[Claire95]

#1058928

I’m 38 years old and my first experience with hyperthyroidism began about six months after my daughter was born. I was diagnosed with post-partum thyroiditis and was monitored by a gp while on a beta-blocker. I came in one afternoon to have it re-checked and I was running a fever, sweating like crazy, and my bloodwork indicated that my thryoid levels had increased. I saw an endo the next day and began taking Tapazole. After a couple of months on Tapazole, I was hypothyroid. My endo started to discuss RAI, but I wanted to wait it out. He slowly weaned me off the Tapazole. Once I was off the meds, my thyroid levels were normal for five years. I continued to see an endo every six months just to be sure.
This past fall, I began experiencing abdominal pains while running. I love to run, so this really got to me. I had a couple of ultrasounds and there was really no explanation. Running became difficult, and there was no end in sight. Over the past couple of months, the pain seems to have disappeared. I was starting to get back to running and feeling better. And then I started to notice the heart palpitations… I didn’t think much of it until I lost a couple of pounds and the hand tremors started. I went back to my endo for my six-month appointment and I was hyperthyroid. Only strange thing is that my pulse was normal – 70’s. When I was first diagnosed my resting pulse was 150.
I had a thyroid uptake scan – 76% I know my endo will want me to do RAI. I’m eager to get back to running (I actually feel fine while running but took a break since the hyperthyroidism came back). I’m worried about a weight gain beyond what I need to gain and having to take a pill for the rest of my life. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Kimberly]

#1171010

Hello and welcome! All three treatment options (Anti-Thyroid Drugs, Surgery, RAI) have risks and benefits, so this is an area where you will want to do your own research and make a decision that you are comfortable with.

You might use the “search posts” feature for “running” or “runner”, as we have had a couple of avid runners post on this forum.

The newest guidance on treatment of hyperthyroidism from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Thyroid Association notes the importance of taking patient values and preferences into account. You can access the guidance here:

[size 10](Note on links: if you click directly on the following links, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).[size 10][/size][/size]

http://thyroidguidelines.net/sites/thyroidguidelines.net/files/file/THY_2010_0417.pdf

The info on treatment choices is on pages 600-601 of the journal, which is pages 8-9 of the PDF doc.

Also, if you do a search for “weight” on this forum, you can see that there has been a lot of discussion on this topic with no easy answers. Some patients are fortunate to NOT have weight issues, but others do struggle with weight gain above and beyond what was lost while hypER. I haven’t seen any research that one treatment option or another is better or worse for weight issues, but this would be a great topic for study! However, your #1 priority for now is to pick a treatment option that will get your thyroid hormone levels stabilized and get you back on the path to good health.

Take care!

[Bobbi]

#1171011

Just an added comment: resting heart rate evaluation needs to be compared to the individual’s own “normal.” Some of us have higher heart rates than others of us. Those of us who are athletes, tend to have lower heart rates than people who are not athletes. Some folks with heart disease have lower heart rates than they should have, due to the weakness of the heart muscle….. Unlike blood levels of thyroid hormone — which are typically given in a range — it is not an “absolute” type of thing.

[Author]

Posts