Holy Collagen

Wow how things change so quickly.  I'm writing here because it is a celebration of sorts.  Not too long ago I wrote a post about loss of collagen in certain areas and all I could see was bone and flesh.  Today under overcast light, my feet looked plump.  I doubt it's fat since the scale number has been going down.  This is sudden and miraculous and i'm excited to see what this means for the rest of the body, brain included.  Have faith people!

collagen supplement for symptoms? My bad... can't really understand your post. ;o

Sorry I tend to be scattered when I'm excited.  I wrote a previous post complaining how boney my joints, feet and hands were due to a loss of collagen in those areas.  It was very unsightly given that certain parts of my body were very filled out, so I looked disproportioned. I was concerned that this was unnatural and unhealthy. Loss of collagen made my blue veins very prominent, especially on my feet, and because the padding under my foot was missing I was developing calluses and my walk was affected.  Now there's a buoyancy back in the skin of my feet which is a very welcome sight. It took me over 3.5 yrs to gain this back and it happened suddenly too so healing must be accelerating itself.  I haven't done anything different, so this is an act of my body healing on its own.

 

Ps.  I did try collagen powder at one point to regain bouncy youthful skin and all it did was cause an uncomfortable itch.  I didn't use it for long.

Hey, any sign of a return to normalcy is good!  Yay, feet! 

Hey, any sign of a return to normalcy is good!  Yay, feet! 

 

Yayy feet! Lol.  I was just trying to convey that when there is any sort of healing, it is usually sudden and unexpected.  Today is feet..hoping tomorrow is my hair

Absolutely!  I was sure glad when my hair started growing back.  I wasn't really paying much attention to my feet, but my hair...that's another story.

 

That's awesome.  If your hair looks anything like the emoji, it's something to celebrate

Hey Castillo 😀

I was really pleased to see this thread (thankyou!!)... I’m only 17 months ou, have developed some callouses on hands and feet and a definite loss of collagen/flesh/muscle in hands and feet... happy to wait another 2 years if that’s what it takes!! Interested to hear of your hair too... i ‘seem’ to have some fluffy growth at the temples but the top of my head is thinning more.... the middle parting of my bob is getting wider!  I’m thinking how silly I am to worry about being bald when it’s probably the least worrying symptom if I just stopped trying to pretend I’m ‘normal’!!! I’m losing 2 toenails as well... seems my peripherals are falling by the wayside but I am sleeping generally okay and working 30 hours!!!

Hey Castillo 😀

I was really pleased to see this thread (thankyou!!)... I’m only 17 months ou, have developed some callouses on hands and feet and a definite loss of collagen/flesh/muscle in hands and feet... happy to wait another 2 years if that’s what it takes!! Interested to hear of your hair too... i ‘seem’ to have some fluffy growth at the temples but the top of my head is thinning more.... the middle parting of my bob is getting wider!  I’m thinking how silly I am to worry about being bald when it’s probably the least worrying symptom if I just stopped trying to pretend I’m ‘normal’!!! I’m losing 2 toenails as well... seems my peripherals are falling by the wayside but I am sleeping generally okay and working 30 hours!!!

 

I think it's quite 'normal' to worry about these issues.  Our appearance is the most visible aspect of us when we step out our door so we want to feel our best.  Only issue is this will take time.  You work 30 hrs a week?? Wow. Thats amazing! Just make sure you get rest whenever you can that way you aren't topping up on stress. 

 

Regarding my hair, i'm coming up to 4 yrs and the peach fuzz is still filling in at temples.  I heard that hair shedding at temples and ends of eyebrows is very indicative of how well thyroid is performing.  I suppose mine is still sluggish so it does worry me a bit but I'm not willing to throw any medications at it till healing seems to have hit a major plateau somewhere.  Until then I will monitor it. 

 

What I have noticed about my hair shed is that it came in waves and literal clumps.  They would fall out all at once and then cease...and then repeat a couple months later.  And it usually happens in same area of head so it may explain the widening of middle portion.  I believe this cycle will improve for you so just wait and see, as long as you're not overclocking the body.  Also feed the body the vitamins and minerals it needs to rebuild if you can tolerate it.

Thanks so much Castillo!  I’ve just discovered magnesium and bought a magnesium oil spray which seems to be able to somehow turn off the all over nerve pain so hopefully will help with other symptoms!!  I’ve had thyroid problems in the past and take meds )half my thyroid still works and is stable)...  I was hyper (fast heart rate ate lots but didn’t put in weight felt wired but tired) then drank radioactive iodine and became hypo (swollen tongue low heart rate and bp unable to sleep eight gain but not hungry constipated ).  It’s easy enough to get a basic blood test and if you need help interpreting feel free to pm me😊.  Thanks again for helping get me through last week... I’m feeling my normal window-optimistic self again ... for today ( the job I’ve got is driving... I would find it near impossible to do the office work that I used to.... I can be more ‘in the now and mindful’ when I’m on the move and concentrating on the road rather than any current symptoms) 😎

I'm glad I could help.  Your pre-existing thyroid issue was probably not helped by the withdrawals which can be such a bummer but I hope the medications keep your condition stable.  With your description I think I am definitely hypo cause I have all the above, most notably the swollen tongue and constipation that won't seem to fix itself.  This post also prompted me to look at my hair in the mirror.  I noticed that my new hair growth is coming out white.  I'm not at an age where white hair is terribly common so I'm wishing and hoping this will go away like all the other symptoms.  Little flyaways of white and sometimes it's white mid-hair.  It's annoying cause it does make me feel older than I am.

The meds have kept my thyroid stable (amazingly).  I can always tell if I’m hypo by my putting on weight without increasing my food.  Increasing iodised salt might be enough to help it a little.  If it’s early hair growth it’s likely ‘colourless’ so give it a bit more time 👍😊

Wow how things change so quickly.  I'm writing here because it is a celebration of sorts.  Not too long ago I wrote a post about loss of collagen in certain areas and all I could see was bone and flesh.  Today under overcast light, my feet looked plump.  I doubt it's fat since the scale number has been going down.  This is sudden and miraculous and i'm excited to see what this means for the rest of the body, brain included.  Have faith people!

 

Excellent news!  Congratulations, there's hope for us yet.

Hi Castillo and all 🙂;  my ‘flesh’ continues to plump out (fingers less wrinkled) although I still have a kind of pitting oedema where the skin doesn’t bounce back too quickly and I also have quite ‘thin skin’ and bruise really easily.  I think this is also a vascular/collagen use where small blood vessels aren’t elastic enough to withstand a knock;  I read somewhere that too much cortisol can cause these collagen issues and Vit C, omega 3 and collagen peptides (and antioxidantS) may assist.  I’m thrilled that my nails aren’t shredding like they were and I’m managing irritable bowel better with psyllium husks before meals.  If anyone has had any luck with similar sxs please let me know.... I haven’t had a blood test and am not in a hurry to, thanks.

I had edema during acute and to me it seemed like all these skin/muscle issues were due to high cortisol.  The more balanced my cortisol became the more these issues started to subside.  Now how long it takes to restore to previous levels of collagen is beyond me.  Something tells me it's not going to be an overnight sensation.  At this point of the journey for me,  my adrenals are still sensitive.  Stress can easily tip the scale and I will find it difficult to bring the cortisol down easily.

Thanks Castillo, the bruising apparently is collagen also (I googled thin skin );  so I’m working on the supplements as best I can. Apparently the small blood vessels like skin can loose elasticity and break easily.  So I’ve trawled the net and B.B. to see if anyone’s had success; I’m heartened by the very slight improvement in my nails but it’s bittersweet when I look at the bruises on my arms and legs.... not panicking yet but started the Vit C already and having a meal supplement smoothie drink a day to try to get the basic vitamins and minerals.  Thanks for your reply; only 20 months out here; sleeping a solid 4-5 hours and sometimes 6 so guessing too much cortisol is still having a domino effect!!