Starting back up after Thyroid Surgery

cricket_77
cricket_77 Posts: 165 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer the summer of 2011. I had surgery to have my thyroid removed in 2011 and underwent radiation a few weeks ago. I didn't exercise the remainder of 2011 as I was recovering and dealing with life without a thyroid. I exercised off and on in 2012 and kind of watched what I ate, but fell off the wagon the last half of the year.

I am now ready to jump back in and am starting with cleaning up my diet. While home this past month, I was pretty much eating anything I wanted..most of it not good and I added about 4 lbs. on top of what I had gained over the past 1 1/2 years. This puts me at about 14 lbs. to lose. My diet still needs to be cleaner, but it's much better than what it was (still need my coke right now..lol).

Right now I am dealing with the headaches and slight nausea from cleaning up my diet and once that subsides I'll be getting back to the gym. I am SEVERLY out of shape. I plan on starting with walking/running and adding weights. I know I'll feel better once I get back into it..I just need to do it!

Edited to add that not only am I doing this to get back in shape and of course look better, I am also very concerned about my health. Since having my thyroid removed, my cholestrol has skyrocketed to 270 and my doctor has put me on medication. I have also started having heart palpitations which I beleive are also associated with my thyroid meds needing adjusted. I'm only 41 years old and have 3 kiddos, so I really need to get my health back in check!

Replies

  • OfficiallySexyVal
    OfficiallySexyVal Posts: 492 Member
    I understand what you are going through, I am 27 and currently going through thyroid issues of my own! I am currently on medication to slow my thyroid because I was diagnosed with a hyperactive thyroid however due to the large growth on my thyroid I am having surgery this year to remove part of it.

    This whole process has made losing weight a challenge but I am managing to still fight off these pounds and starting to look and feel lots better about myself. I log almost everyday and am a very supportive friend. Feel free to add me for support! Best of luck on your journey!
  • magicherry
    magicherry Posts: 81 Member
    I had a complete thyroidectomy in 1998. I felt 1000x better afterwards.

    I did baby myself while sick and waiting for surgery. I used to eat 3 or 4 grilled cheese sandwiches every day (comfort food) and I was sleeping 12-14 hours a day with little activity (just at work). For fun I'd get chicken nuggets at Wendy's and fries from McD's (when they were good, before they lost the transfat) and top it off with a large iced coffee and a box of munchkins. Not only was it a downward spiral to overweight/lazy hell, but I paved that road...no, I lined that road with a red carpet. It was a sick spiral. Sick, sick, sick. Because, as you know, the thyroid issue isn't just about being tired; it includes many symptoms of depression - feeling depressed, feeling helpless, feeling blue, self-pitying, angry, irritable, grumpy, cranky,... just yucky all day, every day.

    About 6 months after my surgery I joined WW and lost 74 pounds (that was 'my thin minute'). I felt like a million bucks.

    I am older now, married, have a different career but I have been able to not hit my highest weight again. I go up and down, as I always did before the thyroid cancer, but I feel like I have control over it and I get back to work when I realize I have slipped off the routine. A cancer scare makes me realize how lucky I am to have 2 legs that work, and arms that can lift, and eyes that can see, and a body that can move. A cancer scare makes me remember not to waste my health (and relative youth).

    Cricket-
    You are not alone.
    You can regain control of your life and your health.
    You are going to stay in remission.
    You are going to find a happy place with physical activity and eating right.
    You are going to look in the mirror and smile at yourself.
    You can do it!
  • msqdpie
    msqdpie Posts: 92 Member
    I Had My Thyroid Removed 14 Years ago due to Cancer. So I can Relate, I still have Cancer checks every 6 months, I'm On Here Every Day and I am Sending you a Friends Request, I'm in the Process of a {Due OveR}, Right Now I'm Living the Example of what You can Do Wrong. I started out so Strong and Fell Hard. I will Be the Come Back Kid Very Soon. Most all the People I started with on My Journey Over a Year ago Have for the Most part Met their goals. I am looking forward to some new friends to work with this year. Good Luck.
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
    Edited to add that not only am I doing this to get back in shape and of course look better, I am also very concerned about my health. Since having my thyroid removed, my cholestrol has skyrocketed to 270 and my doctor has put me on medication. I have also started having heart palpitations which I beleive are also associated with my thyroid meds needing adjusted. I'm only 41 years old and have 3 kiddos, so I really need to get my health back in check!


    I had a thyroidectomy 3 months ago, as treatment for uncontrollable graves disease (and they found a cancerous nodule as well).

    I've been hypothyroid ever since and struggling with meds. Thankfully I have a great endo, but many people don't, which is why I add the following below!


    Labs: hopefully your doctor is testing your free T3 and free T4, and basing your dose on that. TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone, and it can be very suppressed in people taking thryoid meds.

    Meds: what kind are you currently taking? Without a thyroid, your body has a harder time converting T4 into T3 (the active thyroid hormone). If you're on a synthetic T4-only med like Synthroid or Levothyroxine, your body also has a more difficult time converting that because it's not bioidentical to your body's natural T4. Many people do MUCH better on a natural/dessicated med like Armour or Nature Thyroid, because it contains both T4 *and* T3 (along with T2, T1 etc) and the T4 *is* bioidentical.


    Symptoms: with your cholesterol up and your heart palps (along with the headaches etc) I would speculate that your meds aren't right. How often are they testing your levels? Again, they need to be testing your free T3 and free T4 to determine your levels. I suspect that once your levels are right and your eating is back on track, that you won't need the cholesterol meds.

    Normal vs. Optimal: as well, many docs will say that your levels are fine, ok, or normal. This means they are "within normal range", but doesn't mean they are OPTIMAL. Optimal would be your free T4 around the mid-range, and free T3 in the top 1/3 of the range.

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