It has been 3 months since I started experiencing symptoms of an overactive thyroid. It is 4 weeks since a diagnosis which brought great elation. I had feared that I was experiencing the return of a failing heart. Nearly 3 weeks ago I started on the medication that will hopefully get me back to full health.

But before I started on the treatment my thyroid went into overdrive. The fatigue was overwhelming. I had to cancel lunch out with a friend as I couldn’t muster up the energy to get there. I just sat on the sofa. I was drained physically and mentally. I also started to develop a slight tremour. Hardly noticeable. But if I reached out to pick something up there was a flicker. And I felt an unsteadiness on my feet.

I lost another 2kg of weight. 6kg in total. 13lbs in old money. A lot of this weight loss is muscle loss so my muscle definition, that I was so proud of, has now been replaced by a sag. My derrière has taken a particularly bad hit. Putting weight on is a Herculean task. Since the beginning of November I’ve been eating as if it is Christmas to no avail. My speeded up body means that food barely touches the side. Another unpleasant symptom.

One symptom that is not often listed is a change in your sense of taste. It reminds me of those first few weeks of pregnancy when out of nowhere favourite food becomes abhorrent. My love of coffee has disappeared. My coffee machine sits redundant. I can only hope that it is not permanent.

My systolic blood pressure remains higher than normal. It is usually below 110 mmhg but it is currently over 120 mmhg. Sometimes as high as 140mmhg.

My eyes are dry making it difficult for my contact lense (I only wear one) to adhere to my eyeball. My mouth is also dry putting me at risk of gum disease and tooth decay.

A friend who experienced an overactive thyroid a number of years ago reached out to me. Chatting with her about her was enlightening. She experienced a range of symptoms some similar to me but others very different. She initially didn’t put them all together. Not until she got the diagnosis. Her return to full health wasn’t entirely straightforward but she got there.

It is priceless being able to speak to someone that was once where you are now.

As well as starting on medication I have been referred to an endocrinologist for further investigations and treatment. An overactive thyroid is a symptom. It is not the cause. That has to be determined before a long term plan can be made. Unfortunately with the pandemic this appointment won’t be anytime soon. I am fearful that before a diagnosis can be made the medication will have knocked me into a under active thyroid state. Hypothyroidism is far more damaging to the heart. So I may have to go private if there is a delay in getting an NHS appointment.

I’m mindful that having a thyroid condition doesn’t seem that much of a deal. People are fairly dismissive. And it is not an uncommon condition. 1-2% of the UK population have a thyroid issue. But I have lived through 2 months (before I got a diagnosis) dealing with a rapidly deteriorating body, worrying that it was my heart or worse. For some getting a diagnosis takes a lot longer. I have become weak and vulnerable. I’m a long way from the woman I described in my blog back in the summer on powerful ageing.

I can’t run. I get breathless walking up a slight decline. I had to do skull crushers (a tricep exercise) with 3kg dumbbells. I am really quite shocked as to how my strength has deteriorated in a matter of weeks. I hate feeling like this. And I hate being seen like this. The strong 62 year old woman has temporarily disappeared. Due back in 2022.

But 3 weeks in the medication is starting to do its magic. I’m less tired. My resting pulse is slowly returning to normal. It will take at least a couple more months for all the symptoms to disappear. And possibly a lot longer to regain my strength and fitness. But I’m going in the right direction.