Hypothyroidism Support Group

Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...

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How do your days function?

Marlablue75
Marlablue75
Based on my last three labs, my TSH has been 5.92, 1.89 and 5.19. Clearly I fluctuate. And based on Canadian ranges (0.20 - 6.0) I am considered "normal".

My days look like this - I work an office job, with many meetings from 7:30am - 4:15pm. I ride the train to work and I have to stand both ways. I get home, make something easy to eat, and then I'm on the couch for the whole evening. I've given up on soccer and yoga cause I just can't do them. If I have a day where I push myself too far, two days later, I am pasted to the pavement, hanging off my chair, walking like a zombie. Lately I've missed one day of work approximately every other week, where I just need to sleep all day, or I've needed to go to the Dr. I sleep more than I used to, but I'm not always sleepy tired, just body tired.

How are other people functioning? Are you able to work regularly? Are you able to live much of normal life at all? How much do you sleep?

I am just curious to know how I function in comparison to others. I wonder if my random days of staying home from work is just me being lazy, or if others function like that, too. What do your days look like living with hypothyroidism. Please let me know...I don't know what's "normal" for us.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Oops, I mis-typed.
"When my levels are being medicated properly, I miss about 1 morning every 2 to 3 weeks because I just can't get out of bed. "

What I was meaning to say was when my levels are NOT being medicate properly, I miss some work.
Marlablue75
Marlablue75
Karma, thanks for your response. It is good to know that what I'm feeling is normal. I think one of the hardest things for people around me to understand is what my current "normal" is. When I say I'm "blah" or "really tired", they actually ask me "why?" And I tell them that this is my new normal. They really don't seem to get it, and they ask "why?" in such a critical way.

You know, I could deal with all of these symptoms a lot better if I didn't have friends that were critical of my situation, who choose not to try to understand, who think they have the solution when they really have no bloody clue. To be honest, its my friends that make this illness the biggest pain in the ass.
GageL
GageL
Marlablue,

Listen, if possible, and maybe not in your work environment, just say I HAVE THYROID DISEASE. If they say, WHAT? Have a brief reply at the ready, including a shortlist of the symptoms. If they still say WHAT? Tell them to google it. If they are unwilling or uniterested to do that, tell them to F*** OFF. We don't need idiots around us, we already have our doctors for that.
Marlablue75
Marlablue75
GageL...yes, you are so right! :) For the most part, my immediate supervisor "understands". She doesn't ask much, and accepts what I do. I keep her up to speed on when I have appointments with my naturopath, and so she sees that I am doing something to try to make it better.

I mostly have problems with the "friends" who seem to have an opinion about everything, and think they know what I should do. I should start calling it thyroid disease...not hypo. It packs more of a punch and is just as accurate! lol
GageL
GageL
That is what I have done for the last year or so and either it just stops people in their tracks, it confuses them, they either ask questions or not, to which I have a standard reply always ready so I dont fumble or have to think about it. Like 3 sentences only. If they don't respond or kind of walk away and not want to be bothered after they have given me all their precious information, all misinformed of course, I just drop them. Its made my life a lot easier whilst trying to get optimal. Just a suggestion!
deleted_user
deleted_user
Oh I understand that! I actually lost a friend when I was being diagnosed. Our last outing we went on a mountain bike ride and I had to keep stopping and eventually told her and her boyfriend to go ahead without me. I ended up sitting on the side of the trail crying because I was so exhausted that I wasn't even sure how I was going to get back to the trail head. Eventually she came back for me and we walked back to the car. She was very hostile about the whole thing. About a week later we got into it and it turned out that she had been looking up to me for being athletic and driven and I let her down by no longer being able to be that person. I was interesting. Somethings happen to help us weed out those relationships in our lives that we don't need.
Fern-RL
Fern-RL
Personally, I think the more friendships we can have, the better. It isn't always the friend's fault that they don't understand what we suffer through. The doctors often don't understand either.

I like that, to say "I have a thyroid condition." It's a beauty!

I think it is best to express gratitude for the friendship, and try to explain better when someone is genuinely interested, or has a need to know.

Best wishes for your treatment, your future and your relationships.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Most of my days, I am in my bedroom, sitting working on my computer I moved out of my office, because I find it hard to walk back and forth. Taking a shower and getting ready pretty muh does me in. I am hard headed and decided to PUSH myself two days ago and deep clean my kitchen, and am paying for it now because it made me pretty much dysfunctional yesterday and today. I am so frustrated and depressed, and downright angry. I have Hashimotos thyroiditis. My TSH was 126.5 16 years ago, took me two years to get well. I was 34. I have been basically FINE and well for the last 14 years on natural thyroid meds. I was very sick with the flu last Christmas and have not been well yet. My TSH was ONLY 4.5 and my borderline diabetes flared up, and I have adrenal gland issues so I am told. Maybe it is my age, I dunno, but this is kicking my butt. I own my own photography business and if I am rested I can push myself to get through one studio session a week. But, have had to not accept any event jobs that are highly physical. My financial state is getting worse and worse which is stressing me out, and making me sicker. Typically I am a positive person, but must admit, I am feeling defeated.
Marlablue75
Marlablue75
I'm sorry to hear it's such a struggle for you Kelly. I understand what you mean, you have a day where you push yourself, and then you pay for it after. I am feeling that today. I am able to work, but the last two days was a bit too much (I had to work into the evening on Wed, got home at 10:30pm, and then was in an 8 hour all day meeting yesterday). My body is rebelling today, and I have hardly been able to focus all day (which is why I am on DS right now lol).

It's good to know that I am normal in that respect, too. Normal in the sense that this kind of reaction for someone being hypo is normal!