Kimberly’s pregnancy was smooth, and her beautiful angel, Elizabeth, was welcomed into the world with open hearts and big smiles. The family was over the moon after the addition to the family, until things started to change four months after delivering the baby for Kimberly. The extreme heart palpitations indicated that there was something wrong, and on Christmas Eve, the situation seemed to get out of hand, and fear covered the house as she struggled to breathe properly.
Although at first, when she shared it with a few people, she was convinced of how it could be postpartum depression or anxiety, as it was a common experience for most women, the heart rate clearly was a warning sign that it was time to visit the hospital.
They decided to visit the emergency department the next day, but things got worse till then, as Kimberly could barely see and couldn’t stand up without support. She fainted while on her mommy duty, changing Elizebeth’s diaper. Not just this, climbing the staircase itself was a task. When she finally visited the hospital, urgent care was required, and after hearing her heart rate, she was rushed to the ER, and her heart rate turned out to be 170s. The doctor was shocked!
Then, she was told to get a few other tests done, after which Thyroid storm was her final diagnosis. With the diagnosis, Kimberly was also told that it kills 75 percent of those who are diagnosed, and it is a highly threatening condition. Now, life was all about survival since the moment of the diagnosis; everything changed for her. She immediately had to get admitted to the hospital to avoid any further complications.
An endocrinologist confirmed that it was triggered by pregnancy. Although the condition was a rare complication called postpartum thyroiditis, she had still contracted it, and this was actually the first time she had heard of the disease. The only symptoms she experienced included anxiety and mood swings; however, the levels were extreme, so any mother who experienced them might ignore them, just as it happened in her case.
Her journey towards recovery was challenging as she lost over 15 pounds in just a few days, the hairfall was intense, and it was heartbreaking for her to hold handfuls of hair that fell out every few hours. This wasn’t just the end of trials, as the worst part was how she could no longer hold her baby girl because she was too weak to. The dizziness she experienced made her ability to perform physical tasks decline.
The racing heart never seemed to get normal, and her brain did not process things the same way. The feeling that she was not able to love her baby enough kept her in discomfort, as the urge to give her all the love and care was constantly there. The worst part was that no one gave her hope; the family had almost given up, and the doctors were just a reminder of how she would not be here for long. She wrote her journey down to make people aware that even if your medical history is clear, you can still contract diseases, so never take any symptoms your body shows lightly.
Since the diagnosis, every day Kimberly constantly wishes that she had known it all earlier, and prays that no woman should suffer like she has. She wants mothers not to ignore themselves, as motherhood does get overwhelming; checking your thyroid levels should be a compulsion. Her struggle exemplifies how prioritizing your health, no matter what phase of life, is a compulsion.
