Rapid weight gain (8kg in 2 weeks) but blood tests are normal

[umamarafiq]

I (female 27 years) gained 8 kgs in 2 weeks. Scale is working fine & I have cross checked with other scales. No new changes in my lifestyle, no diet, no medications, no exercise. My menstrual cycle is normal & i have no symtopms like pain, fever, nothing . I went to my gp and did some blood tests, everything is fine, heart is okay, kidney is fine, sugar is normal. The only thing a bit high is globulin which is at 36 g/l (normal is 29 - 35 g/l). I have allergy rhinitis since I was 10 years old. I don't take oral medication for that, only do nasal spray once a day. I am not sure if this is related to fluid retention (I don't show any symptoms of that either except weight gain) & inflammation in my body. I am not sure which more tests should I do.

[Barb135]

Do you happen to know the result of the TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) test you had?  Doctors tend to put all their faith in the TSH test, but that's not even a thyroid test; it's a pituitary test and is an indicator of thyroid status, at best.  It should not be used as the sole parameter for diagnosing (or ruling out) a thyroid condition.  

Every time you get a TSH test, you should have Free T4 and Free T3 tests done, as well.   It would also be good to get thyroid antibody tests to rule out (or in) Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune condition that destroys the thyroid.   Hashimoto's is the main cause of hypothyroidism in the developed world and can be present, and affecting your body, long before TSH goes out of range.  
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Do you have any other symptoms of hypothyroidism?  There are over 300 actual symptoms, but some of the main ones we see are the weight gain, such as you have, constipation, fatigue, low heart rate, cold intolerance (you're cold when others are warm of comfortable), muscle/joint aches/pains, hair loss (all over the body), especially, the outer half of the eyebrows, puffy/swollen areas under the eyes.   As I said there are a lot of symptoms because the thyroid controls metabolism, heart rate and other body systems.

Globulins are proteins, produced by the liver.  High globulins can indicate an autoimmune condition or infection.  High globulin can also indicate cancer, but they'd be much higher than yours if that were the case.

What other blood tests did they order for you?  

[umamarafiq]

My TSH is 1.284, so in the normal range. I don't have symptoms except weight gain related to TSH as well but I will still do T3 & T4 tests.

Also to point out I am a size SMALL & I still fit into tight clothes just like before. I don't see fat in my body, hence my suspicion was towards fluid retention especially because sometimes fluid retention does not show any body symptoms like swelling.

Yes, my globulin is at borderline High, the doctor said since I have allergy rhinitis that could be the reason, since your body is always fighting. My histamine 1 year ago was  higher than normal. She said we could take tests after a month of different types of globulins to check which one is exactly high.

The doctor did hematology tests, I am anemic but I am taking medicines for that (started after the weight gain) & it is improving. My haemoglobin is 11.94, normal is 11.99- 15.11. She did urine tests, it was clear as well & did biochemistry tests, it was normal as well.

After all this & googling (unfortunately had to, because both the doctors couldn't diagnose) my understanding is it could be fluid retention because I don't see 8kg of fat in my body & fluid retention can not have any symptoms in body. When I look into causes of fluid retention & try to match with high globulin causes, one of them is  ' allergies' & 'chronic inflammation' where gap between cells widen so white blood cells pass to fight & thus fluid retains in the cells. I am not sure if I am thinking right & I just don't know why did I retain all the water as my histamines must be high since I was 10 year old.

[Barb135]

Make sure you get FREE T4 and FREE T3 tests; they aren't the same as T4 and T3 tests.  

Although fluid retention is normal for many of us, it's very unusual to have 8 kg of fluid in your body without some sign (swelling/edema) it's there.   It's also very unusual to have that much fluid "stay" in your body for any length of time.  

Prior to my thyroid malfunctioning, I was always very small, as well.  I could gain 10-20 lbs and nobody could even tell I'd gained it and it came off very easily.  Fluid retention is, typically, only 4-6 pounds at a time.  My weight currently, often, fluctuates by that much on a daily basis.

What type of anemia do you have and what medication are you taking for it?

[AnnieBrooke]

You said you did some blood tests, did you get your thyroid checked?

[umamarafiq]

Yes, it was normal as well. I did the test twice in a span of 20 days, both times it was normal

[AnnieBrooke]

Did you do free T3 and free T4? Or just one test for thyroid function in general?

[umamarafiq]

Just one in general, test is called thyroid stimulating hormone. Did the tests twice by two different doctors as they suspected on thyroid first.

[AnnieBrooke]

I sent the link to this conversation to one of the CLs who knows everything there is to know about thyroid and thyroid tests. She'll post in when she gets it, and will be sure to tell you what to ask, and what tests you need, to rule out thyroid as the cause of this mysterious gain. I think the TSH test is considered very general, and a lot of doctors don't understand the nuances of thyroid testing, and that in general getting the TSH test is not enough for a clear answer.

[AnnieBrooke]

I'd like to second the notion that this is not fluid retention. It's too much not to show up as puffy hands, fingers, toes and swollen legs, and at 8 kgs. it's just too much to be fluid retention anyway. The values in your tests that reflected the functioning of other internal organs would also be off if you were retaining 8 kgs. of fluid. Good luck with the thyroid tests, I would not wait. The sooner you get this diagnosis nailed down, the better.