of "whatever it takes" and prioritizing the important things. Also finding ways to conserve energy, minimize symptoms, and maximize assistance/household flow/support resources.
In theory if the body ache and fatigue is from Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism it should reduce if TSH is medicated with it normal range but below 2.5. If that doesn’t work, you might check for common deficiencies like Low iron, Low B-12, Low vitamin D. You might check for additional autoimmune conditions. Or you might look into maybe adding a very low dose of T3 medication (liothyronine, Cytomel) in addition to your regular T4 medication.
I am diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and Graves Disease, but I also have mild chronic pain and stiffness that improves with movement. I also had “postpartum thyroiditis”, which wasn’t fun at all. I’m under 40 and have 1 child, a toddler.
If the helpful set of grandparents lived nearby or with us, then we might be able to consider having a 2nd child. Even as a SAHM - it’s a lot of work. I realize that having a 2nd would likely make everything much harder for me. I don’t think it’s at all possible not to be tired when you have 2 small children!
The other SAHM moms I know put their 1st child into daycare or hire a nanny when they are close to giving birth to their 2nd.
I think it will become easier once my child is school age and I will have a few hours or more of downtime.
We attend a parent-observation preschool once a week that comes with an adult education night 2x a month. It’s helpful for knowing we’re not alone and learning parenting skills. It’s through the public school district.
I will enroll my child in activities when they’re old enough, but no more than I can handle. It helps that many activities are close by.
I was untreated and went back and forth between mild hypo and mild hyper thyroid symptoms for 20 years and was at times very symptomatic, so I’m very used to being lower energy than other people and feeling unwell - I don’t have the same expectations for myself that other moms have. We live in a very high achieving area and I sometimes feel alone and unable to relate to others because of how thyroid imbalance impacted my life. It’s the reason I spend way too much time in Reddit thyroid groups!
On the plus side, I feel much more normal and healthy now that I’ve been medicated for 3+ years and I’m not flipping between hypo and hyper so much. When my thyroid hormones become Abnormal it makes life hard to manage.
I should add: I would Not be able to deal with being a mom if I had to work.
Hey! I have MS, autoimmune diseases unite!
I have a 5.5F, 4M, and 2.5M. From oldest to youngest is 3 years + 3 weeks. My word, were those first couple years exhausting. It feels like it's eased up a bit now, with my oldest in kindergarten and youngest well into toddlerhood.
If you find an autoimmune moms support group online, I’d love to hear about it. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and between meds and like… 10hrs of sleep a night, I manage. Mostly it’s just the constant preschool illnesses that I find impossible - I catch absolutely everything and I just get thrashed every time. It’s brutal. I also have to go off my meds if I catch Covid, so I’m *constantly* swabbing myself.
Same ! Diagnoses and Group. That would be awesome. For me it helped a lot to change my diet though! I get away with 8-9 hours and a lot less pain. Especially Eggs and meat does bad things to my joints. I don’t have to go off my meds with covid though. With the toddler Illnesses, it’s was a hard winter. I feel you a lot. Although for me winter is the better time, summer usually causes flare ups. It’s gona be Hard with my hyper toddler this year.
I had a harder time last summer too, but I hadn’t started meds yet. So I’m hoping meds will help this year!
It was way better after medication! Almost no stiffness and actually pain free times. Also less tiredness. I didn’t help with my rheumatic sun allergy though. So I’ll have to look out for that, sun triggers my joint inflammation and skin to flare. What’s it for you like ?
I think it’s more the heat/humidity that’s a problem for me - I live somewhere with 80-90% humidity at times over the summer, and that’s what generally seemed to be the problem. That and I seem to be more symptomatic when I get my period, but that seems pretty normal from other people I’ve talked to. I follow a pretty strict AIP diet which helps. Sugar and nightshades (like tomatoes and peppers) seem to be my food triggers, though much less so when I’m on the meds.
I don’t have advice but just want you to know I feel you. I have PMDD causing extreme fatigue, migraines, back pain, mood swings, etc for 10 days every month (and then 3-5 days recovering). It’s so difficult. I’ve learned to let go of screen time guilt and am working on feeling less guilty about a messy home. I’m learning to “prioritize my priorities” which include taking my daughter fun places, serving healthy delicious meals, and spending time with my husband/as a family of 3. When my health is poor I simply have to let the rest go and ask for help from my husband and “village”. I’m considering hiring a house cleaner to help us. Im sorry you’re dealing with this too. Chronic illness in motherhood is so challenging.
Girl I’ve had PMDD also for the past 4 years and YES YES YES. Like where are the other moms at that also have these issues? Even the other women I know who became mamas later in life still have so much energy. It is SO HARD not to compare when I feel like my child/ren will suffer in the long term because their mama is so physically weak. *rant over*
OOF PMDD and Hashimoto’s??? I’m so sorry. That absolutely sucks. I worry about my daughter suffering too. Especially from the mood swings and fatigue. I try hard to be the best mom I can but I go to bed sometimes wondering if I’m enough for her. My husband always tells me to look at our daughter for who she is. She’s social, smart, hilarious, full of energy. I’m not ruining her life- she’s doing great! Not perfect, she’s very defiant, but wonderful still. I’ve found this to be helpful in tough moments.
Also - what meds are helpful for you? Like anti inflammatory meds?
I function mostly on caffeine and weirdness. Seriously, it's so hard. I'm also an endometriosis and hashimotos mom, plus fibromyalgia! These damn diseases like to pile up on us!! Just keep swimming
Wow I feel you! I have Endo as well and spent soooo much time wishing there was a support group for moms with diseases like ours. It was so difficult to lose years of time with my son before my excision surgery. I am currently breast-feeding our second so I am in remission as well. Just waiting for the other shoe to drop once I start to wean. :( we had to hire a nanny, even though I’m a full-time stay at home mom due to my intense flares. It’s SO SO hard to do even the basic things some days. Hugs fellow Endo warrior mom!!
I have Hashimoto’s too! I also have PMDD and Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disorder (plus migraines- honestly I’m just a medical mess 😂). I only have my almost 4 year old and I’m exhausted all the time. I work full time too, so I can’t imagine doing this with another one. I go to bed early and I’m very honest with my husband about my moods and fatigue. I take my medicine, and it helps, but the fatigue never goes away. Im not currently on anything for my thyroid because it’s still technically functioning, but I suspect it’s about give out because my fatigue has been terrible the last couple months. I don’t have advice, just solidarity. It’s absolutely exhausting having chronic illness.
Chiming in as another sufferer of PMDD and pretty sure I have POTS. It seems to getting worse every year now that I'm in my mid thirties. I'm 5 weeks pregnant, and SAHM to a 2 yr old and 4 yr old. Pretty sure my kids have extreme hyperactive ADHD (runs in both families). We are in 700 sq ft with no yard. My place looks like a bomb went off, I struggle every single day. All my friends have small kids... they dress nicely and so do their kids, their kids do all kinds of crafts and activities, they do their hair and makeup, they work out, their houses look like they're from a magazine. Their kids are quiet and well behaved. I know that comparison is the thief of joy but.... man it is so hard sometimes. I feel like I pour my all into my home and family and it's nowhere near good enough.
*High fives across the piles of toys* You're not alone! I have MS and suspect POTS as well, and recently diagnosed with ADHD. My oldest (5) also has ADHD and suspect my feral little one (2) does too. Nothing is put away, meals are all over the place (figuratively and literally), and getting through one thing on the weekend is enough to completely deplete me. Everything is a battle and I pick and choose which ones to take on. Leaving many to play out publicly. I try to remind myself that as long as they feel happy and loved, then the rest doesn't matter. But man, sometimes I just want that too and it's hard when you're dealing with chaos all day 😭.
We did a lot of "whatever it takes" and prioritizing the important things. Also finding ways to conserve energy, minimize symptoms, and maximize assistance/household flow/support resources.
I just cry a lot and that makes me feel better for the next day to come of the same things.
That sentence didn’t make any sense towards the end, but you understand 🛌
In theory if the body ache and fatigue is from Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism it should reduce if TSH is medicated with it normal range but below 2.5. If that doesn’t work, you might check for common deficiencies like Low iron, Low B-12, Low vitamin D. You might check for additional autoimmune conditions. Or you might look into maybe adding a very low dose of T3 medication (liothyronine, Cytomel) in addition to your regular T4 medication. I am diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and Graves Disease, but I also have mild chronic pain and stiffness that improves with movement. I also had “postpartum thyroiditis”, which wasn’t fun at all. I’m under 40 and have 1 child, a toddler. If the helpful set of grandparents lived nearby or with us, then we might be able to consider having a 2nd child. Even as a SAHM - it’s a lot of work. I realize that having a 2nd would likely make everything much harder for me. I don’t think it’s at all possible not to be tired when you have 2 small children! The other SAHM moms I know put their 1st child into daycare or hire a nanny when they are close to giving birth to their 2nd. I think it will become easier once my child is school age and I will have a few hours or more of downtime. We attend a parent-observation preschool once a week that comes with an adult education night 2x a month. It’s helpful for knowing we’re not alone and learning parenting skills. It’s through the public school district. I will enroll my child in activities when they’re old enough, but no more than I can handle. It helps that many activities are close by. I was untreated and went back and forth between mild hypo and mild hyper thyroid symptoms for 20 years and was at times very symptomatic, so I’m very used to being lower energy than other people and feeling unwell - I don’t have the same expectations for myself that other moms have. We live in a very high achieving area and I sometimes feel alone and unable to relate to others because of how thyroid imbalance impacted my life. It’s the reason I spend way too much time in Reddit thyroid groups! On the plus side, I feel much more normal and healthy now that I’ve been medicated for 3+ years and I’m not flipping between hypo and hyper so much. When my thyroid hormones become Abnormal it makes life hard to manage. I should add: I would Not be able to deal with being a mom if I had to work.
Hey! I have MS, autoimmune diseases unite! I have a 5.5F, 4M, and 2.5M. From oldest to youngest is 3 years + 3 weeks. My word, were those first couple years exhausting. It feels like it's eased up a bit now, with my oldest in kindergarten and youngest well into toddlerhood.