Chicken or egg?

[lilliput]

When I was 33 , I remember the age as doc said my symptoms were caused by it. I went from a high energy person to work/ sleep. I worked as a primary school teacher, played badminton twice a week, plus had dance classes..

I continued to work but had no social life. My relationships have suffered since due to the fact that work wiped me out. I struggled to keep my job as I had flulike sympoms and was challenged re time off. I literally dragged myself into work and loved my job.

I'm hoping that the synthetic throxine willhelp, but the fact that I am very physically unfit due to lack of exercise must be a factor. I just genearally got depressed; drink and smoke too much.Its not just the thyoxine, forme its achange inlifestyle.

[Moggie]

No - you have become unfit due to your thyroid illness, not the other way around. The amount of times I have read similar stories on here regarding super fit people who can no longer do six mile runs or go to the gym 5 times a week. Most of us have trouble climbing the stairs to bed without puffing and panting all the way.

Dont beat yourself up to much as you have an illness and need to adjust your lifestyle accordingly.

Moggie x

[shaws Administrator]

Hi lilliput

I don't know whether or not your have been diagnosed as having hypothyrodism as there is no info on your profile. I note you say that you hope levothyroxine will help.

I am sorry you have such a rough time and all of your symptoms sound hypo.

It is natural to be depressed when you feel ill and the GP's cannot tell what is wrong as they don't know the clinical symptoms and rely on the blood test only to diagnose. Just the way we cheer ourselves up by taking a bar of chocolate, some drink or smoke to try to alleviate how they are feeling.

If you have finally been diagnosed and are beginning thyroxine you should begin to feel the benefit but it may take a little while as the dose should be increased about every 4 to 6 weeks until your symptoms improve - not kept at a dose because of your TSH.

When you begin to feel better you will be able to do all the things you used to enjoy.

[lilliput]

Thank you for your sympathetic replies. Just felt sorry for myself yesterday. I was diagnosed as borderline underactive many years ago, with normal range TSH since. My most recent result was TSH 7.7, about a week ago.

This was a general blood test and the thyroid was the only thing wrong.Not sure if T3 etc was tested, and at the time I was not aware that it existed... This site has been a real education, very useful. I'm taking 25 mcg of Levothyroxine and need to be reassessed in a fortnight.

Thanks again.