[Kimberly]

#1062363

Hello – It can’t hurt to get another set of labs run, just to put your mind at ease. It *usually* takes a few weeks to see the effects of a change in dosage, but some patients respond very quickly to Anti-Thyroid Drugs.

You might also make a note as to whether you are experiencing other common signs of hypothyroidism such as heavier periods, intolerance to cold, dry skin, constipation, fatigue, slow pulse, and joint pain.

Another consideration would be to see your general practitioner, just to make sure that there isn’t anything else going on that could be contributing to the weight gain.

[ReneeE]

#1018039

Hello all!

I was originally scheduled to have the RAI today but for a variety of reasons in my last posts we decided to postpone it. So I am three weeks out to having the RAI. But, I feel like I have gone hypo. I need to call my endo today and let her know that we changed the date but I am concerned about the next three weeks too. My endo doesn’t want to see me or do any bloodwork until 4-6 weeks after the RAI. I had lost about 6 pounds being hyper, over about 2 months, and had significant muscle weakness. Now I have gained those 6 pounds back plus another 6 pounds, so about 12 pounds in 4 weeks. And my clothes are getting quite tight, so it isn’t just the muscle coming back, although I have gotten some of my strength back. I can not afford to go buy new pants for work right now to accomondate any more weight gain, which is what I will have to do if this continues!

Two weeks ago at my endo appt (3/14), from a test day (3/9) of three weeks ago now, my T3/T4 levels were in ‘normal’ range and my BP was in my ‘normal’ range due to the metoprolol. Free T3: 3.1 (2.2-4.0), F4: 0.9 (0.8-1.5), TSH: <0.007 (.358-.374). The endo reduced my dose of methimazole by half then and she took me off the beta blocker.

I know everyone says that it takes about 6 weeks for the meds to ‘work’ and show up in on the blood work, but I am wondering if I should request (insist?) more bloodwork here in the next week to see whether we should reduce the methimazole more? I still have three weeks till the RAI and I am gaining weight, at a fairly significant rate, in my opinion…?

What would you do? Would you request more bloodwork?
Thanks for any and all thoughts.

[ReneeE]

#1062364

Thank you, Kimberly. I never know whether I am being overly sensitive or not, or just a pain in the rear, with the doctors or nurses, and me asking so many questions of them.

I called the nurse right after I read your message – I just needed that one litle boost of someone saying that I wasn’t being unreasonable, so thank you – and they agreed to send me for more lab work. We’ll see what it says…I just know how uncomfortable I’ve begun to feel in my own skin again, in addition to the weight…and I do have the super dry and itchy skin; as for my pulse, I don’t know what mine is normally; and I have become pretty intolerant to cold now too. In fact, today is the first time I have turned on my little under-desk heater here at work since last summer when the AC was blowing! Yet the thermostat on the wall says that it is in my normal comfort zone. And I am fatigued but I am blaming it on the 60+ hour week I pulled for work last week – eek! ” title=”Sad” /> So…and since I don’t have many sets of lab work to go on yet, I am just gauging things on how I am feeling…

Thanks again! You’ve been very helpful.

[ReneeE]

#1062365

So apparently I am a big pain in the rear and like to over react. I got a message from the doctor today saying that my T3 and T4 levels are normal but my TSH is still abnormal (to be expected) and that the weight gain has nothing to do with my thyroid. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 13 pounds in 4 weeks has nothing to do with my thyroid? Seven pounds of which are totally new compared to the pre-Graves-symptom days.

I haven’t actually seen the results yet, I will get a copy this week, but… Oh, and she told me to only take 5 mg of the methimazole once a day now (was at 10 mg/2xday, then 10mg/day) until my RAI in three weeks and then none after. Why change the dose then? Originally I was to take the MM after the RAI…

I am sooo frustrated. I feel like a fat cow, my skin has dried up and I am my usual cold self at work. And my joints are achey. I feel like hell but it has nothing to do with my thyroid? Sorry, I am super angry and upset here. It didn’t help that the message was relayed by the nurse who sounded very dismissive. Apparently I am now one of the crazy patients.

Do others find that when your blood work shows that you are in the normal range, you still can feel hypo? Have others found that when you are at the bottom of normal, you get hypo really quickly? I still have so little blood work to base my normal off of…

So if she is right and it isn’t my thyroid and I am eating WAYYY too much, should I try to lose the weight now or is it pointless? But I’ve lost weight before, I know how many calories I should be eating for me and I am not eating anywhere near as many calories as would be required to gain this much weight this quickly. I just don’t know what to do or think now except be depressed and pissed off.

Thanks for listening…

[Bobbi]

#1062366

Weight issues are extremely complicated when we are hyperthyroid. We lose muscle — that’s why we start to feel so weak. But muscle weighs more than other tissues, so losing muscle looks like weight loss. It is BAD weight loss, because muscle burns more calories, even at rest, than other tissues do. So we lose muscle, and our metabolism lowers — we cannot eat as much as normal, without gaining weight. Some people gain weight while hyperthyroid. Repeat HyPERthyroid. So, just weight gain alone is not an indication that you have gone hypo. Once you regain controlled normal levels of thyroid hormone, the muscle starts to come back (it looks like weight gain). Until you’ve been at controlled levels for quite a while, you can expect your weight to fluctuate, before going back towards normal.

[Kimberly]

#1062367

Hello – When my levels were falling from hypER, I felt extremely fatigued. My GP said that this was because my system had gotten used to running on “all cylinders” and that my body needed some time to adjust.

On the weight issue, I don’t have any studies to back this up, but I tend to struggle extra hard with weight when my levels are *falling*, even if I am not officially hypO. I really wish that doctors would pay more attention to this issue, as it can really impact health as well as quality of life. For now, focusing on nutrient dense foods like fruits & veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins is helpful. It might also be useful to keep a detailed food journal to show your doctor that your intake does not appear to be in line with your weight gain.

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