Hi everyone, I’m new here, but have been appreciatively following some of the posts and wisdom here for a while trying to work up the courage to post.
I’m a keen runner/football player, and it’s something that has always helped me to manage mental health issues that I have experienced since being quite young (I’m 29 now, and overall in a great place in life). In November 2021 I was tying my hair up before a football game and realised that my neck looked strangely swollen. Fast forward two inconclusive FNAs and a hemithyroidectomy for a 3.2cm thy3f nodule later, I was diagnosed with follicular thyroid carcinoma/ full capsular invasion and some foci of vascular invasion in April, so the multidisciplinary team have recommended a completion surgery, which I’ll be having at the end of this month, with potential RAI to follow. I’m grateful that I have a wonderful support system in terms of my family, partner and friends, one of the most treatable cancers, no children to worry about on this journey, and a lovely macmillan nurse, but I’d be lying if I said there haven’t been ups and downs over the last few months. I tend to rationalise a lot of things, but still wasn’t prepared for the daily changes in emotions that seem to be happening at the minute, and the guilt associated with being off work following the surgery - even though I know how silly that is to worry about (it’s a very busy time, with a transitional period at work and ongoing redundancies).
For me the hardest decision in choosing to have the surgery (after a lot of reading and realising that it’s all a game of probabilities and what has/hasn’t been researched yet) was how exercise could be affected after having my thyroid removed. I wondered if there was anyone out there that could share their experience of exercising while adjusting to their new normal on Levothyroxine? I was due to run my first ultra marathon four days after my last surgery… which the anaesthetist (who was also a long distance runner) sensibly talked me out of, and the goal of building back to that is what’s getting me through the year ahead, but I’ve read a lot about endurance sports being hard without a thyroid. Positive and negative stories all appreciated, I just want to be prepared for what is to come.
Thank you so much in advance and sorry for the massive essay!!
Hiya!
Sounds like we have a few things in common! Ive just been diagnosed at 30, am a keen fitness fanatic and was meant to be doing my first triathlon 4 days post surgery. I’ve now moved this out by 4 months so hoping that’s enough recovery + training time!
Fitness has always been a massive coping mechanism for me and I’ve had a few injuries before that involved surgery so also been through having to find different ways to cope. I would say firstly find out the details of when you can start exercising and how much can you do when. Having that clear in your head helps. And secondly accept you won’t be able to exercise as much as you did at the start and it’ll take time to build yourself back up. I like to reframe my mind to see this more as a challenge than something to feel sad about 
I haven’t had my thyroid op yet though so really keen to hear others thoughts/experiences on this!
