Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism

Join

Hyper and exercise

mdinardo73
mdinardo73 Posts: 15 Member
in Social Groups
I was just diagnosed last week with Hyperthyroid and am waiting to see the specialist. My heart rate was consistently over 100, often around 120 to 130. My muscle mass has deteriorated drastically and I am incredibly weak. I was able to do around 15-20 mens pushups only 3 months ago, and now can barely do one and almost fell on my face when I tried. I am on Beta blockers 3 times a day until the Specialist says otherwise. I asked my doctor today if there was any point in trying to do strength training if my body is breaking down body proteins, and he advised that I should wait until we get my issues sorted out.

Has anyone else experienced this, and do you exercise anyway?

Replies

  • toddka1
    toddka1 Posts: 171 Member
    I had the same problem and my doctor restricted all activity besides walking slowly until treatment was well underway. I never really knew what my number was, but my endocrinologist said I was way off the chart hyper (with Hashimoto's as well). My resting heart rate was 115. Truth be told, I could tell I didn't have the energy to do anything else and had to pause in the middle of climbing the 2 flights of stairs to get into the office. I usually run up them. Like you, I was on Beta blockers until the racing heart was slowed by the treatment for hyperthyroid.

    After you get treatment, you will start to feel better and can then work on getting your strength back. Wouldn't want to jeapordize your overall health with doing anything too strenuous at this point.

    You will get better and you will be able to get your muscle strength back but give your body a break for now.
  • nspink
    nspink Posts: 65
    I was also Hyper before my surgery...now i'm Hypo.

    But while I was Hyper, I had similar issues. My heart rate was beating off the charts and I couldn't even catch my breath just trying to run for 2 minutes. It was really crazy how much I was limited to do. Just be careful and not to over due your body. The resting heart rate is already so high... just listen to your body and take it slow. Once your levels are at normal range you will be back to doing your pushups again!

    FYI: Please make sure your doctor orders a White Blood cell count for your next labs.
    I found out the hard way that I was allergic to methemizol brand and it literally killed off all my white blood cells and I was hopitalized until I got better. ( It's a less than 1% chance-but I happen to be one of them.)
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
    Do you know if you have graves disease? (autoimmune cause of hyperthyroid)

    I agree that I would wait a bit longer before you push yourself too much, mostly to keep your heart rate down. I wouldn't give up on exercise entirely though, especially if it's graves - keep it light with walks, maybe some gentle yoga, and just listen to your body. You'll know when you can start building up again.

    They'll most likely start you on methimazole/tapazole, which can work very quickly. I was incredibly hyperthyoid, and went hypo within weeks on methimazole. Have they talked to you about beta blockers for your heart?
  • toddka1
    toddka1 Posts: 171 Member
    I"m hypo now too. I was diagnosed with Graves Disease and was started on methimazole. Was doing really well with it until I developed allergic reaction to the medication. Then underwent RAI to treat the problem. My sister also has Graves (mom did too) and is doing fine on the methimazole.

    I was given the beta blockers at the same time as starting the treatment, so I can only remember how weak I felt before the methimazole and beta blockers began working, but my doctor still didn't want me to run or do pushups for quite a while until my thyroid was closer to the normal range.
  • mdinardo73
    mdinardo73 Posts: 15 Member
    Wow you guys! Thanks for all the info! i'm glad to see I am not alone! I haven't been diagnosed yet because I haven't seen the specialist or gone for the thyroid scan. My GP just double my beta blockers dose, and I have to say, thank GOD for those little pills! How I feel now is a FAR cry from how I felt before. I will definitely take it easy with excercise - walking and mild yoga - although it is VERY frustrating to have lost so much strength and my instinct is to work to get it back, but I will listen to the doc.

    I am curious, how long did any of you feel like crap before you went to the Doc and were diagnosed? It has been maybe two + months of feeling weak, but about 3 or 4 weeks of the rapid heart rate, etc..

    Thanks!
  • mdinardo73
    mdinardo73 Posts: 15 Member
    thank you for the information! I will definitely keep your suggestion in mind - I have a list of questions to ask the Specialist when I see them!
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
    Also, make sure the specialist tests you for graves - both TSI antibodies and anti-TSH receptor antibodies.

    The thyroid scan you mention is likely the iodine uptake test - this can also confirm whether it's graves disease or some other form of hyperthyroid.

    Be aware that doctors will often push you into a permanent treatment immediately, usually in the form of radio-active iodine (RAI) treatment. This will kill your thyroid entirely over 90% of the time, and many people have issues even years later. You would also need to be isolated from family (especially small children) for 1-2 weeks. Personally, I think this is the least attractive of all the options. Just want to mention in case it's all overwhelming when you talk to the specialist, and because they sometimes just assume that's what you'll be doing.
  • ElGatoBB
    ElGatoBB Posts: 20
    I am hyper, too. I used to run almost two hours every day at 5-6 mph, but I had to stop because of my hear rate.

    BUT!

    I have found that moderate cardio - biking, high intensity aerobics/dance, elliptical, brisk walking (4-4.5 mph) for 60-90 minutes 5 times a week has been fantastic in REDUCING my heart rate. I am not even taking the betablockers they had prescribed me, but I check in with a cardiologist every 6 months. If you are an athlete it is actually easier to manage heartbeats: I was Miguel Indurain-ish bradychardic before hyperthyroidism. Now I am usually fine so long as I maintain a strictly sugar-free and soy-free diet: I get extrasystoles if I have the smallest speck of soy.

    I have lost a lot of muscle mass during my onset of hyperthyroidism, and I had a body fat % of around 14-13 BEFORE developing hyperthyroidism. So it basically ate me alive. Now I am overweight,gaining flab and water and losing muscle mass in spite of weight training. Have you checked for protein loss in your blood? I am losing albumines, which causes severe water retention, which also impairs muscle strength. Mine is so bad that my dermatologist told me "you have a crazy water retention" even before I took off my pants! :-/
  • missymc16
    missymc16 Posts: 16 Member
    I had papillary cancer, so I know longer have a thyroid and I have gone thru the RAI Treatment. Everyone's thyroid's issues are a little bit different, this site has some helpful resources http://thyca.org/ it does deal with Thyroid Cancer but some of the information can be helpful to everyone with thyroid problems.

    Good luck on your adventure.

    Thyroid removed 11/05 and still cancer free and feeling great. 137 synthriod :smile:
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
    I had papillary cancer, so I know longer have a thyroid and I have gone thru the RAI Treatment. Everyone's thyroid's issues are a little bit different, this site has some helpful resources http://thyca.org/ it does deal with Thyroid Cancer but some of the information can be helpful to everyone with thyroid problems.

    Good luck on your adventure.

    Thyroid removed 11/05 and still cancer free and feeling great. 137 synthriod :smile:

    Just to note that RAI after a thyroidectomy is very different than RAI with a hyperthyroid -- with a thyroidecomy you no longer have most of your thyroid tissue; you also have to go incredibly hypo in advance of the treatment.

    With graves/hyperthyroid it can take months or years for the thyroid to die off - which includes ups and downs and spikes in antibodies and other uncontrollables.
  • missymc16
    missymc16 Posts: 16 Member
    I had papillary cancer, so I know longer have a thyroid and I have gone thru the RAI Treatment. Everyone's thyroid's issues are a little bit different, this site has some helpful resources http://thyca.org/ it does deal with Thyroid Cancer but some of the information can be helpful to everyone with thyroid problems.

    Good luck on your adventure.

    Thyroid removed 11/05 and still cancer free and feeling great. 137 synthriod :smile:

    Just to note that RAI after a thyroidectomy is very different than RAI with a hyperthyroid -- with a thyroidecomy you no longer have most of your thyroid tissue; you also have to go incredibly hypo in advance of the treatment.

    With graves/hyperthyroid it can take months or years for the thyroid to die off - which includes ups and downs and spikes in antibodies and other uncontrollables.

    You correct and thanks for clarifying it. But as I said some of the information can be helpful and it's always great to have different resources to look at.
  • mdinardo73
    mdinardo73 Posts: 15 Member
    I am hyper, too. I used to run almost two hours every day at 5-6 mph, but I had to stop because of my hear rate.

    BUT!

    I have found that moderate cardio - biking, high intensity aerobics/dance, elliptical, brisk walking (4-4.5 mph) for 60-90 minutes 5 times a week has been fantastic in REDUCING my heart rate. I am not even taking the betablockers they had prescribed me, but I check in with a cardiologist every 6 months. If you are an athlete it is actually easier to manage heartbeats: I was Miguel Indurain-ish bradychardic before hyperthyroidism. Now I am usually fine so long as I maintain a strictly sugar-free and soy-free diet: I get extrasystoles if I have the smallest speck of soy.

    I have lost a lot of muscle mass during my onset of hyperthyroidism, and I had a body fat % of around 14-13 BEFORE developing hyperthyroidism. So it basically ate me alive. Now I am overweight,gaining flab and water and losing muscle mass in spite of weight training. Have you checked for protein loss in your blood? I am losing albumines, which causes severe water retention, which also impairs muscle strength. Mine is so bad that my dermatologist told me "you have a crazy water retention" even before I took off my pants! :-/

    I am really frustrated with how week I am! I tried a wall-sit today to see how much strength I still have in my legs... and I couldn't last 5 seconds. Also tried a pushup today and I could only do 1.... Previously I could do 20 and I know I could do much longer with the wall sit. I'm concerned for the bone loss that can happen with the drugs - I had to switch from the methimazole to PTU because I had an allergic reaction - and the liver issues with this drug also scare me, so I want to make sure I am doing load bearing activity, but I struggle sustaining any activity for longer than a few minutes. Even making love to my boyfriend exhausts me!!

    I will ask the doctor to check my protein levels, thanks. I have talked with a nutritionist and have made some changes to my diet, specifically calcium and protein, as well as supplementation with Bcomplex, vitamin d, EFA's... and I have an accupuncture appointment today. I really hope I can sort this out soon.

    And I was diagnosed last week with Graves.... Autoimmune diseases suck! Why are they so prevelent now?

Categories