Hashimoto’s flare

[Flossiewestie2020]

Hi All,

I’ve felt pretty stable with my Hashimoto’s symptoms for a while now and have been on the same dose of Armour for a long time.

However, two and a half weeks ago I had the flu, which turned into a chest infection and I had to take a course of antibiotics. Since then my thyroid symptoms have flared up. I’ve had really bad fatigue and brain fog. Yesterday I tried to go to work on reduced hours and I felt ok in the morning but by the afternoon the brain fog was so bad that I couldn’t complete a thought, my head felt fuzzy and I had this weird sense of detachment whilst I was talking to someone, like I wasn’t really there.

This experience stressed me out as it reminded me of when I first got diagnosed and was so unwell that I just couldn’t do my job.

I’m desperate to get back to my version of normal. Does this seem like a normal response to being so unwell? How long is it likely to last? How can I help myself? Also, is it possible that I’ll need to up my meds?

Usually I exercise a lot and I’m really missing it but I’m terrified of doing anything that will piss my thyroid off but equally moping around and stressing isn’t helping me either!

Any advice would be appreciated 😊

[Bollieforme]

I had similar issues to you, mine turned into pneumonia and the antibiotics didn’t help my thyroid problems, it’ll take a while for you to level out and a case of don’t run before you can walk. I started on 1st Jan and just feeling a bit better now. Hope this helps and you are back to your old self soon.

[Flossiewestie2020 in reply to Bollieforme]

Thank you. That’s really helpful.

[greygoose]

What most people mean by a Hashi's 'flare' is a period of temporary hyperthyroidism due to the dying cells releasing their stocks of thyroid hormone into the blood. If your hypo symptoms are worse - as can be expected after flu, etc. - it's not a Hashi's flare, although it maybe a hypo flare.

What happens when you have a bad infection is that your conversion of T4 to T3 is down-graded, so you become more hypo. This happens to protect you and make you rest so that all the body's resourses can be focused on making you well. So, yes, it is a normal response to being unwell.

How can you help yourself? Well, lay off the exercising first of all. That's not going to help and could make you worse. Get plenty of rest, vit C to help fight infection, plenty of good protein to build up your strength.

Should you increase your dose? That is debatable and people have different ideas. Ideally I would say no. Mother Nature has deliberately reduced your level of T3 for a reason. But, on the other hand, you have to be able to survive in a modern world and hold on to your job. You could perhaps try a very small increase, to see if it helps.

But, don't worry about pissing your thyroid off. It's been out of the loop since you started Armour. So that has nothing to do with it. What you do need to do is avoid making your conversion even worse by too much activity and not enough calories. That's the problem right now.

[Flossiewestie2020 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you. That’s really helpful and reassuring 😊

[greygoose in reply to Flossiewestie2020]

You're welcome.