Severe exercise intolerance...........followed by barely being able to walk because of pain.

Hypo/ Hashi on erfa

I had to do something quite stupid yesterday and run a lot........don't ask me why!

This was kind of high speed running!

Anyway about an hour later my feet started hurting badly and I thought...yep here comes the plantar fasciitis! Anyway by last night I was so crippled with pain that i could barely walk. Infact my husband had to help me as I couldn't walk unaided. So today I have spent the entire day in bed recovering. I am now at the hobbling stage which is an improvement but feet and legs still very painful. Also my mood has been very low today as if my body used up every bit of ERFA it had in reserve. STUPID, STUPID, I KNOW!!!

What I really want to know is WILL I ALWAYS BE LIKE THIS?? How do athletes manage when they are diagnosed??? WILL I NEVER BE ABLE TO EXERCISE AGAIN?

When I've mention to my endo about going to the gym he always says......NO!......Thats not a good idea.......Try a gentle 20 minute walk.

Anybody out there the same??

Xxx

[shaws Administrator]

Yes, you will be able to exercise again but you cannot until your medication is at the optimum for you. Your car couldn't go full speed ahead if it had no oil in the engine We, if we are having a good day, instead of relishing in it we do want to do as we normally did. Sometimes it backfires.

I am sorry you had/have so much pain but I do understand as I, too, had awful pain and it was very difficult to move my legs and walking was near impossible. I am fine now but it did take time. You will have to go a bit more slowly next time and work up.

[Hidden]

Thank you Shaws. I'm sorry you've been there too but it's good to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel! I shall just behave myself a bit more but it is an indicator that I may need a tad more erfa.

Thanks for such a speedy response. Hopefully tomorrow may be a better less painful day!

X

[lucindajethol]

I am on Levo and I still exercise twice a week but have given up one class for the time being as it was weights and it made me ache too much the next day and took me longer to recover than normal. Its great for toning your body but I don't seem as strong as I used to be ie at lifting. Don't know if you have heard of the Les Mills Classes (google it if you wish to check them out) they are at most Gyms now and do loads of very different classes so you can find one you may enjoy. I love them because they are to music and they launch a new class every 3 months, so you don't get bored. You may like to try something more gentle like Body Balance, to start with or Body Vive, but my favourites are Body Attack and Body Combat, when you feel up to it again. By the way don't be put off by the instructors that appear on the video, your local ones will probably look nothing like that. At the end of the day its great fun if you can find a class near you.

[TSH110]

Hi Joesmum your energetic run chimed with me alright! I was a very keen runner and cyclist for all my adult life and really enjoyed doing both to a reasonable level. I started canicrossing with my whippets and then the parkrun every Saturday and did well sat both.

But things started going funny I'd struggle with a very slow time one week and ok the next. Cycling got harder and slower and I Iost confidence. Recovery from exercise became excruciating and protracted and I would fall asleep all day after exercise and feel icy cold. I started to put on weight and upped the mileage to compensate for what I thought was due to slowing down with age. 10 miles a day running and still I got fatter and fatter. Eventually I became terribly ill with bouts of energy and the ability to run like I used to but mostly I was feeling comatosed. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and started on levothyroxine but very low dosage because I had suffered from heart pains for a long time before. I kept parkrunning but was 15 mins slower over 5k than I had been when ok. It took a year to get me "optimised" I still feel unwell after 2 years on levo, my heart rate is 20bpm faster than it used to be - no one seems to be able to explain why - so I can't go anywhere near as fast and it takes a lot longer to recover. I am still 6 mins slower over 5k. I have developed a Baker's cyst and before Xmas was told to stop running - I have felt increasingly unwell since stopping. I went to see a different doc who says the cyst can be removed. He is looking into if running is advisable but seemed to think it would be ok in moderation. So that is my experience. It is interesting that you had a blast - sorry you have paid such a painful price for it. This is exactly what happened to me when I'd suddenly feel full of energy and have an almost manic desire to run I felt really strange almost invincible. This was when I was becoming hyper, then I'd plunge back into hypo and running became a massive flog again. I am hypo now thyroid died and shrivelled up giving me one last mega dose of thyroxine, my behaviour became so bizarre I thought I had gone completely mad.

I think you will be able to exercise but don't beat yourself up if it is not to the same level as before, just be pleased to be doing it! You do need more time to recover so make sure you allow for this and take it steady. If any doctor tells you to stop, seek a second opinion from a doctor who knows that being active is good medicine in itself and will support you in keeping fit.

[TSH110]

This is a great article from stopthethyroidmadness site which may be of interest written by a successful runner with hypo:

scienceofrunning.com/2013/0...

[mado]

I go to the gym 4 times a week and have done for about 13 years. I never push myself, I do the same routine, but it works for me. I do 30 min walking everyday. Then at gym I do 10 min aerobic and rest weights for about 30 minutes. I have never had to stop it yet, although I have been to doc when the lead legs have gone on for over two weeks, she upped my levo a small amount.

I am motivated to exercise because I know it brings me benefits. Oh I forgot, I do 30 minutes of yoga every morning . However these are things I have been doing for years.

Of course you will be able to exercise again but everything in moderation. Good luck, take care

[Hidden]

Thank you all for your replies. Nearly three days on I am still struggling. I have felt very low and depressed too which concerns me. I've just overdone it and its makes me feel so fed up pee'd off.

Today my legs are still in agony as though the muscles have swollen and won't relax. My Achilles' tendons are taught and exceptionally painful and I won't even mention my feet!....... You can imagine. 49 and feel 89.

Xx