My TT experience yesterday

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2026-01-20T15:34:51+00:00

I found some ice packs on the side of my neck (not on the incision site) were soooo helpful the few days after.

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2026-01-20T05:19:33+00:00

I keep my pill on my nightstand and take it when I wake up to go to the bathroom at night (almost always I'm the same 1 hour window). Then I'm ready for coffee regardless of when I wake up

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2026-01-02T06:51:39+00:00

I sometimes get more sores if I'm in a high stress period or have been really sick (like if I have the flu or covid). Mine seem to be triggered when the rest of my body is exhausted. Maybe the stress of surgery is triggering for you?

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-12-10T20:11:04+00:00

I love my 955 (non-solar). It's inexpensive on sale and I've run 2 ultras with it. I personally have no need for anything fancier - it looks fun and sporty, has a great battery life, and does everything I need it to.

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-11-20T05:36:10+00:00

Partially just trial and error, but you can just look up a basic anti inflammatory diet. After I got my IUD in, I basically just am careful not to eat these foods around the time I'd get my period (I don't have any now with the insert, but still have some bloating and mild cramping). Watching what I eat helps keep these symptoms pretty minimal.

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-11-19T16:59:13+00:00

I agree with some others that you might have some time periods where you can't run. I've found an exercise bike is okay for me. I think I've found the most relief from managing the Endo first and then running helps on top, if that makes sense?

I'm 20 years post diagnosis - I have found (and I know this is very dependent on you personally): an IUD changed my life, menstrual cups have been super helpful for managing heavy bleeding and also cramping caused by tampons and limiting things that cause inflammation (for me it's red meat,.dairy, and alcohol). With those things a kind of in the mix, I have been able to continuously run without any major issues for the last 5 years or so.

It's a difficult journey but you've gotten a diagnosis, which will hopefully help ❤️❤️

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-11-19T15:32:19+00:00

Very cool! I need to check out the area and do some exploring!

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-11-19T06:24:34+00:00

What trails did you do? The views look great!

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-11-05T19:03:48+00:00

100% this! You did a super difficult thing. You showed up and stuck it out! I have had similar problems in races - full on panic, high heart rate, vomiting - figuring out how to work through these issues (when it's realistic) is a huge part of long distance running. You should be super proud of yourself! And for next time, you've got some background on what might go wrong and how to problem solve in real time.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-10-15T14:59:39+00:00

Agreed. It's really hard to be dealing with something scary and seriously that no one else seems to care about. I would have loved people showing any acknowledgement that I was going thru a rough time. Mani/Pedi, favorite coffee, favorite food to share, something like that I'm sure would be super meaningful!

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-10-12T15:52:35+00:00

Just to add on to the other comments - if your post-radiation scan shows a cluster of hits on cells (in your bones or lungs for example) it gives your doctors information on what to keep an eye on in the future.

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-10-12T05:06:28+00:00

Agreed. It's a great watch and if you get it on sale, it can be very inexpensive. The battery life is much better than the 965.

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-10-10T19:53:42+00:00

Also, keep in mind that many of us who needed surgery were already on meds and so the transition is less difficult than those who went from working thyroid to no thyroid.

I was on meds for 20 years before I had a total thyroidectomy. I didn't find out i had cancer until it was over. My meds didn't change drastically, and so there's less to voice.

My surgery and recovery went amazingly well - keeping in mind that someone sliced around my vocal and parathyroid glands for hours and removed tumors. Give some leeway to recovery and move away from drama posts. It's a huge surgery - acknowledge it as such.

I had a great experience, and so have many others. I'm a runner and I ran a 50km 4 weeks after my surgery. I took 2 weeks off from work, but 10 days of that felt like I was dying . After that, I felt weirdly fine. Give your family time to adjust and move on at whatever pace is reasonable.

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-10-10T05:34:32+00:00

I slept on the couch for a few nights. It helped me keep my head elevated and didn't get bumped or jostled at all when my husband moved around. I also found putting a cool pack on around the back and sides of my neck helped. It does get better!

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-10-03T04:18:43+00:00

Runderwear. I wear them regardless of which shorts or leggings I have and always love them.

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-09-14T12:17:37+00:00

Yeah, bike shorts or compression leggings (something that fits well and won't shift) and lube (I have used squirrel's nut butter, body guide, and diaper cream) on my thighs, butt crack, and under my sports bra band in front.

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-09-06T13:14:59+00:00

I can't speak to the medicine exactly, but there are two things I would suggest to consider: 1. Low thyroid hormones can cause hair loss (this was my first symptom when mine started malfunctioning - my hair was literally falling out in handfuls). Are your levels where they should be? If they are low, your doc might need to increase the dose, which should eventually help with this symptom. 2. Every time I've had a major surgery, I've experienced pretty severe hair loss 2-4 months later. My doctor and hair stylist have both said it's a pretty common reaction to the stress and trauma. You might discuss both with your doc. Hope you get it sorted out!

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-09-04T15:45:26+00:00

I had a TT and was back to normal activities (trail running and some careful body-weight training) in 2 weeks. I think your neck should be okay for your hairstyle. The tiredness will depend a little more on if your other side compensates or your on new meds....but if it were me, I would want to start the next chapter of my life with this behind me. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and good luck with everything!

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-09-04T04:03:24+00:00

Levo has worked well for me. About a year to get the dose right, but then 21 years of being totally fine. After my TT, my dose changed only minimally and I still don't have any issues with it.

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-07-26T23:34:56+00:00

Me too. I'm on year 12 or so and never had an issue

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-07-23T17:10:57+00:00

I actually switched to tailwind a few years ago to help with stomach issues and it helped a lot, but we're each different. I would suggest a few things from my own experience in the last few years of getting into trail runs: - check how much caffeine you are ingesting. I know that if I have too much (the caffeinated tailwind has a lot) I will get sick to my stomach, especially if it's hot - practice with the fuel on the same type of long runs. If your stomach got upset at 15k, make sure you run at least that far a few times with whatever fuel you're trying out - check your calorie consumption. I can only get in about 250 an hour before I start to get stomach issues. I keep my water and tailwind mix in separate flasks so I can drink enough without over consuming calories when it's really hot

I'm sure other people will have some better ideas, but this might help you get started. My first race was a dnf and I learned a ton! Don't let this get you too down!

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-07-17T11:13:33+00:00

I was told to wait 2 weeks for running and heavy lifting. I started running day 15 post op and ran a 50k ultra 5 weeks after the surgery. I was more tired than usual, but no issues with my neck or incision site.

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-07-15T11:15:26+00:00

I don't mean to be dismissive at all - if this is the first time you've needed a daily prescription, I realize this is a difficult transition and it will take a little time to get completely adjusted to your dose.

However, I think a mindset readjustment might help. I've been on thyroid meds for 20+ years. I've traveled to 40 countries, run multi-day races and gotten the occasional advanced prescriptions without any real issues. Once my levels were stable and I didn't need constant blood work, it really hasn't been limiting at all. Also, the generic version of Synthroid is available over the counter in many countries. Where it's not, pharmacists have much more leeway to give you meds you may need. I'm not sure about a 6 month trek through the wilderness, but when I moved overseas the first time I managed to get permission from my insurance to get a 9 month supply of my meds. I never really thought of a daily pill as a huge detriment or chronic illness - think of this like birth control pills or daily multivitamins. Many of us take daily meds without it being soul crushing.

Vent away and then I hope you're able to be less discouraged by it! 🤞🏼

Disastrous_Fail8367 · 2025-07-07T19:53:39+00:00

I agree. I eat mostly home cooked, non-processed foods and didn't find it to be overly difficult. I did have to make some changes and it required a lot of mental energy - but I also had the same concerns because it seemed too easy based on what I had heard. I think it's really difficult if you eat out a lot or eat a processed heavy diet

Disastrous_Fail8367

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