ksingh123

After being diagnosed with graves disease ( a thyroid issue). I am wondering if the bib shorts / cycling jersey have microscopic toxins that can go into the skin. These clothes are made of synthetic fibres which involve heavy chemical usage? Just curious and thoughts on what other people think

10 Wheels

I had my Thyroid removed.

Graves symptoms

:https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...s/syc-20356240

ksingh123

Did you have any symptoms in your eyes? After removing thyroid, did you:

1)Get any eye issues?
2)Gain weight?

3) What do you think originally caused the thyroid disorder? Was it excessive exercise, exposure to toxins (maybe in the clothing)?

4) How long has it been since you removed your thyroid? Did you have any other issues start up after thyroid removal?

10 Wheels

I had a Hard Fiberess Growth on it. Not Cancer. Keep Checking with Your Doctor

indyfabz

You breathe and eat and likely wear plenty of other things that could be toxic. Why would you think to focus on NOT SHORTS?

datlas 

I think the chance that cycling clothes are a danger or related to your health issues is essentially zero.

indyfabz

Did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night?

Wileyrat

I'm reasonably sure my sweat is more toxic to my riding clothes than they are toxic to me.

However, if this is a serious concern, you can go natural and invest in wool jerseys and shorts.

GlennR

Don't drink from plastic water bottles... they are all toxic.

ksingh123

What about BPA free? What else do you recommend. That is also one thing on my mind. I developed this autoimmune condition and I am trying to find what possibly could have caused it.

ksingh123

Anyone, who had this? How has the journey been? Im still trying to figure, what caused it. 15 days prior to diagnosis I was cycling over & beyond my capacity. I got dehydrated once and almost drop dead (bonked). I was also not paying attention to my diet. I was on a low carb diet (keto style).

Did anyone have similar disease? Did it affect your eyes? How did you overcome? Is surgery a good option and is it good for the eyes?

I am wondering what caused it. Could it be the chemicals that cycling clothes are made from or those plastic water bottles that started an autoimmune reaction?

GlennR

Maybe talk to some doctors instead of anonymous and unknown people on the Interweb.

Troul 

how many doctors have verified the condition accurately? Did the doctor[s] provide possible probable causes that warrant clothing to be a direct link to the disease?

Skulking

Medical science doesn't yet know what causes Graves disease, but knowing people around here, I bet we'll have this all sorted in the next 20 posts or so.

ksingh123

I am not trying to draw a conclusion, but just trying to bring attention to something that is probable. These clothes are made from spandex, polyster, polyamide, nylon. These substances are known to hold moisture, increase bacterial growth. They are also treated heavily chemicals. Their is known research that when you clean these clothes then micro-chemical toxins go into the water and affect the marine life. Now, I am not trying to say that it would cause allergic reaction to the skin. I am just trying to figure things out - what is the possibility and probability that substances from these clothes would enter your skin?

Skulking

Why would I listen to you about that? You're just some random guy on the internet.

veganbikes

That sucks!

What is your diet like? If plant based, organic and few if any heavily processed foods you might be in better shape if not I would look to that first before your bibs and jersey. I doubt you are getting enough toxins from your bibs to make much of a difference. If you spend all your time in them in loads of high high heat maybe but you would probably have not been in that much heat to cause those issues and you wouldn't wear them 24/7.

ksingh123

I was supposing to be eating plant based and organic, but I have to admit that I was eating foods that I was not suppose to eat. I was in good shape. Yes, I want to rule out bibs. I was in my bibs like for 1-2 hours daily.

Troul 

exposure tolerance would need to be vetted.

GlennR

Well, he should trust me more than you since i have more posts... newbie.

veganbikes

Yeah some of those highly processed foods contain a lot of crap that you are literally putting inside of your body. I am not judging at all as my diet is pretty terrible sometimes.

I really don't think your bibs are causing health issues unless way too tight but you would know that already. I would look more at stuff that is likely to get into your body so food/drink and any products you use on your skin like soaps, deodorants, sunscreens, lubricants and other stuff.

However like a lot of people have said this is an Internet forum and yeah go see a doctor. There are some great people here but medical advice is best served by a licensed physician or certain presidents (kidding kidding)

GlennR

I eat crap... bacon and eggs for breakfast, pizza for lunch and steak and potatoes for dinner and then there's ice cream before bed. I spend 50 hours a month in bibs for the past 10 years.. .and i'm 65.

My only health issue is cholesterol in the 190s.

I doubt your problems are your bibs. But i'm not a doctor and don't play one on TV.

rsbob 

BPA is a known carcinogen and was removed several years ago from plastic baby bottles. It has then expanded to many sports bottles and other plastics which contain consumables. All my water bottles are BPA free. However I have drank swimming pool quantities from non-BPA free bottles from the 70s until about 20 years ago.

To the original poster, very sorry to hear about your health challenge and hope you will do well. Most of the clothing we wear have synthetic materials unless you strictly wear 100% cotton, hemp and leather (but the tanning process is full of nasty chemicals). We are exposed to so many chemicals on a daily basis (wrinkle free shirts and certain dental floss brands se formaldehyde. Bounce laundry softener has carcinogens. Most air fresheners have carcinogens. Then there is exhaust from vehicles, off gassing of chemicals of your carpets, furniture, car interior, and on and on. In my opinion, your condition could have come 1000s of sources, and the likelihood it came exclusively from cycling clothing is extremely remote.

Now please get better.

rosefarts

Did they tell you that this is a relatively easy fix?

Remove thyroid and spend the next few months dialing in the amount you need to take. Yes you'll be on a hormone replacement for the rest of your life but you won't have Graves. You won't ever get thyroid cancer either.

Fwiw, Graves patients look like meth heads to me. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. There is a treatment.

79pmooney

A slightly different experience here. I used to build fiberglass boats. All in the trade knew of former workers who now had strange ailments and sensitivities. I became one of them. All sorts of common solvents set off allergy-like symptoms. Solvents like acetone long before I could smell it. (I became known as the canary at work because I'd feel the symptoms start and go around the workplace until I found the cause. Once an ancient air freshener with acetone in the men's room. That little freshener got into the HVAC of a rather large building and set me off in my cubicle).

Many of the substances that I reacted to are not good for us but most people have no reaction to them and treat them as harmless. Cosmetics. (I've had several women cut my hair at Supercuts because Supercuts doesn't have the chemicals of the salons. Those women took paycuts to work in an environment that wasn't toxic to them. Wow, could I relate!)

For the 30 years I was sensitized, there were fabrics I could not wear. (I've owned one pair of bibs and never wore the straps against my skin so no comment there.)

Ben