Over half of those that have a
thyroid condition are unaware of it.
I was unaware for more than two years.
My resting heart rate was high for weeks so I thought I had a mild
bug. I went for a complete physical and the the blood work showed
some evidence of a hyperthyoid. Follow-ups confirmed it. The
diagnosis helped to make sense of some other symptoms I had grown to
live with including hand tremors, decreased eyesight, low energy, and
fluctuating weight. As an example, though no world-beater, my tri's
and long training days over the last couple of years have been very
slow. I felt over-trained, listless, exhausted early in both sprint
and olympic distance races. (By the way, other possible symptoms of
thyroid conditions include sensitivity to cold/heat, loss of muscle
strength and enlarged glands.)
Though there is no cure these conditions are highly treatable. I've
been on a medication for 7 weeks and my thyroid has adjusted well,
though the road ahead may still be a long one.
For more info check this link. It's located on the best medical info
site on the web in my opinion, from the Mayo Clinic.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=D0B68153-CD94-4B0E-A178CAF201C9B7EB&dsection=1
P.S. You may remember that Karen Smyers had thryoid cancer and had
the gland removed. Despite this challenge she recovered and returned
to Ironman tri's.
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