Thyroid Q and A or Running Hot and Cold

Updates Please (Read 636 times)


Driver, Runner, Bestie

    Its Spring and who has races? I've got one in a few weeks- a half marathon in Champaign, Illinois. My first race. It is a fact that if I hadn't been diagnosed last fall with hypothyriodism, there is no way I would be doing this. I am still working on the anemia problem, but overall I feel great. I struggle with the cold, so it is nicer to run with the warm temperatures. One problem is the cool down. If I am sweaty, and its breezy, cool, I've got to watch out for the Raynauds. I've got to get out of my sports bra really quick or I have body parts turning white that are ultra sensitive.
    HappyFeat


      There's a local 10K on May 2nd that I plan on running. Other than that, no plans. My latest TSH was .2, so my Synthroid got reduced from 112 to 100 to be followed with another test in 8 weeks. I was initially in agreement with the plan, but now only 11 days into the reduction I'm having some hypo symptoms. If this continues, it's going to be very tough month and a half until the re-test. Other than that, I seem to have sprained my knee a week ago - yikes! first time for that. This is compounded by what I consider unwarranted hamstring pain and tightness of the same leg. Enough already! Took a day off from running, then a couple 3 milers, didn't run yesterday, will give it a go today. MTA: Good run. Did 4.5 miles with only a slight burning pain in my knee at about 1.5 mile mark, but really felt I could have gone farther than I did. Wiser not to push it though. I was totally surprised to find I was also fine energy-wise because I've been unusually low energy the last couple days. This has been my lowest mileage week in forever - only 13 miles. I've been doing a range between 25 and 30. Maybe I've turned some kind of corner...sure hope so.

      Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

      Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

        PoeDog - wanted to wish you good luck for your half! This weekend? Hope you have a great time! I can't wait to hear how it goes! Happyfeat - how are you doing? Are you still feeling OK?

        Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




        Go With The Flow
        Thyroid Support Group


        Driver, Runner, Bestie

          Yes, Cheryl, my half is tomorrow and I am excited and nervous-- my very first race. I've been having some problems with the amenia causing my ankles to swell and the iron supplements are really messing with my stomache. I feel slow and sluggish and as if my circulation is not functioning well. I have numbness in my toes, fingers and on my face at times when I am running. So, still kind of a mess. I haven't hit my long runs as much as I wanted in the last three weeks. I did manage to keep my weekly mileage to about 35-40 miles. I don't know, its supposed to be fun, but I still am a little worried I will let myself down timewise.
            Kate, you will be amazed at how that adrenaline kicks in when you know it's a race - especially your first one. I ran my first race last year - I only ran the race distance once, and was so nervous before, but the excitement goes a long way to helping you get through. You are one tough cookie doing a half for your first race! Go, Kate, Go!!!!!!! I'm taking Floradix and alternating with an ionic iron supplement - both liquid, and so far seem to be tolerating it pretty well - my ferritin is still much lower than I would like it to be, but I've increased the doses and hopefully in another 2 months will see some major improvement. I think your anemia issues are really interferring with your workouts and you are doing an awesome job with your running despite it. Just think where you will be when you get those issues under control! I am so impressed with your progress! Smile

            Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




            Go With The Flow
            Thyroid Support Group

            HappyFeat


              Just in from running. Did 5 1/2 miles without stopping at at a little under my goal pace of 10 minutes per mile. I'm so pleased. I've still been doing a mix of 3, 4, and 5-milers and working towards regaining that 10 minute mile pace that used to be my norm. It's 7 weeks since my dose change. The first few weeks felt like I was dramatically low thyroid. Now I feel so good (so NORMAL) that I worry after my blood test next week it will show high and she'll want to lower me again. God I hope not.

              Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

              Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

                Just in from running. Did 5 1/2 miles without stopping at at a little under my goal pace of 10 minutes per mile. I'm so pleased. I've still been doing a mix of 3, 4, and 5-milers and working towards regaining that 10 minute mile pace that used to be my norm. It's 7 weeks since my dose change. The first few weeks felt like I was dramatically low thyroid. Now I feel so good (so NORMAL) that I worry after my blood test next week it will show high and she'll want to lower me again. God I hope not.
                What great news and great progress for you!!! Fingers crossed that things have leveled out for you! It's been a long 6 months, but I am finally feeling back to normal myself. My last labs came back with TSH back down to 0.01, FT4 2.4 and FT3 up to 346. Doc would like those levels lower of course, but we will wait for the next levels to be done at the end of May. For some reason, I always seem to feel best when my TSH is 0.01. What can I say, I'm special Tongue. I'm still being cautious about how much exercise I am doing, but since I'm not really planning on doing much, if any, racing this summer, it's all good. How is everyone else doing?

                Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




                Go With The Flow
                Thyroid Support Group

                  Hi all, Just this morning I did my first run again after my medication has changed. I have been doing a lot of other workouts in the meantime. I walked and cycled much. Especially when I had the suffocated feeling, because of the enlarged thyroid, I felt good with cycling. With your head lifted up far, you get more space for breathing. (Maybe a tip for others when they have the same problem) But in the end running is the real thing for me. I only did 4 X 5 minutes with 2 minutes breaks today because I'm afraid starting off too fast. But slowly I will get back to running 30 minutes again. Today is another beautiful day.

                  Today is another beautiful day

                   

                  HappyFeat


                    Well my recent TSH test came back at the hypo end of normal, which usually means a dosage increase, but I haven't heard yet.

                     

                    Meanwhile my running is going great. I ran FIVE 6 milers last week and will have done 3 of them this week after tonight's run. I ran a 7-miler a couple weeks ago and I'm maintaining a 10 minute mile pace which is my goal. So I couldn't be happier with my running.

                     

                    I just had a couple days this week and last week of heart palpitations which a year ago were because my Synthroid dose was too high. Nowadays I think it's an estrogen imbalance. Anyway  I find it very emotionally distressing. Sometimes I run on the treadmill so I am close to home because of it. That's not so bad though. I face outside and have a lovely view of garden greenery. I'm glad I have that option. Well I'm out the door now for my run.  Hope everyone is having a great day.

                     


                    Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

                    Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.


                    Driver, Runner, Bestie

                      Happy, Running outside is great!  I am glad that you've made this breakthrough and your miles per week sound fantastic.  Any races in your future? 

                       

                      I'm having a hard time recovering from some knee pain that has been lingering around.  Last couple of weeks I've got in very few miles.  And I am still limping around.  I may have to make an appointment next week.  I hate waiting around to heal up.  And I worry about losing the base I've built up over the last 10 months.

                       

                      Enjoy that run.  I wonder if all this running has made you a bit hypo?  

                      HappyFeat


                         

                        I'm having a hard time recovering from some knee pain that has been lingering around.  Last couple of weeks I've got in very few miles.  And I am still limping around.  I may have to make an appointment next week.  I hate waiting around to heal up.  And I worry about losing the base I've built up over the last 10 months.

                         Kate, sorry to hear about the knee pain. Don't forget sometimes the pain is originating somewhere else. Press your fingers into your leg above and below the knee and see if you can find any hot spots. Sometimes the lower leg muscles on either side of your shin can be inflamed or have knots in them that make your knee hurt; likewise with the inner thigh muscle, quad, or IT band. I say this because so far (except for when I sprained my knee or my shoes were worn out), this has been the cause of any knee pain I've had.  Ice and massage are my best solutions.

                        Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

                        Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

                          HappyFeat - how are you feeling now? Still good I hope and nice to hear that your running is going so well for you! I get palpitations whenever I have a hot flash, which is quite often despite being on HRT. Hormone shifts during menopause cause some really weird reactions, makes it especially hard to tell what's going on when you're trying to figure out your thyroid meds.

                           

                          Kate, hoping your knee problems are doing better and I've also found that when ever I've had pains in the knee area, they do seem to originate elsewhere. I've been weight training my legs regularly now, and I find that I have just not been as prone to leg problems since I've been consistent with the weights. It did take quite awhile to find the right combo that worked for me. I rarely even stretch anymore, just don't seem to need it. My massage therapist says that when you weight train one group you are stretching the opposing muscle group - she must be right, because my flexibility is the same as it was when I was doing regular stretching. I also get a sport massage once a month, and it has made a huge difference in warding off injuries. If you can, see if you can get a massage - but make sure it's by someone who does regular sport massage.

                           

                          I had a bad bout of bronchitis - lasted close to a month, and it's really taken a toll on the running. I'm fit, but my running endurance is not so great - right now I'm using HR to determine run/walk intervals and hoping that eventually it'll come back.

                          Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




                          Go With The Flow
                          Thyroid Support Group

                          HappyFeat


                            Cheryl,

                             

                            I've been waiting for a "good day" to respond to your inquiry...as I'm completely up in the air on how I'm doing lately..and that day has yet to come. So here's my story: I've been tired the last few days - 3 miles was all I could do today; but some days are just like that.

                             

                            I've discovered that Calcium may be the solution to my palpitations right now. I had stopped taking my Calcium recently and it was about two weeks into that when the palpitations recurred.  I read about the connnection then and so I'm back to getting 1200 to 1500 mg Calcium in diet/supplements and feeling quite calm and "normal" again. With that issue out of the picture, I'll be better able to assess how I'm feeling in terms of my thyroid. 

                             

                            Currently I plan to stay at the 100 mcg Synthroid for now with a recheck in 6 months, although my GP is open to adjusting my dose any time I ask if my symptoms warrant it....good to know. It seems like my thyroid has been very up and down this past year and my feeling is that the 100 mcg dose will get me through the highs and the lows and hopefully I'll stablilize at some point.

                             

                            I'm 4 years past menopause and on Vagi-Fem which is a form of low dose estrogen for localized symptoms and it supposedly is not taken up systemically by the body. However if I even take it twice a week as prescribed, I get dramatic side effects of too much estrogen. I am sure the past year of trying to get on an even schedule with that has messed with my thyroid level.

                             

                            So I'm maintaining for the moment, but have gained about 5 lbs (ugh!) and am feeling a little blue (like when hypo). My exhilarating week of 6-milers has been followed by a couple weeks of 4's with some 5's thrown in. I'm currently working my way back to doing all 5's.


                             


                            Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

                            Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

                              I'm sorry to hear that you're going through another low period right now, fingers crossed that it won't last too long. Glad to hear that you had a simple fix for your palpitation problem!

                              I had a lot of problems with conventional HRT meds and it really bound up my thyroid hormone to the extent that I went off it completely to attempt to get my thyroid levels up. In the meantime, I'm losing bone at the high end of normal range, so made the decision to go with natural hormones. Are they helping? I don't know - at this point, I'm taking them in the hopes that they will slow down my bone loss, the hot flashes are still bad, but I go through cycles with them, and it's just something I have to live with.

                              Hang in there, I'm really hoping that things turn around for you soon, and try not to worry too much about the weight, I bet it will come off quickly once you can pick up your running again.

                              Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




                              Go With The Flow
                              Thyroid Support Group


                              Driver, Runner, Bestie

                                Happy Feet:  I am totally with you on this rollercoaster.  My problems are different, but I've been struggling with many of the fatigue issues and just general malaise.  I have recovered from this knee/leg/back injury, but that took a few three weeks of hobbling around like a monster.  I cut back my running, which had been going along like a dream.  I was running a 9:20 mile and it was easy, just cruising.  After this injury, its been more like 11 minute mile that I am disgusted and embarrassed by.  And its been a struggle to get in a 6 mile run (which was a bread and butter, super fun run previously).  I have to battle constantly the desire to walk.

                                 

                                My iron levels are low.  I am not great at taking the supplements as often as I should as I hate swallowing pills.  My synthroid pill is small and cute and not a problem, but the iron and vitamin C that accompany it are huge.  I know, a very lame excuse.

                                 

                                You guys are great.  Sorry to be so whiny and self absorbed.  There are good things going on, like a nice cool summer so far and my garden is thriving with all the rain Illinois has received this year.    

                                 

                                I