[mactrish]

#1058890

:rolleyes::rolleyes: I was diagnosed with graves about 6 months ago and had a thyroidectomy on 12/28/11 it is now 8 weeks later and I am so fatigued allof the time I have a hard time caring for my family I sleep almost all day and night dr says levels are normal just wondering why I have no interest in anything but sleep family says I am grouchy and all they see me do is sleep and I am always in pajamas and I catch everything that is going around will this go away?
I also haven’t gone back to work I am afraid to be falling asleep at my desk!

[Bobbi]

#1170714

We, here, are patients, like you, so for medical insight, you need to be pumping your doctor.

Keep in mind, though, that just getting our levels back to normal will not instantly make us feel normal. The best analogy is to think of hyperthyroidism as a hurricane for the body. Thyroid hormone affects most, if not all of our body systems. Having it out of whack in effect damages those systems in one way or another. Now that you have your thyroid out, and you are on a dose of replacement that makes your thyroid levels “normal” your body needs to heal. Just like communities need to rebuild after a hurricane, your body needs to rebuild.

There are things you can do to help the healing process along. We need good nutrition. We also need to restrengthen muscle after being hyperthyroid. So, drag yourself outside for short walks, do stretching exercises on the floor, just plan to move a bit more than you’ve been doing. Until your muscles regain strength you will feel weak. But you need to think in terms of baby steps. An illustration: when I went to an exercise physiologist after I got back to normal levels of hormone, he analyzed my physical condition with the help of a computer program. At the end of the analysis, he told me that I had only 8% (!) of the muscle strength of a normal woman my age. And I felt every bit that weak.

But the point is that if you just wait to feel miraculously better, it can take longer than if you plot things out and work on improvements. Do check things out with your doctor. But if you are given the go ahead for exercise and “normal” living, set out a plan for yourself to regain strength and stamina. We do get well again. It just takes a bit of time.

[gatorgirly]

#1170715

I took a month-and-a-half off from work shortly after I was diagnosed, simply to regroup and focus on my health. I wasn’t feeling all that tired before my “sabbatical” but I found that the more downtime I had, the more I took advantage of it. I would spend entire days in bed with my only trips outside being short walks with my dog, who was perfectly content to stay in bed all day, too. But once I went back to work, I found my energy levels increased and I was able to get through the work day without feeling tired much more easily than I could when I wasn’t working.

My point is – could you try going back to work, even part time? I think our bodies recognize weekends, days off and other time away from work and say, “Oh, we can sleep all day? Let’s do it!” But when it’s time to be awake and productive, they can manage. Of course, I didn’t have a thyroidectomy and I know it’s a long, slow recovery process, so I’m not entirely sure what you’re going through. I just know that I needed those six weeks off from work, but when I went back, it felt good – physically and mentally.

[Kimberly]

#1170716

Hello – One other quick note…have you had your TSH, Free T4, and T3 levels checked recently?

Following surgery, the doctor makes his/her best guess as to the appropriate dose of replacement hormone based on your age, weight, and any other underlying medical conditions. However, the usual practice is to test levels every few weeks and tweak the dosage of replacement hormone as needed.

Keep in mind that the latest medical guidance is that TSH can remain suppressed for quite some time in Graves’ patients, so this alone is not a good benchmark for making decisions early in the treatment process.

Take care!

[Author]

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