I’ve been living with hyperthyroidism for a year. Longer if I consider the little signs that I put down to a loss of fitness and therefore ignored. This time last year I thought my time was nearly up. Palpitations, chest pain, rapid loss of weight, and a loss of strength and endurance. I convinced myself that my heart issues had returned.

I entered a very dark place. Unlike my previous experience of ill-health back in 2015 my deterioration this time was rapid. In a matter of weeks I went from someone that could deadlift over 100kg and run 10km to getting out of breath walking up the stairs.

I tried to see my GP but could only get a telephone appointment. Unfortunately my phone signal failed so the call was abandoned. An email to the surgery describing my symptoms just resulted in a ‘book an appointment’ response. Sometimes our health service is very The Blair Witch Project in its delivery.

So I paid for an echocardiogram, an appointment with my cardiologist and a whole load of blood investigations. A week or so later I had a diagnosis. An overactive thyroid. I was ecstatic. Yes I was ill with a potentially serious condition but it could be treated without my chest being cracked open again.

I was eventually was started on the medication and referred to an endocrinologist for a more conclusive diagnosis and ongoing treatment.

A year on I’m feeling good. I’ve regained my strength and endurance but I’m now much slower. My 34 minute 5k has become a 39 minute one. I suspect that the thyroxine onslaught did permanent damage to my heart. My heart is described by my cardiologist as ‘not completely normal’ but is that due to the damage done by the aortic valve stenosis, the consequences of heart surgery or having an overactive thyroid. Possibly all three.

All I can do is keep it as healthy as possible. Although I’m slow I’m probably at my fittest. My resting heart rate, VO2Max and maximum heart rate are all good for my age. I’m competing in Hyrox in 3 weeks. I’ll complete it even though I’ll be a long way behind my daughter.

Completing Hyrox will be cause for celebration. It will be, give or take a couple of days, a year since my diagnosis.

My main concern now is what will happen when I’m taken off the medication. You can’t remain on Carbimazole for life. At some stage it needs to be withdrawn. For some this is the end of the treatment. Their thyroid is no longer overactive. But for many it remains overactive so a permanent solution is required. This is usually radioactive iodine therapy which destroys the overactive thyroid cells. Unfortunately this often results in the thyroid becoming underactive requiring a lifetime of thyroxine.

An underactive thyroid is damaging to the heart so I’d want to be commenced on thyroxine as soon as possible if the treatment does knock my thyroid out.

My endocrinologist initially told me that I’d be on Carbimazole for 12-18 months but after seeing the results of the ultrasound it’s going to be more like 2 years. Whilst the Carbimazole is doing a great job at keeping my blood levels stable my thyroid is still spewing out antibodies.

This time last year I could only imagine feeling how I do today. And for that I’m extremely grateful.