WEIGHT AND THRYOIDS

[stella5349]

There seems to be a flood of posts on weight loss-gain lately on the forum regarding thyroid issues.

I don't think the new posters are looking at the problem as a whole. Thyroid disease whether hyper or Hypo controls alot of body issues. It causes anywhere from minor to MAJOR problems and for many can be very life changing if it not appropriately taken care of -

Your weight issues are a minor problem - but our society makes it a major obsession. It is obsessive  at your first diagnois of this disease. WILL I GET FAT ? is the biggest worry - when in actually - WILL I GET SICK ? should be the concern.

YES weight changes WILL happen - your metabolism will change and you WILL most likely see a difference in your weight - but other very life threatening situations will happen if you don't take care of yourself. Or play around with this disease and medications.

In my teens and twenties I was anorexia and bulimiac. I was obsessed to no end to improve  my looks and weight. I damaged myself ............and through research --- I found that because of my radical behavior I probably brought this disease on. I am now 42 and could be looking at cancer from a nodule and needing surgery.

Was that weight loss so important now??

First diagnoised I was Hyperthyroid. I was losing weight and was at a proud  weight of my 102 pounds at 5'6". I love my skinny body and got dozens of compliments on how I looked. Then it all changed. I thyroid stormed and almost died from heart failure. My hair was falling out (WHICH MY HAIR WAS ALWAYS PERFECT) I slept max 2 hrs a night I had no period and was going to die. I underwent radio active iodine (NUCLEAR MEDICINE) to kill my gland.

After two months of altering the gland with this pill I shot up 45 pounds. I was weak - tired- and very ill. I didn't care at that time about being ill -- JUST FAT!!!!  I begged the endo to help me and I never got results. I got so depressed and ill - I lost my job and became a vegetable at home. STILL GAINING WEIGHT.  Then I crashed into a close call with a thryroid coma - I wasn't getting the proper meds after RAI to keep me alive.

Finally I realized - I was sick - I overlooked the new fat me and wanted help to get better to LIVE. I found a much better doctor now and finally medically I feel better even though I could be looking at cancer right now and need to have my neck cut open. and have a scar. Yep - still a little vein on that thought.

I don't mean to be rude -- but get over it !!!! Deal with the weight when you get better. That little gland you are messing with doesn't care if you are fat or skinny. It's function is to keep you alive. The good news is - once you get your thyroid under control and there are many ways to achieve this - you can alter your outlook on your physical appearance and work to the goal. In the end you will feel better medically and well as physically.

AND - yes. since I grew up and took control of my health - I am now starting to lose that nasty weight I gained. Very slowely - but it is finally coming off. :)

I hope you all understand I am no different than you. I am one person who struggles with appearances to this day - I just have decided to continue to Live as a person instead of a magazine model.

I hope you all  who read this recieve this has a wake up call and get better. :)

[bizwiz12751]

Yep, certainly an old thread. However, I have something to say about this weight thing. Here it goes, I hope no one takes it personally. I fully understand that a weight issue may not be as important to us as feeling well, beating cancer, not feeling achy all the time, being able to function, and any other hypo/hyper ailment that we experience from being under or over medicated because of our thyroid malfunction. With that said, I think for some people the weight is just as much of an issue as any of those ailments. The psychological effect that it has on some people is just as damaging as the physical effects. For some it's losing relationships with loved ones. I'm just trying to point out that it's important that we pay attention to everyones' concerns not only to those concerns that we feel are important to us. It's sometimes hard to express what you're trying to say as a written message. I agree that giving people thyroid meds to lose weight if they don't have a thyroid problem is irresponsible. However, there are people out there that do have problems losing weight no matter what they do. I was one of those people and I would have sold my soul to the devil to lose the weight and look good. Fortunately, my thyroid problem was found and that helps to explain things, however, I wake up thinking about weight and what I can and can not eat and it takes a while to logically explain it to myself. The process, though, is psychologically damaging and at the very least tiring. And I am only saying all this stuff because no one can minimize the psychological damage vs the physical damage. I am not fat, but I am certainly over weight. I am certainly working on the 30 lbs that I can stand to lose but it's a constant struggle every day. Ok, I guess I'm done. I'm sure I'll get a whole bunch of "flack" over this post. But since my Armour switch a week ago, I can take it so bring it on. LOL!

[MSChevy]

I think it is natural for any person to think of their health and weight. It sounds as if you had more issuse going on with your weight and health in all. To be skinny is not an issue with me to be fat is not an issue with me. To be told I have a cold nodule is. It is normal for a person to wonder about there appreance as you are not to happy with the fact of having to have your neck cut and a SCAR, as well as I'am. i could sit here and say the scar is the less of your worries and but it is not for me to say or comment on who ever has a question on their wieght, the scar or the whole surgery procedure period. This is all in gods hands and people have their right to ask a question about what ever they want regarding this health issue. I agree with you to a certain degree, but to come off so hard is really not the way to go when we are all damn near in the same boat.  I have my surgery Feb 17th and I'm scared as hell. To all of you dealing with this I will keep you in my prayers and I hope you all do the same for each other.

[julie383]

I have heard alot of about the weight concern...could someone tell me how this is so ??because I hear so many different opinions on this. I am of course all very new  to this and looking at the possible TT.

[Smilerdeb]

All women feel good when they look good BUT....in all honesty, you get tired of worrying so much about the damn levels, the symptoms, the bloods, the waiting on results that in the end WHEN all starts to stabalise, you realise that as long as your weight is NOT causing you any major illness...that it will slowly come off when it is good and ready.
None of us wanna be fat.
Look at the wedding pics in my profile of my Daughters wedding in October 2008, then look at the pic in the profile 2 months later..THEN look at pic number one BEFORE RAI.
Do I look the same weight...NO.But I look really SICK in that pic of me in a pink top.
And ya know what, I dont care.
People take you as they find you and if they dont like it, then they arent worth sticking around you.
You are no different to anyone of us women here....we all want Sandra Bullocks body (Gawd, do I ever? lol) But we are all human and our personalities and the people we are is NOT in the weight.
Whats makes us what we are today is our hearts, our minds , our compassion for others but most of all...Our Strength.

I still look in the mirror and say to the boyfriend...'hey Hunny....are we gonna trade me in for a newer model".
He just laughs and says ...'No but you might need a Grease and Oil change lol'.
Be who you are and start to like yourself.
Once the levels stabilise, so does the weight....believe me.
But dont expect the Hyper weight.
I like me more as a person now than the person I was with Graves rage.
Gawd I was shocking.:(

My only regret with my weight is I dont clothes shop much now as my 'fat' clothes dont fit and neither do my 'skinny clothes lol.....
Perhaps ...soon  (hehehe)

[Liz94]

Well I'll admit that the first question I asked my surgeon was "am I going to get fat?"  Now that I read your post I feel kind of stupid that that was more important than "am I going to get better?"  It makes me sad. It makes me even sadder that my question has changed from my weight to "is my hair ever going to quit falling out?" But I know that underneath the vanity is a sincere desire to get well. That is first and foremost the biggest thing that occupies my thoughts almost constantly. Until I wash my hair and there goes 100 more down the drain.  Then just for a second I let that vanity creep back in.....

[ChitChatNine]

GREAT THREAD!  I agree with it.  I am "all better" but gain weight still.  Ugh and Grrr and going for a blood test this week to see if the #'s are more hypo than they should be cause I have symptoms now, too, with it.  

C~