I have a fairly serious, medically-oriented, somewhat running-related question for anyone with knowledge/experience in this area.
Long story short: I'm a 22 year old runner who competed well in high school and fairly well in college. In recent months, however, I've been so "run down" that I have been unable to train consistently. The biggest issue I've had is that it's not something that's merely affecting my running; it's affecting every aspect of my life and has become, seemingly, a healthy problem.
I have trouble getting to sleep at night (most nights I can't get to sleep till about 1 AM) but I will sleep late to make sure I get enough rest. Lately I've been sleeping 12-14 hours a day and still find myself exhausted throughout the day. I get light-headed often, and every now and then I experience dizziness/verigo. I've had headaches on and off for over a month, and I wake up about 3 days every week with my joints stiff/swollen and my eyes are swollen. I've also noticed my feet/hands are either ice cold or sweaty during the day.
I went to the doctor earlier this week for blood tests (mostly to see if it was mono) and they all came back showing everything was fine. He called on Friday and said he was sending a sample back to the lab to test for Thyroid issues and would get back to me next week. I'm a little freaked out at the moment, considering my mother has a cousin who has had thyroid cancer.
I'm just curious if anyone out there has ever experienced any similar symptoms/issues? Anyone out there ever been diagnosed with a thyroid issue? If so, what was the treatment like?
Thanks for any help.