thyroid question

I just got blood work done today, and I may have Hypothyroidism.

I tried to do a easy 4 mile tempo run 2 days ago and couldn't make it past 2 miles.

I'm always tired, sluggish, sleepy. Even if I am super sleepy sometimes I will lay in bed for hours before I can fall asleep. Sometimes getting up in the morning is impossible, running at 6 min pace feels impossible when I use to do it with relative ease.

Are these signs of having hypothyroidism. I will get the results back in a few days. I almost WANT to have it just so I know I can take a pill and feel better.

My running has been off for 3 months now, and running 80 mpw (soon to be 100) is becoming a great challange b/c I'm always so tired/fatigued.

I have this condition, and am an avid collegiate runner. I gained 20 lbs at the worst of my condition. This is called Hypothyroidism. I would go to a doctor, and have them check your T3, T4, and TSH levels. They will know what you are talking about, it is kind of hard to explain. This way, they will be able to diagnose you. Then, if it comes back that you do have this condition, I would find an Endocrinologist that will help you find a steady level of synthroid (the meds that help). It took me 2 years to finally find my correct level. It is a frustrating experience, but you will get through it!!

Anyone have an endo in NYC they'd recommend? I started a separate thread to ask the question - http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1433315 - but mention it here too in case anyone's watching this thread specifically. Thanks.

I have been feeling beyond terrible and struggling with what I abled as overtraining again and again, not racing in two years. I went to get the blood test and tsh was 4.8, i know this isn't high enough to get treated, but with how I have been feeling, how do I know my tsh isnt on the way up to a level they will medicate for.I cleary have many of these symptoms. The legs are what feel worse, like you cant lift them or control them. But the other symtptoms are far worse. Thanks for sharing the knowledge, because doctors I have talked to only understand treating overweight people.

had what i finally called "weird knee thing"

please explain what this felt like? Losing control of your leg with no pain?

Hey just wanted to bump this thread to see if i could get any help.I just talked to my doc today who told me my tsh of 3.14 was completely normal andher exact words were "i dont know why you would be tired". Ive ready a lot that suggests anything over 2.0 could indicate sub clinical thyroid problem. I also have a family history of hypo thyroid through a few generations. My basic symptoms are the being tired,slugging, cant run for sh*t, weight gain of about 15-20 lbs , and brain fog.

I mean this is something i need to get solved I used to be a pretty good runner as in i ran a 4:09 mile in hs. If anybody has any advice for what to do please help. I am currently going to try and look around for a doctor thats willing ot at least to try and treat and see if it helps.

have you had a HGB, HCT, and Ferritin test?

3.14 is considered normal but since you have a family history, it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask for a Free T3 and T4 test.

you lose weight with hyperthyroid, gain with hypo. if your tsh is 3.14, something else may be going on. i was diagnosed and treated for graves' disease and here are some of the symptoms (a simple google search will also help):

weight loss

racing heart/palpitations

constantly hot

night sweats (you sweat GALLONS)

skin irritation/constant itchiness

clubbed fingernails

dry skin/peeling fingers

dry hair

diarrhea

mucous membranes screwed up

muscle tremors/shakes

you go mental

eyes (or eye sockets, i can't remember) swell . . . it feels like someone is stabbing you in the eye

bone density decreases

remember, these are symptoms for HYPERthyroid

stickit wrote:

I have been feeling beyond terrible and struggling with what I abled as overtraining again and again, not racing in two years. I went to get the blood test and tsh was 4.8, i know this isn't high enough to get treated, but with how I have been feeling, how do I know my tsh isnt on the way up to a level they will medicate for.I cleary have many of these symptoms...

This is a very old thread, but still a topic that is relevant to some of us.

If your TSH is 4.8 or so, there could still be something wrong with you. Mine is only in the 4-5+ range right now, and while in retrospect I have many of the hypothyroid symptoms, they aren't so pronounced that I ever would have gone to the doctor for them.

The only reason I was tested at all is that I have several close relatives with thyroid conditions. They completely missed this last year, probably because my TSH levels were still in the normal range, but it turns out that I have Hashimoto's (diagnosed by a positive antibody test), for which I am now being treated.

When I was in the 4-5 range I was still feeling sluggish and running was difficult. I didn't start feeling really great (normal) until I was in the 1-2 range.

Dear Noname,

Wow, I thought I was going crazy until I found this post. Your muscle symptoms fit mine to a T.

I'm not an avid visitor to the message board, but I was desperate. I used to be an Olympic hopeful distance runner. My range was from the 800-marathon. I had a breakthrough season in 2004. I ran PB's in everything from the 5k-half marathon. I debuted in the marathon in 2005. I ran well and thought I was on fire.2006 came and knocked me down. I had chronic hamstring stuff as well as low back and glute stuff. Ended up getting surgery in my pelvis which proved to be unsuccessful. I struggled through 2007. Had multiple physio, doctors, chiro and pain doctors look at me this year and through 2008. My mother, whose a nurse pract. finally ordered some bloodwork and low and behold my TSH was 27. They thought is was a lab error so they did it again. Still 27! They ran more tests and there was the elevated antibodies. I ran Carlsbad that year, 2009 and struggled in at 16:59. You feel like you're in a fog, running through mud and have zero motivation to get up much less train. I was running 80mpw during this time and was 10 pounds over weight.The hardest part of all of this is having all the muscle pain. My smooth stride has become a shuffle. I finally flew to see Dr. Brown a renowned endo in dallas a year ago. My disease still wasn't under control when I saw him as my free T4 and 3 were still out of control. Until reading your post I had no idea how long it takes for the muscles to unwind per say. I have a great group of professionals helping me now, but I still get incredibly frustrated as my body is still struggling to be 100% healthy. Most of my symtoms are in my pelvis and hamstrings. I'm yo yoing between hyper and hypo as they figure out my meds thus my training is reflecting this. The key is getting my thyroid meds to complement my training. Any advice you have will be welcomed. I figure I've been medicated for almost 2 years, but I figure I've had the disease since 2006. Thanks..Recovery is such a problem.

hey hashi,

i didn't know this thread was still out there. crazy how long ago it was started.

it's been many years since i was diagnosed. i was diagnosed in my mid 30s and i'm now pushing my mid 40s. i think i stated earlier that i think the longer you go undiagnosed, the longer it takes you to recover.

one suggetion i've got is to embrace crosstraining. it's going to take some time to get all of your strength back. learn to swim, row, bike or bike and pick a goal for that sport and shoot for it. strength train! funny that the RW that just came out has the "build a better butt" is alot of what i'm doing that i think is keeping me healthy.

Know that you will get it all back especially if you are younger. it sounds like you've got some killer docs. if you see them again, can you ask them about that graph i refered to reagarding T3 and exericse? i still haven't found someone to prove or disprove the theory that endurance athletes need to have a lower TSH than sedentary folks. I'd also love to get their take on other stuff i've posted here. i tried to keep it only to scientific studies so anyone with any medical background would be okay with chiming in versus a thread loaded with crap about supplements and diet.

the drugs work great but your body has to recover from the damage its sustained while not recovering for so long.

one more question, how did you find this thread?

Here is my story: I'm hypo and I've been taking Levoxyl since I was 12 (now 22). Over the last couple of years my racing has been very inconsistent. I have been an All American in xc (d2) and hovered around 30:00 for 10k at my best, I have also struggled to break 15 min for 5k and been getting injured a lot more often (usually not bad enough to miss any time, but always kinda hurt, including a chronic hernia/groin type of injury I've been running through for the last 1.5 years).

This summer I started running more consistent 100-110 mile weeks (in the past I occasionally did them but was more in the 85-90 range with occasional weeks even lower). My workouts went really well in cross, I was able to run with/ahead of some of my teammates who are sub 14:20, 29:30 types, without straining. Some days I would be on fire and run really well, others not so much. But when it came to racing I would usually fall off the pace in the middle of the race and then start to give up. I've also had a tough time concentrating on school work and waking up in the morning, and I used to be a top student and a morning person. I'm thin, 5'9, 140, but I've put on 5 pounds in the last couple years (in my gut) despite running 100+ mile weeks, which seems a little odd, but that may just be from maturing. I just don't feel like the same person I used to be back in high school before I started high mileage training.

I used to think I just felt like that because I was training so hard, but my races aren't at all reflecting my training. I'm wondering if I just suck at racing or if I need to be on a higher dose of Levoxyl (currently 100 mcg). My TSH has been around 2.5-3 the last couple times I've been tested (9 months ago being most recent).But back then my training wasn't as consistently strong as it is now and the last test was at the end of track season, so I wasn't running that much. I consistently ran 90-110 mpw for most of summer and cross, my best training ever, didn't do any hard workouts other than tempos until October (so i didn't peak early), yet placed 30 places worse than 2 years ago when my workouts/training were nowhere near the level they are now. I've also had low feratin before, but that is fine now.

I've had a bad start to indoor track, again not racing to my potential and seemingly starting to fall off after about 7 minutes of racing (not going out too hard either), which shouldn't be happening given my endurance is my strong point. I've read on here that some people say the TSH of an endurance athlete should be closer to 1, should I talk to my doc about upping my dose? I also do a bad job sometimes of taking my pill on an empty stomach (bad, I know), does that make a huge difference? Sorry for the novel, but I want to make the most of my last collegiate track season. Any advice is appreciated!

for some reason this didn't show up on the board.

Taking the pill on an empty stomach could help. Just stick it next to your bed with a water bottle and take it first thing when you get up...done.

It doesn't hurt to ask your doc to up your dose to see if lowering your TSH to 1 makes a difference. If he questions you, ask him, what is the harm in trying to lower it? You'll be tested within 6 weeks and if you are too low, you can back off.

i don't know why this thread won't bump.

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