I have always thought my health problems a little on the unusual side…
By A.M.
I am writing to' thank you for sending me recent issues of the DESPATCH newsletter. I found them very interesting and enlightening to some of the health problems that I have experienced.
My mother clearly remembers having Stilboestrol injections in the first two months of her pregnancy with my sister in 1947. The injections made her feel very sick so she stopped having them… My mother experienced two miscarriages between the birth of my sister and falling pregnant with me -I was born in March 1953.
She remembers being given DES tablets shortly before falling pregnant with me and continuing to take them for about two or three months until she became too ill to take any more…
I have always thought my health problems a little on the unusual side but was told by doctors that "these things happen".
As early as I can remember I suffered pains in my knees and was 8 years old when a blood test confirmed I had rheumatoid arthritis. I am lucky because it doesn't trouble me too much…
At the age of 35 years, I started to feel tired and not well -nothing definite but just not myself. A blood test was done but nothing showed up and my unsympathetic doctor told me to get out and do something instead of feeling sorry for myself. Twelve months later, after discovering a lump in my throat, I was diagnosed as having Hashimoto’s thyroid. Apparently my thyroid antibodies were extremely high but my doctor said it was nothing to worry about…
The next three years were very hard as I suffered bouts of extreme weakness and heart palpitations. I was told the palpitations were caused by a faulty Mitral valve in the heart and that this was quite common and nothing to worry about. Meanwhile with thyroid medication my thyroid levels were normal but still my anti bodies raged at a high level. These bouts of illness were quite debilitating -to the stage that at times I could hardly stand up. I felt that these bouts seemed to coincide with my menstrual cycle. Naturally the doctors couldn't see why or how this could be.
After three years these weakness attacks seem to be slowly diminishing in intensity and frequency and, after having another thyroid blood test, it was found my anti body levels were also nearly back to normal. My doctor then said maybe the anti bodies might have something to do with it.
Now in my 40s and starting to go through menopause, my doctor suggested hormone replacement therapy (HRT). I questioned her about the side effects it could have when combined with the thyroid tablets, and also mentioned that I was a DES daughter She hadn't heard of DES but didn't think it would be a problem.
It was, and I ended up in hospital with all the old symptoms -weakness and palpitations -that I had been practically free of for years. Strangely enough my anti bodies were also back at an extremely high leve. Hence I don't think. HRT is for me!
As you can see I have had some of the problems mentioned in your newsletters...
These newsletters have helped me to understand that my problems may have a definite cause and that I'm not just falling apart with middle age.
Published in our newsletter DESPATCH in 2000