[Corinne]

#1064877

I had RAI just over 3 months ago now I think….so still pretty fresh out of it. That is good that you weren’t very symptomatic. The symptoms are vast and really a pain. After being hypo for a month now, being tired sucks, and I get really ache-y but I would take this over how I was feeling any day! (Especially because I’m optimistic that its just going to keep getting better)

I also definitely had the over eating issues when I was hyper!! My appetite was ridiculous! Ugh. I have been with my husband since we were 14 and I have ALWAYS gotten crap from him about constantly being able to eat more than him…and then being hungry again moments later!! Lately I haven’t had an appetite though. It could be because I’m still so Hypo….I don’t know. I still think a diary would be good to do… I might start trying that. I have a sweet tooth.

Hope you are feeling well, and good luck with your decision! And, try not to think too much about the baby thing. I have been talking to women who are having problems getting pregnant and they say worrying about it doesn’t help! Try to do what is best for your body now, because ultimately it will be better for a pregnancy….even if it means waiting longer. Thats what I keep telling myself. It will happen when its supposed to, and my body will probably be determining that….

[Pauly]

#1064878

Hi, I have had three doses of RAI, the max you can take. I’m a 6′ 2" male and I have went as high as 225, and recently decided to change my poor eating habits at work. I have lost 8 pounds and would like to lose 17 more. At 45, It is a bit of a struggle to keep the weight off, but it can be done. Fortunately, my job is very physically demanding, so I burn a lot of calories. The biggest thing I have noticed is avoiding all fast food, and avoiding sugar within reason has really helped a lot. Read food labels. If it has High Fructose Corn Syrup in it, run the other way.
I would recommend discussing your concerns with your Endo.
Really, in the end it is up to you to take care of your body. You only get one. ” title=”Very Happy” />

[suzieoi]

#1064879

hello, even though this topic is a few months old its the topic that led me to this site , i thought id reply to help any future people that are worried about this.

when i was diagnosed i had never heard of the three treatments that i would be having. RAI . prednisone and carbimazole so i looked them up on the internet. All three came back with horror stories of weight gain ” title=”Sad” />

because i had already gained 20lbs before diagnosis ( even though i should have lost weight ) i realised i could not afford to gain more.

the day of my RAI i started to keep track of everything i ate, i cut out the junk and unhealthy stuff. Im now three weeks post RAI, on the prednisone and carbimazole and have lost 8lbs ” title=”Very Happy” />

now i know im still hyper so it should still be easier to lose but i reckon any loss now will ease the gain if it happens when i go hypo.

thankyou ” title=”Smile” />

[cantbgrave]

#1064880

I had RAI in May 2010, got to the right thyroxine level in November 2011. I gained back some of the weight I lost while I was hyperthyroid. I think I might have settled near my optimum weight for my height.

I’m certainly not the dynamo at the gym that I used to be.

d

[kristenb]

#1064881

Cantbegrave ..when did you take your first dose? What as your first dose level and last dose level?

[pinky35]

#1064882

Hi- Just wanted to let you know I was terrified of the exact same thing. I actually did not lose weight while hyperthyroid, so I was completely paranoid the RAI was going to make me gain big.

I had my RAI treatment on Oct. 1, 2010 (so a little over 7 months ago). I proactively joined weight watchers a week later, and started working out more at the gym as I started feeling better. I am still down about 10 lbs from my weight on the day of RAI. Losing is a struggle, and it is hard to go to WW week after week and not see a loss, or see a gain…but I try to remember the bigger picture. I am feeling healthier, HAVE lost some weight, and hopeful I will start losing more again. I am currently doing a weight training program, so my weight loss has stalled again, but I am building muscle, so I’m ok with it for now. My endo feels the healthy eating/weight watchers has definitely helped me as he says he does typically see SOME weight gain after RAI.

As a side note- this all started when I was dx after suffering 2 m/c’s. I am finally past the 6 month mark and back to ttc again! Seemed the day would never come! Take care!

[kirstend]

#1064883

I am one year post thyroidectomy and have gained 50 pounds. Post surgery, I upped my exercise and lowered my calorie intake to avoind any weight gain but that has not worked. In fact, nothing has. I have done blood tests on a monthly basis to gain an complete picture of all endocrine functions in an effort to determine what’s causing the weight gain. All tetst have come back "normal."

Last week I started at 190 pounds, took in 750 calories a day (very controlled eating), expended roughly 100 calories per day (exercise bike, walking, weight training), and ended the week at 198 pounds. I journal all food and activities so I know these are accuarte so how is it possible to gain any weight, let alone 8 pounds!?

After a year of this, I am desperate and scared that this is my life. I am only 38 and never had a weight problem before. My TSH is 1 and I am taking 150mcg synthroid and 5 mcg T3. My doctor says all of my tests are in the normal range but it seems that I still don’t have a metabilism.

Having been assured that this would never be an issue, I feel duped and there’s noting I can do about it now that my thyroid is gone.

[Kimberly]

#1064884

Hello – The mechanism between weight gain and thyroid issues is not at all well understood. I asked this question at a conference a couple of years ago, and one doctor suggested that there might be a “resetting” of one’s metabolism following thyroid issues.

One caution is that we had a presentation from a nutritionist at the 2009 conference, and she suggested not going below 1150 calories per day in order to make sure our bodies are getting all the nutrients that we need.

However, obviously something is *not* right to be eating 750 calories/day and gain weight over the course of a week! My first thought would be to make sure that Free T3 and Free T4 in the “normal” range. If something is off kilter there, your replacement hormone might need to be adjusted. If that doesn’t shed any light on the situation, I would suggest taking the specific data you have collected on weight and calorie intake…and working until you find a doctor who is willing to help you find some answers.

[Bobbi]

#1064885

Well, keeping the log of food intake and exercise for one week is probably not a long enough sample for you to take to your doctor. It is possible that whatever is going on to drive the weight gain last week started BEFORE you started logging. So, I would recommend keeping the charts for at least a month before going to the doctor.

Second. It is possible to eat too few calories, as Kimberly stated, for health reasons. But worse, apparently if we take in too few calories, the body responds by LOWERING our metabolism. Yes, that’s right. Lowers the metabolism. To conserve as much energy as possible for future basic needs. Many diets nowadays allow for frequent, small "meals" or meals with deliberate snacks in between, to keep the metabolism high. I have actually seen someone (my son) drop weight like a stone while eating small amounts of controlled food every three hours all day long. And exercising, of course. Weight Watchers and orther succesful diet groups also counsel people to eat appropriately several times a day. So, there may be some truth to this dietary concept.

Third. In general, after we get treated for hyperthyroidism, we should not take the weight NUMBER on the scale and over-react. Actually, we should probably never look at just the number for our decision making. Why? The presence of muscle raises our metabolism. Muscle weighs more than other tissues. When we exercise, muscle mass increases and our weight will increase with the increase in muscle mass. But, since muscle burns more calories than other tissues, even when we’re not using it, we typically, over time will see a loss in weight as long as we control our portions and caloric intake. While we are hyperthyroid, we lose muscle, especially the large motor muscles of the arms and legs and chest. That is, by the way, a large reason for our weight loss while hyperthyroid. And it is really rotten weight to lose. After successful treatment for hyperthyroidism, the lost muscle starts to come back, slowly. That looks like weight gain, but it is GOOD weight to gain. We need to exercise it to make it back into strong muscle. When I was treated with RAI, I continued to lose weight for a while, and then the muscle weight started coming back. I regained 15 pounds of the lost weight without changing clothing size. This told me that I was regaining muscle, not flab, not unnecessary weight. That is why I mention that the NUMBER on the scale is only part of what we should be paying attention to. A friend of mine who was quite fat, was finally convinced by her doctor to start regularly exercising. Her doctor FORBID her to look at the scale for six weeks. Why? Because she was going to be gaining muscle weight, and the doctor did not want her looking at the NUMBER on the scales and quitting.

So weight issues are not straightforward. They are complicated by a bunch of different factors. We can, and frequently do, add complications with weight loss attempts that are unsustainable (i.e. too extreme). Erma Bombeck, who was a terrifically funny syndicated columnist long ago, once stated that she had tallied up the weight she had lost on diets in her life, and it came to 1000 pounds. But that, alas, her current weight was higher than when she started. She was making a point that resonates with all of us who have tried over the years to lose weight without permanent success.

[Kimberly]

#1064886

I just wanted to chime in with my experience, which is that I have gained weight since my diagnosis…and it is definitely fat! My doctor’s office gives me a printout of my weight, body fat, etc. every year when I go for my checkup — and the body fat percentage is absolutely creeping up, despite the fact that I eat (mostly!) healthy and I’m fairly active.

And I can tell from how my clothes fit (or rather don’t fit ” title=”Wink” /> ) that the extra weight seems to be accumulating around my middle.

I still think it’s critical to continue to focus on healthy eating and activity (doctor permitting), but for some of us, I absolutely believe that something in our metabolism changes that makes it easier to gain weight — and more challenging to lose.

[Bobbi]

#1064887

My point was that it is not "just" the number that is important on the scale. I really think that is important. Yes, when the clothes stop fitting properly, and there’s extra around the middle, it’s not muscle weight. But I think some folks freak out about the number alone and should not. We have to think about what KIND of weight we’re gaining. And also, whether or not it’s [i:25e5qzs1][b:25e5qzs1]healthy[/b:25e5qzs1][/i:25e5qzs1] weight gain, even if it’s not all muscle. Anorexics need to gain both fat AND muscle. And many of us resemble anorexics after our bout with hyperthyroidism. I did. Everyone, including my husband (who really appreciates thin women) told me I was much, much too thin. Think swizzle stick thin. (Ha. Little did they know that they were pulling the finger from the plug on the cookie jar when they told me that!) Their commentary though helped me to keep a more rational view of weight gain when it started to come back. And the first 15 pounds WERE muscle, not fat.

[Kimberly]

#1064888

I agree with you 100% that how our clothes fit and how we feel is a much better benchmark than the number on the scale.

So when the number goes up on the scale, is this “good” weight or “bad” weight? I think that our two stories highlight how individual each person’s journey is.

For you, the additional weight was a sign that you were returning to good health. In my case, I worked my tail off in 2004 to drop 25 pounds, as I was outside the recommended “healthy” range…and the scales kept creeping up and up.

I never really lost weight while hypER. Prior to being diagnosed in 2007, I actually lost several pounds quickly, but they came back on within a few weeks. I wrote it off as a stomach bug – but this certainly could have been the start of my Graves’.

However, since being diagnosed, I’ve had a constant battle to keep my weight from creeping outside that “healthy” range again. With a history of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes in my family, this extra weight is definitely not a sign of good health!

This is why I really wish doctors would discuss weight issues with patients who are being treated for any type of thyroid-related problem…and work with us individually to either *lose* or *gain* weight to help get us back on the road to full recovery.

[Skylark]

#1064889

Actually, I [i:1izp6yxn]lost[/i:1izp6yxn] a great deal of weight, which started within days of having had RAI a year and a half ago now.

However, having said that, I’m one of those odd people who actually [i:1izp6yxn]gained[/i:1izp6yxn] weight with Graves Disease and I didn’t develop the ‘bug-eyed’, thin look as many people seem to do – BUT – after having RAI, not only did I lose the weight rapidly, my eyes began to bulge/protrude, I became skin and bone, my hair fell out at an alarming rate (I now have a bald patch on the back of my neck but am thankful to have long hair that hides it), my teeth began to rot and break in half (yes, I’m quite serious) and my skin dried out so badly that friends said I looked as though I’d "aged 30 years overnight". Literally.

RAI, for me, clearly seems to have exacerbated the condition, which was ‘upgraded’ to ‘thyrotoxicosis’ after 5 years on anti-thyroid drugs.

Now, though, I’m gaining weight again as the disease regains the upper hand and continues to fight back. I’ve consistently felt (and looked) worse since the treatment than I ever did with the disease.

My specialist, of course, thinks I should have another dose of RAI and, if that doesn’t work, have my thyroid removed and live on drugs for the rest of my life and seems both impatient and displeased at my hesitance as I continue desperately trying to find a natural source of help for my body.

In the end, though, I think I’d rather let nature take its course than go through all that again.

But yes, I did lose weight with R.A.I.

[Kimberly]

#1064890

Hello – Unfortunately, the Foundation and its volunteers have had contact with patients who became much more ill – and even patients who died – because they made the decision to reject conventional treatment. Remaining in a hyperthyroid state is a dangerous situation, as this can cause complications such as bone/muscle wasting, heart problems, and thyroid storm, which has a 20-50% fatality rate.

There is actually a division of the National Institutes of Health that is called the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine — and their mission is to look at alternative and complementary therapies from a science-based perspective. Hopefully, one day, we *will* have more concrete information on the effectiveness of alternative and complimentary therapies.

For now, though, we are stuck with the three conventional treatment options for hyperthyroidism: Anti-Thyroid Drugs, Surgery, or RAI.

All three options do have pros and cons, which is why it’s important for patients to do their own research – but in general, the risks with these options are not as great as remaining in a hyperthyroid state without treatment.

[kerri1]

#1064891

Hello My name is Kerri
I was just diagnosed with Graves approx 4months ago. 2 years ago I gave birth to my twins and 3 months post delivery I started to notice changes with my body. I gained 52 lbs and 3 weeks post deliver had lost 30lbs of out of the 52. I wore my wedding rings the whole pregnancy, until 3 months post baby. Still can’t fit them. I have never been overweight & always exercised. 1 year post deliver i started to get serious about losing the extra 20lbs. I was nursing and thought maybe my body was storing the weight to produce milk. November of 2010 in 2 weeks my weight jumped 20lbs. I was 8 weeks into doing p90x, logging all my calories. Couldn’t figure it out. My sister urged me to get my thyroid checked, of course came back normal. FInally my family doctor said lets send you to an endo and test your antibodies and sure enough they were high. Waited 8 weeks re ran blood tests and low and behold it is graves. I work out, have tried weight watchers and can’t get my weight to budge an inch. I am worried about the toll this is taking on me physically. Heart disease, diabetes all run in my family and it scares me to be 45 lbs overweight and I can’t do anything about it. I just went into the normal range about 6 weeks ago.I am like .02 into the normal range. I need advice what do you do. My joints ache, not sure if it is due to the weight or the disease. My eyes are not bulgy, but do get those floaters or the feeling you get when you have floaters. I have the rapid heart beat, sometimes feel like I am going to crawl out of my skin. Has anyone found any solutions ~ Herbals, meds any advice would be so appreciative.
Thank you for reading this post…

[Author]

Posts