Underactive thyroid ?!

pinno

Hello.
Barring some other irregular condition, it is most likely that I will have to go on levothyroxin. Not surprising because after radio therapy, the gland was more than likey to be seriously affected. Slightly annoyed that the Docs did'nt pick this up earlier as training and riding has been an uphill struggle recently and recovery rate is slow, energy levels poor etc etc.
The upside is that possibly I can look forward to putting the miles back in without feeling shattered. Just wondering if anyone can share their experience of hypothyroidism with me and how they have found things going on to HRT.
Cheers
Rob

johncp

Have a look at this http://www.tritalk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1323069 it's a bit negative in places but you should eventually get back to normal function once the dose is sorted

pinno

Thanks Johncp.

ozzy1000_0

I have hypothyroidism. It can be a struggle at first as dose changes can take ages to kick in. I know this sounds scary but i reckon its taken me 4 years to get back on track. I have autoimmune thyroiditus (the most common form known as hashmimotos disease) so the gland gradually gets destroyed. so i would think i had it sorted, then then it would go wrong again.... right now i take 175mcgs of t4 (levo) and 20mcgs of T3 (liothyronine, slip in two doses through the day). this means i'm technically over replaced but i feel the best i have for years and i still have detectable TSH..

I've been to endo clinics as my GP dispeared with me, one endochronologist said to me that "its fine to keep taking more until you feel well as long as TSH is detectable"... this rings true for me... when clinically "normal" I still feel lethargic, prone to depression, cold, headachy and tired all the time .. however when i push a tad higher i feel fine... my theory is that some of us more "athletic types" run a slightly higher metabolism than others and need a bit more to feel ok..

so yeah, don't panic, but also don't hold back on taking hormone replacement. if you need it you need it... i tried willing myself to get better, but it doesn't work, for pretty much everyone hypothyroidism is a longterm condition that doesn't go away, so the sooner you start replacing it and understanding it the sooner you'll be able to feel better and, most importantly, get back on your bike... its mega common and theres loads of pretty succesful athletes out there with hypothyroidism... if you don't feel better when your gp says you should, make some noise about it! not everyone responds to treatment the way GP's are taught (although most do) so getting refered to an endochronologist can be helpful...

and worse case scenario; go private, a friend of mine gave up on the NHS after nearly a year of messed up test results and waiting for referals on and nothing coming of it (meanwhile a year of feeling aweful impacting on work relationships ect)... he invested £800 in a few consultations privately but had sorted in about 2 months... now is stable and well...

pinno

Cheers ozzy. Been reading up on it on the triathlon forum. No, I have'nt stopped cycling despite it being a real struggle. Some days I feel good and thats when it is warm - which is a theme that cropped up on the tri forum. Stands to reason when you think that the thyroid gland seriously affects energy levels and the bodies ability to control sugar levels, so you'll struggle to stay warm. Just had a blood test today so thats me on the treadmill of ascertaining levels etc. But if I could feel just 10% better and less prone to depression it would make all the difference, so i'm not asking for the earth.
Ideally, I would love to get off my bike and not feel shattered. The continual prospect of feeling really jaded is depressing in itself.
Here we go, joining the ranks of the HRT brigade. Good luck.

Mettan

I'm the opposite, namely, an overactive thyroid (hyperthyriodism) - made a mess of me (eyes and neck bulging/swollen, severe lack of energy, severe weight loss, fainting, itching, shortness of breath etc) and put me off the bike for well over a year - after eventually being refered to an Endocrinologist, was put on a (very) high dose of Carbimazole (my T4 was over 100....) for an extended period (its been reduced since) - brilliant drug, brought my T4 T3 etc back down to normal levels within a few months - feeling good/very normal at the moment - with the right medication (for either under or over), you won't really notice any adverse effects regards endurance sport/cycling. Just for interest, Gail Devers (multiple Olympic 100 metres champion 1992 & 1996) suffered from an Overactive thyroid originally - think she eventually had RAI for hyper, then went underactive.