This is such a quiet group! Hope it is just because everyone is cruising along and feeling fine.

I am cruising along and doing pretty well  in terms of running - set a 5K PR recently!!!  and - not in the same race, won a fabulous apple pie for winning a 5K race!  -  but actualy I'm not feeling  fine. I think some of you will be able to relate to what I've been going through.  In the last couple of months I've lost half my hair, almost all my eyebrows, and I've gotten a free almost-Brazilian! I would say "Yay," except that I never wanted one! Recent labwork shows  my TSH is high, my ferritin is low, and my testosterone is too low to be measured.  No wonder I'm struggling in a variety of ways!  I'm beginning training for a fall marathon and while I knowmy legs can do it, I'm going to have to work on the mental part. It all seems so daunting. It seems I can only take it in one training run at a time.

My Synthroid dose has been lowered and I'm starting an iron supplement. Retest in 2 to 3 months. I haven't heard from my pcp yet if there's to anything to be done about the testosterone, but my rapidly receding hairline is begging for help. I've read that your body makes testosterone from progesterone. So I've resumed using the progesterone cream that helped me through menopause in hopes it will boost my testosterone.

How is everyone else doing, runningwise and healthwise???

That's great that you're feeling better after your dose adjustment DGF.  You should have an easier time losing the extra weight once you are closer to 1.5; although as you say, it's a multifaceted problem.

Yeah - the hair loss - extremely stressful to go through. People say:"Oh yeah, stress causes hair loss. Have you been under a lot of stress?" I say "Not before, but I sure as hell am now!" It's really awful.  How long before yours came back?

I'm going on a women's weekend "fitness retreat" in a couple weeks which involves camping and outdoor activities, but also has a dinner event with guest speakers like Lorraine Moller and an female ultra athlete. I am a teensy bit worried about how to fix my hair. It's casual, but I  don't think I can just slap a ball cap on it for dinner. Ugh!

Oh Happy.  I certainly hope things turn around quickly for you.  It sounds like your doctor is taking things seriously though and wiling to make adjustments.  The frustrating part is waiting for the body to catch up with adjustments.  I hope you are feeling energized soon.  I have periods where I mentally freeze; my body simply does not want to move and I have to say to myself, you can do this--one step at a time.  Thyroid stuff sucks particularity from the feeling exhausted all the time.  I understand the mental battle to get the training runs in.  It helps me to think about how good I will feel about myself when I can check off--yep did that run afterwards.

I have finally managed to lose 40 pounds and am very happy with the results.  I decided on September 15th (my brother's birthday that is how I remember the date) to change my eating habits.  Just more healthy with salads and fruits and vegetables.  More simple fresh food.  Way less carbohydrates--no bread or pasta.  And the weight came off.  I was even able to hit my goal half marathon in May with 1:58 (anything under 2hrs).

I am a little hyper on last medication.  Some of those side effects are difficulty sleeping and sometimes feeling "rushed".  My doctor is slowly making adjusted down from 150mcg to 135mcg so we will see in about 6 weeks.

Is there a reason you can not run Erica?  Not exercising would be a huge mental blow to me.  I hope things swing around for you and you get great Labs back on Thursday.

Hang in there girls.  Great to hear from you!

KATE! SUB-2 HOURS for HM! That's huge! Congratulations! You must be thrilled. I know I was - and I have been amazed ever since that I did it. It really feels out of reach; but I will try again some day.

When I had the most trouble with being hyperthyroid a few years ago, one of the worst symptoms was panic attacks. I'd never had them before and haven't had them since, but they can be frightening! I also had the palpitations and felt like I was "revved up" with butterflies in my chest. Unnerving! Plus the trouble sleeping and all. Hyper is no picnic; neither is hypo.

I've been lucky recently and connected with a woman who runs Tues and Thurs evenings when her son is in soccer. So I've been zipping home after work and out the door in record time to meet her to run with. It has helped energize my running a bit. She's new to running and extremely enthusiastic :-)

Thanks for the headband suggestion, DGF. My bare scalp is most noticeable on the top and sides, My bangs cover the hairline in front, although THEY seem to be disappearing in the center this week. So - not sure what to do really. A ball cap covers the thin areas, but I can't wear one for work or "occasions". Luckily, I'm a receptionist at a clinic where most of our patients are elderly; so I don't think they really notice or care. I blow dry and curl and try to make what's left look okay; and otherwise pretend it isn't happening.

For this weekend retreat though I don't know what the facilities are like. I know we'll be camping, but the meals and classes will be indoors somewhere. So we might have access to bathrooms where we can get fixed up for the evenings.  I'm super-excited about this! There will be different activities and classes to choose from like stand-up-paddle-boarding (which I've never done), trail running, outdoor yoga, women's self-defense, strength training for runners, a nutrition class, a presentation on running gear and supplements like gels and drinks and stuff, four guest speakers, AND a nighttime bio-luminescence paddle!!!  I've never ever done anything like this and it will be a bit of a stretch, but I AM READY!

So, got my blood work back after 6'ish weeks with alternating between the two doses and I'm still "high-normal" at 2.28 - down from 2.8.

Is the 2.28 your TSH level? If so, that's not high-normal as far as I know. My doc says most people feel their best at around 1.0

My lab test now says the range is 0.50-8.90. It used to say 0.40-4.20.   I can tell you I feel pretty lousy at anything over 3.0

So your TSH is a high number, which it means that you are hypothyroid, not hyper. So anything higher than a 3 is really too "low." :-) I think the range is screwball too since I feel lousy at anything over 3.  Anyway, I think you are on the right track of going to 112 mcg every day.

Last night I read that hyperthyroid does not cause eyebrow loss; only hypo does. I'm bummed since I thought this was part of my problem, and with my dose adjustment I'd be on the way to fixing it. Low ferritin causes the kind of allover hair loss I'm having and to correct that apparently takes about a year :-( I read "3 months to stop the hair loss and another 6 months before it starts growing back." I should stop reading! My next appt with doc is Aug 18 right after my next TSH test. Guess I want to be ready with any questions.