Excerise and hyperthyroidism

[Tony-the-tiger]

I have graves and coming up to 4 weeks on carbimazole (40mg) with my next appointment just 3 weeks away. My resting heart rate is back down to my historical levels (55 sleeping which got to 80s pre medication) and I'm itching to restart exercising other than walking. I'm conscious before my diagnosis I had a massive disconnect between my brain and body so need to take it easy but also really missing the exercise such as swimming. I'm curious to know others experiences to help manage my impatience and reintroduction to exercise.

[Portabella]

Hi

I have Graves and was told to avoid high intensity cardiovascular exercise. My pre diagnosis resting heart rate was over 100 though and I was incredibly fatigued. I did walk every day and kept up doing some moderate activity such as weight bearing exercise because I worried about bone weakness and muscle tone. Maybe avoid anything too strenuous until your next blood test. Glad you are feeling better!

[Fruitandnutcase]

Hi, I had graves back in 2012/3. Before I was diagnosed I had no energy. I used to do a lot of long distance coastal walking and that gradually fell by the wayside. I also discovered that if I got down to ground level to photograph something (see fungi photo by my name) I was unable to get up again without either having a tree to hold on to or someone to pull me up. My thighs were just so weak.

Like you I ended up taking 40 mg until I saw my endo - I took it for three months and by the time I saw the endo I had become very under-active. At that point I was started on levothyroxine as well as the carbimazole (block and replace treatment)

Anyway to get back to exercise. I was in my mid sixties so I was probably older than you. It took me a long time to get back to long distance walking. I kept going to the gym I had been attending two or three times a week and just dialled down the weight on everything I was using. Same with Pilates - my teacher is a physiotherapist and she modified everything for me.

I was like you - I really resented that Graves was stopping me doing the things I wanted to do and enjoyed doing. So I’d say try doing what you enjoyed pre-Graves only don’t knock yourself out but it’s probably early days. I found I needed a lot of rest. Then eventually probably the year after I stopped the block and replace I felt like going for a long walk and that was it.

You should try and have a DEXA scan to check out your bones because being hyper can lead to osteoporosis so don’t get caught out like I was. Once you feel fit look into weight bearing exercise. Unfortunately although swimming is good for you it isn’t weight bearing.

[Tony-the-tiger in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you that is useful and I have already booked a dexa scan as I have early menopause too so double the risk.

It's also nice to hear of someone else who couldn't get off the floor without something to hold onto. I remember shimmering along the gym floor trying to find something to hold onto just to get up off the mat pre diagnosis!

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Tony-the-tiger]

I know, for a long time I just thought I had too much stuff in my back pack 🤣

I’m glad you are organised and thinking about your bones - I really wish someone had told me to check mine. Nothing worse than discovering something like that too late. Could you / would you take HRT and do you know about Margaret Martin’s wonderful melioguide.com website?

[psalm18 in reply to Tony-the-tiger]

Are you no longer hyper?

[pennyannie]

Hey there again :

There can be something of a brain / body mismatch - with your brain firing on all cylinders - but with a body exhausted and feeling wiped out.

So with this in mind it is important to rest and just undertake gentle exercise.

Have you now received the medical evidence of which antibodies were found positive in your blood test and which justifies the prescribing of the Anti Thyroid -drug Carbimazole ?

[Tony-the-tiger in reply to pennyannie]

Yes I have. I received a letter that states T4 of

greater than a 100 pmol/L with suppressed TSH. TSH receptor antibody was 26 IU/L (reference less than

2.9).

I have asked for a copy of my blood results for future reference

[pennyannie in reply to Tony-the-tiger]

OK then - you have my detailed reply on your previous question on the forum -

so it is early days and I've nothing to add at present as it is very early days in your treatment plan :

You may well need to become your own best advocate so please read up around all things Graves Disease -

If you get lost reading around just press your Profile Icon that sits alongside the My Hub - Chat - Post - Alerts and Menu action bar -top right on a laptop screen.

You can read any other forum members Profile by pressing the icon alongside anything they may write on the forum.

[Billycasper]

I think you should be ok with swimming if you don’t over do it. I felt awful pre and after diagnosis and had lost 7kg so I felt to weak to get back to exercising straight away. I also suffered with palpitations but not a raised heart rate. I started back to exercise with yoga and Pilates probably two months after diagnosis and returned to tennis a couple of months after that. I took carbimazole 20mg and Levothyroxine 75mg for 18 months then stopped all medication (2022). I have been ok since then. I’m 63 and started hrt at 60.

[pennyannie]

Can you please complete your Profile page so to help forum members help you :