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Thyroid problem news from Thyroid Talk
Thyroid illness won't bench college athlete
BY RHODA FUKUSHIMA
Pioneer Press
Amber Malvin is a senior guard on the women's team at Dakota State University in Madison, S.D.Amber Malvin, 22, grew up in Alexandria. She started playing basketball in first grade and is now a senior guard on the women's team at Dakota State University in Madison, S.D. In her sophomore year, she began noticing she had heart palpitations.
"I had finished with a game and I was laying in my bed. I felt my heart was beating irregularly. It was pounding. It felt like it was in the pit of my stomach. I just went back to bed. It came back frequently. In the season, my endurance was hard. I was getting fatigued faster, getting weaker. I was hyper, talked fast, had energy, couldn't sit still. It wasn't my normal way. I'm just kind of a laid-back person.
"I had to go for my annual physical the following summer. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. My thyroid is producing too many hormones. It weakens my muscles, makes me lose weight.
"It was a relief to know every symptom I had was because of my thyroid. We tried regulating it with pills. I started out on a low dosage. I could only go two mintues on the court and have to take a rest. In midseason, I was on 16 pills a day — thyroid pills, beta blockers. At that point, it was regulated pretty well so I could play. I just have to know my limits. I wanted to get back to as many minutes as I could.
"With each game, I got more involved. I finally started getting into my game. Playing two minutes, it was hard to get into your groove. With each game, I could play a little longer.
"In September, I took a radioactive iodine pill that gradually slows thyroid production (of hormones). This February, I was in the hypothyroid stage, which is the opposite. It's easier to regulate. You take one pill a day. In six weeks, I go back in to see if I'm at the right dose or if I need to go higher or lower.
"During the season we have practice Monday through Thursday for at least two hours a night. We have games Friday and Saturday nights, Sundays off. My teammates watch out for me in practice and games. When they know I'm getting fatigued, they get me out of there. They're very supportive.
"Instead of palpitations, now I'm very tired. I do my everyday things. I just make myself do them. It's a struggle. My team is going to the national tournament in Sioux City. It's motivating. I will go with them.
"I get tired faster, but I've been battling that all season. With hypothyroidism, it's easier to get my endurance back up. I can just keep pushing myself, take a quick break and get back it.
"I will have hypothyroidism for the rest of my life. Once I get the right dosage, I just have to take one pill a day and that's all I have to deal with."
Rhoda Fukushima can be reached at rgfukushima@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5444.
Source: http://www.twincities.com
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