Replied by T (Maryland, USA) on 04/05/2009
I'm not Ted and I hope you don't mind me putting my 2 cents in here...and at the risk of making yet another thyroid post ;) Pregnancy is actually a common trigger for thyroid problems, and although most pregnancy-induced thyroid problems apparently resolve on their own, some do not. I know my own problems really exploded after I had my son. I used to joke that he took my brains out with him as he was born, but as time went on it was no laughing matter. I remember the horrifying moment when I realized I suddenly couldn't recall my own birth date! And I had always been "the sharpest tool in the shed", so to speak. It was devastating to realize my mental functioning was steadily eroding and I had no idea why. I have actually since seen posters in doctor's offices describing these things and noting that they could seem similar to degenerative brain problems like Alzheimer's but were actually thyroid problems. Also, thyroid disorders can cause skin problems like you're having.
Now I certainly don't know if this is what you have or if an epidural could indeed cause such problems for so long; it's just something you might want to look into with a simple blood test. Don't let them only go by a TSH test. Insist they test FREE T3 and FREE T4 as well, then get those lab figures and research them yourself online at thyroid forums (don't take the doctor's word for "normal").
As for the pain at the epidural spot, I could feel sensation there for YEARS after having it done (my epi guy was the pits; I also had to have the 'blood patch' injection into my spine 2 days later thanks to him, but that's a whine for another day ;)). I think that just may take a really long time to fully heal, or maybe the body makes a very strong memory of it as we are just not supposed to have our spines punctured!
Sending best wishes for your wellness. Please let us know how it turns out.Replied by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 04/15/2009
To Mariela: If I were you, I think I would request a copy of my hospital record of this delivery. I am wondering what they gave you in that epidural! Were you mentally aware of all going on throughout the labor & delivery or do you have blanks for part of that time? If so, was any family member with you that can tell you about any unusual occurence? The pain at site of injection can be explained by an unusual traumatic arthritis type paid but you should not be having brain fog 7 months post delivery and loss of short term memory!
My son tells me he heard on the news a few months back that Alzheimers is hitting people in their 30's. That was after I was reading in the local newspapers that it was much more prevalent and hitting at a younger age in people without any genetic predisposition. However the one they went into detail about was a female bank executive who had been on disability for 3 years at age 52 because of Alzheimers. We all need to start paying more attention to what we are putting into our bodies! Matter of fact we should have been paying it more attention 30 or 40 years ago. Was just reading about damage to our bodies from the well known sodium benzoate preservative found in most carbonated beverages and a whole lot of our foods of all kinds (processed that is).Replied by Mariela (Kew Gardens, New York) on 06/13/2009
This is an update. It's now been 9 months since I gave birth. Still feel pain when it rains at the vaccination site. Still suffering from short term memory [brain fog]. This is making me feel really down since I have to contanstly question myself if I did something or not, I can't recall anything. I am still taking the ACV, Magnesium and fish oil. I had myself checked and have been told I don't have any thyroid issues, etc. that everything is fine. I tried to take the extra virgin coconut oil, but it makes my face breakout. Haven't had much success with the oil pulling either. Don't know what else to do. Perhaps someone there is able to help me? I feel as If I already have Alzheimer's... Just wanted to thank T from Maryland and Joyce from Joelton for their good wishes.
Replied by Sangeetha (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) on 06/13/2009
Hi Mariela, Maybe you did have slight brain fog before the epidural but it was so little that you didn't notice? If there is any chance of that, check on what you eat. Had you changed some of your food items/brand a few days/weeks beofre you delivered your baby and you have continued to use it until now? There may be some food that is affecting your central nervous system which is causing brain fog. I suffered from brain fog recently and fortunately (but after spending quite a bit of my and insurance money at the doctors) realised that the cause of my problem was Canola Oil. if this is not the case, do your research on epidural. Also do some kind of yoga where you have to put your head down (like the shoulder stand or something) which will reverse the blood flow and send the blood to brain. This will require patience as it would not work overnight. I totally understand what you are going through and sympathise with you. If you somehow find a way to take VCO, that should cure your problem in 2 weeks. Wish you good luck.
EC: VCO = Virgin Coconut Oil
