My Journey with Hashimoto's and Graves' Disease - A Personal Post

I don’t share a lot about my personal health journey on here, but I have learnt some valuable lessons in the last few years, and felt it would be beneficial to share.

Who here knows someone who has experienced both Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease? Hint: I do!

Many of you would know that what led to my interest in thyroid disorders was my personal experience with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. For a number of years, I was on Thyroxine, and I worked very hard to lower my antibodies, support my thyroid nutritionally and eventually, wean myself off Thyroxine. I should note here however, that I was fortunate to discover my condition early, and have both the opportunity and knowledge to treat it aggressively and holistically from a naturopathic point of view. When I became pregnant with my firstborn in 2019, I monitored my thyroid function closely, and was able to keep up with the extra demands pregnancy puts on the thyroid. 

When my son was 8 months old, a routine blood test showed my TSH was suppressed. Postpartum thyroiditis is not uncommon, especially in those with a history of autoimmune thyroid disease, although postpartum hyperthyroidism typically occurs earlier in the postpartum period. Over the next month, I began to lose to weight. My milk supply increased, and I started to feel as if my whole system had been ‘sped up’. Sure enough, my follow-up blood tests revealed a suppressed TSH, an elevated T4 and T3, and - to my surprise - the presence of TSH-receptor antibodies and thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI). It was certainly a shock, and if I am honest, a blow to my ego. I was a recovered Hashi’s hypo and naturopath who specialises in thyroid issues - and yet, despite my knowledge and experience in the area, I had gone and developed Graves’ disease.

I commenced a low dose of Carbimazole and once again, took to my naturopathic dispensary to start working on the autoimmune side of the condition. I started going to bed earlier, I removed certain inflammatory proteins from my diet, I worked on my gut health, I tried to reduce stress where possible and I threw myself harder than ever before into the research around Graves’ disease, particularly in the postpartum period. I took my supplements religiously, I monitored my bloods every 6-8 weeks and slowly but surely, my antibodies began to decrease and I started to wean off my Carbimazole.

I worked with an endocrinologist who advised, at a minimum, it would take me 12-15 months to get off the Carbimazole, and yet just six months later, in late 2021, I sent him my blood tests showing my antibodies were in remission and we agreed to cease the Carbimazole. I continued with my nutritional supplements, supporting my gut and managing those oh-so-important dietary and lifestyle factors. And now, here I am more than 18 months into my remission. Despite this, I am not out of the woods yet. 60% of individuals with Graves’ disease will relapse at some point. According to some research, this number can increase to 85% after a subsequent pregnancy and I am currently 8 months postpartum with my second. Hopefully I can avoid being part of this statistic, but I know it will take hard work and ongoing commitment. I now have a history of both Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease, and whilst I no longer require medication to manage either condition, it does mean I will need to continue to support, monitor and look after my thyroid for life. At my most recent check, my TRAB and TG antibodies were both within range, and my TPO were sitting at 45 - I can work with that!

So, what has this experience taught me and why am I choosing to share it now? Well, it taught me that even as a recovered Hashi’s hypo, my thyroid is not invincible. It is well-known that the vast majority of Graves’ patients report a period of stress in the 12-18 months preceding their diagnosis. Factors such as pregnancy, illness and certain nutritional deficiencies can also play a role here. I won’t go into the personal factors that might have contributed in my case, but I stretched myself too thin and my poor thyroid took a hit as a result. And, even if it weren’t for all of these factors, as I say to my patients - sometimes these things cannot be explained. Whether it be a genetic predisposition, a nutritional issue, stress, intestinal permeability, illness, pregnancy and perhaps more accurately, a combination of these factors, sometimes we can’t pinpoint the exact reason for which someone springs an autoimmune disease, but we do know that addressing these factors in a holistic manner is one of the best ways to quieten and calm an unhappy immune system. Some people have a tendency towards skin issues; others towards metabolic conditions or gut issues - and we often see these patterns run in families. I have a tendency towards autoimmune thyroid dysfunction.

Again, I am not out of the woods. I am thrilled to have gotten to the point of remission (and touch wood, remained here through another pregnancy and postpartum), but clearly my thyroid (and immune system!) is something that will need a little extra love and support for the rest of my life. I have now experienced both Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and Graves’ hyperthyroidism, and I can truly say it has made me a better and more empathetic practitioner, having experienced both sides of the equation myself.

If you’ve got this far, thank you for reading - as I said, when I was first diagnosed with Graves’, it took a lot of self-reflection to understand “how I could have let this happen”, but what came from that was an understanding of what areas of my health I had been neglecting in my effort to be the best mum, wife, daughter and naturopath I could be. Don’t underestimate the importance of sleep, support and stress management - your diet can be beautiful, your supplements can be perfectly tailored to your situation, but if we forget the basics, things can fall off track!

Niki x