A change happened somewhere between 8 and 10 weeks post op. It was caused either by a change in my thyroid medicine dosage, or, by the "Crash" everyone talks about.
What is the crash? After a Thyroidectomy, you may go through a 6-10 week honeymoon period where your natural thyroid hormones are still in your body. At the end of this period, people describe the crash as being tired, fatigue, and brain fog. The post-crash period can last sometimes 18 months or longer as the doctors try to get the medicine levels correct. The post-crash time takes so long because the medicine adjustments can only be made every six weeks due to the half life of the medicine.
So... there I am. Ten weeks out and the crash happens.
Up until that point I felt on top of the world! I had lost 14 pounds and was planning to loose more.
After the crash, my energy disappeared and I was very tired. That resulted in three things:
1. Being tired, I slept more. If I didn't get at least 8 hours sleep, I suffered from brain fog. I can easily sleep ten hours and wake feeling like I only got six.
2. Because I was sleeping so much, I didn't have time to exercise very much
3. Because I was so tired I looked for pick-me-ups to shake the cob webs from my brain. These usually involves comfort food and high sugar treats.
And this the downward spiral. Less exercise, bad eating habits... and when I did exercise I lacked the energy for an intense work out.
I was very proud that I lost 14 pounds. But now 3+ months post-op, I have gained ten of that back.
I start each week determined to fix this. I know what to do and how to do it. But plans quickly fall apart as I struggle to get out of bed in the morning, and am ready for a nap after work. I know the saying: to get energy you have to use energy; but this is different. It is a feeling of exhaustion.
My next blood work is in a few weeks and hopefully that provides insight into medication adjustments. In the meanwhile, I will just keep pushing myself as hard as I can to do what must be done.
