hypothyroidism

andi1363

I have been riding just over 6 months and have made good progress. Average spped has gone from 14 mph to just shy of 20mph for the same heart rate. I have gone from being the weakest on my club run to one of the stronger riders.

However I kinda hit a wall which was expected as there had been a few plateaus on the way. Then I started to go slower and feel terribly tired. So tired that I was falling asleep at work, in the bath, in front of the TV and a couple of times nearly while I was on the motorbike :shock: . Have weight gain too

Last week my resting heart rate plummeted to 32 (normally 46). So I go and see the Doc and he gets bloods, ECG, stress test and spirometry sorted. Still waiting for the stress and spirometry but the bloods came back showing abnormal Thyroid function. TSH is way too high and T4 is too low. Cholesterol and blood pressure were both very good.

Good news is this is 100% treatable with synthetic hormone Thyroxine but right now I really can't find any motivation to ride. I am seeing the Doc again Thursday and hoping I can begin treatment.

Any advice anyone?

roddixon

You will probably feel better and be more motivated when you have some thyroxine in your system.

lebikerboy

andi1363 wrote:

I have been riding just over 6 months and have made good progress. Average spped has gone from 14 mph to just shy of 20mph for the same heart rate. I have gone from being the weakest on my club run to one of the stronger riders.

However I kinda hit a wall which was expected as there had been a few plateaus on the way. Then I started to go slower and feel terribly tired. So tired that I was falling asleep at work, in the bath, in front of the TV and a couple of times nearly while I was on the motorbike :shock: . Have weight gain too

Last week my resting heart rate plummeted to 32 (normally 46). So I go and see the Doc and he gets bloods, ECG, stress test and spirometry sorted. Still waiting for the stress and spirometry but the bloods came back showing abnormal Thyroid function. TSH is way too high and T4 is too low. Cholesterol and blood pressure were both very good.

Good news is this is 100% treatable with synthetic hormone Thyroxine but right now I really can't find any motivation to ride. I am seeing the Doc again Thursday and hoping I can begin treatment.

Any advice anyone?

I've had a hypoactive thyroid since 1985. It will take awhile for them to get
the dosage sorted but once that's done you'll feel like your old self.
All the best.

Xommul

hope you feel better and get back in the saddle.

sumitkaria

hypothyroid affects all aspects of metabolism aswell as your brain function. Can even make you feel a little depressed and withdrawn. These effects are gradual therefore the treatment with thyroxine will need time to get things back to normal. Do not worry - you will get there. after starting the drug they will check your TSH levels and the dose might need a bit of fine tuninig.
(am a doctor)

ozzy1000_0

andi1363 wrote:

I have been riding just over 6 months and have made good progress. Average spped has gone from 14 mph to just shy of 20mph for the same heart rate. I have gone from being the weakest on my club run to one of the stronger riders.

However I kinda hit a wall which was expected as there had been a few plateaus on the way. Then I started to go slower and feel terribly tired. So tired that I was falling asleep at work, in the bath, in front of the TV and a couple of times nearly while I was on the motorbike :shock: . Have weight gain too

Last week my resting heart rate plummeted to 32 (normally 46). So I go and see the Doc and he gets bloods, ECG, stress test and spirometry sorted. Still waiting for the stress and spirometry but the bloods came back showing abnormal Thyroid function. TSH is way too high and T4 is too low. Cholesterol and blood pressure were both very good.

Good news is this is 100% treatable with synthetic hormone Thyroxine but right now I really can't find any motivation to ride. I am seeing the Doc again Thursday and hoping I can begin treatment.

Any advice anyone?

my advice; "hang in there"... i was diagnosed about 4 years ago, I had been feeling very crappy for years and my tsh was 40+... my GP had been offering me antidepressants for about 8months before he got around to taking a blood test... in my experience you have have to think about the big picture when thinking about you health... pretty much all hypothyroidism is an autoimmune dissease so if this is the case for you the thyroid being destroyed is a part of another problem... I have found that t4 replacement works and gets you back on track. I take 175mcgs as my thyroid is pretty much non existent.. but I've had to think about other things that stress my body.. i don't seem to recover from things so well anymore so big nights out drinking will knock the crap out me for days... same goes for stress, diet etc.. i just feel like i need to look after myself abit better these days to feel ok.

theres loads of information on the web about treatment of hypothyroidism, some people say they get on better with t4+t3 replacment, I have tried this and it t3 does make you feel fantastic, the first time I took it i felt like i'd been instantly cured, I felt lighter, faster and springer (this will make more sense to anyone with hypothyroidism!) but t4+t3 is hard work to manage as a regeim, you have to take meds 2-3 times a day as the t3 metabolises really quickly, and gettting the dose right is difficult.. I ended up going abit hyper (lost a stack of wieght and swam 100 legnths aday!!) and my gp got cold feet so we went back to t4 only...

for most people hyperthyroidism is pretty straightfoward, somthing like 6months to year down the line they settle on a dose that seems to work and then you feel ok... the one thing I would say is speak up and stick you neck out if you still feel rubbish... lots of dr's have differing opinions about what is a acceptable TSH. alot of gps will take the "your TSH is about right so you shouldn't feel rubbish" approach. I spoke with one endo dr who was said basically, if you still feel tired and crappy you probably need more T4, he said he usually keeps upping peoples dose until they feel ok, I quote "as long as TSH is detectable I'm happy".... so if you still feel rubbish ask for another blood test... another things a DR once said to me when discussing the depression side of hypothyroidism was "it seems to take a while to get peoples levels right and then it seems to take twice as long for there brain to catch up"....

it does come good in the end though, hang in there and PM me if you have any questions I have studied this alot

ozzy1000_0

andi1363 wrote:

I have been riding just over 6 months and have made good progress. Average spped has gone from 14 mph to just shy of 20mph for the same heart rate. I have gone from being the weakest on my club run to one of the stronger riders.

However I kinda hit a wall which was expected as there had been a few plateaus on the way. Then I started to go slower and feel terribly tired. So tired that I was falling asleep at work, in the bath, in front of the TV and a couple of times nearly while I was on the motorbike :shock: . Have weight gain too

Last week my resting heart rate plummeted to 32 (normally 46). So I go and see the Doc and he gets bloods, ECG, stress test and spirometry sorted. Still waiting for the stress and spirometry but the bloods came back showing abnormal Thyroid function. TSH is way too high and T4 is too low. Cholesterol and blood pressure were both very good.

Good news is this is 100% treatable with synthetic hormone Thyroxine but right now I really can't find any motivation to ride. I am seeing the Doc again Thursday and hoping I can begin treatment.

Any advice anyone?

my advice; "hang in there"... i was diagnosed about 4 years ago, I had been feeling very crappy for years and my tsh was 40+... my GP had been offering me antidepressants for about 8months before he got around to taking a blood test... in my experience you have have to think about the big picture when thinking about you health... pretty much all hypothyroidism is an autoimmune dissease so if this is the case for you the thyroid being destroyed is a part of another problem... I have found that t4 replacement works and gets you back on track. I take 175mcgs as my thyroid is pretty much non existent.. but I've had to think about other things that stress my body.. i don't seem to recover from things so well anymore so big nights out drinking will knock the crap out me for days... same goes for stress, diet etc.. i just feel like i need to look after myself abit better these days to feel ok.

theres loads of information on the web about treatment of hypothyroidism, some people say they get on better with t4+t3 replacment, I have tried this and it t3 does make you feel fantastic, the first time I took it i felt like i'd been instantly cured, I felt lighter, faster and springer (this will make more sense to anyone with hypothyroidism!) but t4+t3 is hard work to manage as a regeim, you have to take meds 2-3 times a day as the t3 metabolises really quickly, and gettting the dose right is difficult.. I ended up going abit hyper (lost a stack of wieght and swam 100 legnths aday!!) and my gp got cold feet so we went back to t4 only...

for most people hyperthyroidism is pretty straightfoward, somthing like 6months to year down the line they settle on a dose that seems to work and then you feel ok... the one thing I would say is speak up and stick you neck out if you still feel rubbish... lots of dr's have differing opinions about what is a acceptable TSH. alot of gps will take the "your TSH is about right so you shouldn't feel rubbish" approach. I spoke with one endo dr who was said basically, if you still feel tired and crappy you probably need more T4, he said he usually keeps upping peoples dose until they feel ok, I quote "as long as TSH is detectable I'm happy".... so if you still feel rubbish ask for another blood test... another things a DR once said to me when discussing the depression side of hypothyroidism was "it seems to take a while to get peoples levels right and then it seems to take twice as long for there brain to catch up"....

it does come good in the end though, hang in there and PM me if you have any questions I have studied this alot

andi1363

Thing is I have been on anti depressives for a couple of years. I even had to resign my managers role . I am feeling a bit lost if all this is down to my hypothyroidism .

On the positive side, I trained today for just under 2 hours. Still slower than before but this time I expected it so it was fairly enjoyable. The other thing that happened was I trained consistantly instead of pushing to maintain what I thought was the speed I should be doing.

Have a follow up GP appointment tomorrow so hopefully will get started on whatever treatment regime is appropiate. After that its off to hospital for the stress test. Think I should wear the lycra?

ozzy1000_0

andi1363 wrote:

Thing is I have been on anti depressives for a couple of years. I even had to resign my managers role . I am feeling a bit lost if all this is down to my hypothyroidism .

On the positive side, I trained today for just under 2 hours. Still slower than before but this time I expected it so it was fairly enjoyable. The other thing that happened was I trained consistantly instead of pushing to maintain what I thought was the speed I should be doing.

Have a follow up GP appointment tomorrow so hopefully will get started on whatever treatment regime is appropiate. After that its off to hospital for the stress test. Think I should wear the lycra?

I work in a depression service, there's stack of evidence that excercise is a good thing.. moderate excercise is ackonowledged in the NICE guidlines as a treatment for depression... don't fret about things, theres a good chance that your hypothyroidism and depression are linked.. as you said pacing is important, don't push things just try to keep active, when you're depressed innactivity seems like the right thing as you're so tired, but its a bit of a trap as you fall out of condition so quickly. just aim to do somthing rather than nothing... and get started on some hormone replacement ASAP... push for regular blood tests, and there's a good chance it'll all sort its self out...

andi1363

Hmmm! :?

Follow up blood tests and my Thyroid antibody level is so high it cannot be measured :shock: . However my TSH, T3 and T4 are now normal :?. Also I feel as right as rain at the moment. Training speed is still down albeit a tad quicker than last week. I guessing at Hashimoto's and eventually will have Thyroid failure for keeps :?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashimoto's

ozzy1000_0

andi1363 wrote:

Hmmm! :?

Follow up blood tests and my Thyroid antibody level is so high it cannot be measured :shock: . However my TSH, T3 and T4 are now normal :?. Also I feel as right as rain at the moment. Training speed is still down albeit a tad quicker than last week. I guessing at Hashimoto's and eventually will have Thyroid failure for keeps :?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashimoto's

I would take it easy at the moment if i were you, do some aerobic stuff but don't stress your body too much, auto immunity is a weird thing, everythings out of kilter and stress probably won't be useful. with hashi's the your thyriod levels/function will swing between ok- high-and stuff all, this is because all those antibodies are breaking down your thyroid gland and somedays it'll not be able to produce enough, others it'll sort of break and leach too much hormone out... its not nice and some days you might feel fine, other you might be super fatigued others you might be jittery and anxious..... but unfortunately for pretty much all hashi patients the general direction for thyroid function is down... alot of people find they have a really up and down period around the time they get diagnosed, then, ironically, as you thyroid becomes more knackered and your relying more a strady dose of thyroxine you'll probably start to feel more more stable...

good luck

jacks@gilvens.com

Hi Cube,

Really sorry to hear your suffering from this condition but hope with the right help and advice you will be back hitting 20mph averages.

I was diagnosed as Hypothyroid two months ago after decling in all things body and soul.Cycling had become a trial I hit a very low place mentally.
New GP ordered Thyroid Function Test. TSH High. T4 Low T3 Low.
Probably had Thyroid issues for years as had simular illness when training for Triathlon 16yrs ago and on and off when increasing cycling goals over last few years.
May also have been Hashi as you but was never offered Blood Tests for Thyroid. The then GP told me all the tests he's done are normal so go see a nutrionist as there was nothing else he could do for me and any further treamtment would be a waste of time!
I saw a nutrionist and did get most of my life back and felt well for 13 yrs until recently.

Check out The Thyroid UK Website. Huge amount of info there. It's a bit scary as I think only people not getting better report into the site but it gave me the info I needed to seek proper informed advice and help. I want to stay fit, not just tick along. I also wnated my fit light body back!
Also consider reading this book.
'Your Thyroid and how to keep it healthy' by Dr Durrant-Peatfield. You wont regret it.

I seemed okay on T4 initially but still can't go out with my pals on bike as as soon as I raise my pace I get Palpertations and a tight chest and throat becomes hoarse and dry. I have a swollen thryoid and then bonk for 2/3 days afterwards.

6wks ago I started following diet advice found in book and on website while waiting for an Appt.

No more Glutin, nuts, Alcohol, cooked all green veg, sticking to Low GI foods, and complex Carbs only. Reduced my Coffee to one a day Black. No more SOYA Upped my Vit C and Omega 3, B12. Felt a real improvment in energy and sleep pattern in just a month also lost 4Ilbs in weight and didnt even ride my bike!

I have now been to see Dr Peatfield (a wonderful man) as having used a Nutrionist for 13 yrs to keep me ticking over I believe in looking into all the body as a whole and not just pumping medications in without making sure the systems within are all firing up correctly, mine are not I needed more help. Adrenals and liver are struggling I'm not converting T4 into T3. Dr P has now put me on an Adrenal Supp with a view to getting me on Nutri Thyroid which replaces all the hormones our Thyroid produces when healthy not just the one (T4) that most Doc's go for.
I am now hopeful that I will regaine really good health following Dr P's advice.
I've better do. Just prior to bonking out this time I had just ordered another Roberts frame to repalce my aging Tri Bike, The aim to get a bit more Sportif and comfy so I better get better. Never quite made 20mph though so good luck to you Cube.
Dont give up and don't let the GP's bash you about. If you still have symptoms and your Bloods say your okay look for more help.
That's what i'm doing.