I have had mine out due to the as the DR put Lima Bean Tumors so its been gone. I have to say I have never been the same. People do judge they do not believe me that I watch everything I eat they think I am not sneaking food. My hubbie is very supportive thank goodness. My mother not so much . She two has thyroid issues and is thin. So she says if I am why aren't you??? Wish I could get an answer my Dr told me it involves much more then just the tyroid, he named about 8 diffrent glands that control weight. Till I figure this out I guess I will be chubby. But I really cannot stand it. But then I think of all the other people in the world and my life who are dying then I don't feel so bad. But it is still hard to live a life it is lunch time here and I am already ready for bed!!!! Wish I could find the right thing so I could just lose this extra with it has been 6 years since I had it Irradiated. I feel for you maybe if your hubbie ever had the flu you could tell him thats how I feel everyday !!!!
I am so worried that my life will continue to be just a half life and after treatment that t I will also have no thyroid! What's upsetting is the casual way that they tell me that they want to do surgery or irradiation.
I'm sorry about your mum not understanding about your situation - mum's are much harder than other people because they often think they can tell you 'home truths' because they love you.
There are quite a few sites where people are complaining about the weight gain which isn't being recognised by the medics.
The thing is - the only way that I have ever lost weight is by exercise - but that is an impossibility - though I manage a little swimming to try and loosen up my joints.
I must admit that now I have medicine I do feel a little better than before and I do have access to half a brain. I miss my thinking skills more than anything else.
I am like you - always exhausted - I thought there was something wrong with me because when I worked full-time I used to be able to just make it through the day, get home and be asleep before dinner.
Is your doctor willing to re-look at your levels and listen to how you feel not just what the blood tests say?
Just had them retested they are now at 1.87 which they say is normal but I guess not for me. I keep playing with my thyroid meds but no change in how I feel. They only go by blood test they do not care about how youf feel. I wish they did, bu they do not. I have to check to see if tsh of 1.87 is normal or not . Yes Mothers are always truthful with how they see you. I work full time, teach at night and fall into bed when I get home. I too have stayed in bed a whole day just to catch up on sleep and get rid of the bads under my eyes.I push myself to excersie at least 3 times a week working back up to 6-7. I was hurt in a accident and have been going back slowly.
I think you're wonderful - you are doing so well. Do they know whether you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Fibromyalgia? (is that the correct spelling?). The thing is we know our bodies better than the experts because we live in them. It took at least ten years before I was actually diagnosed with hyperthyrpoidism and by that time I was falling over, crawling up the stairs on all 4's like a dog - had a cold I couldn't get rid of (about a year), scratches all over my body, hadn't slept for years, had a headache for two years etc etc. They kept telling me that there wasn't anything wrong with me. I had put on so much weight that all of the other evidence was being ignored and instead kept being sent for diabetes test! Thank God (and I really mean it) for the Doctor who had the good sense to actually listen to what I had to say
I knew there was something wrong many many years before the tests revealed the problem and I had several thyroid tests that came back normal. So - you are right and they are wrong - there is something wrong - you are a young woman and shouldn't be feeling like this. They need to find out what the problem is - once it has a name then you can start to do something about it. Good luck
Hi Nina,
Have you been tested for vitamin D. It's not actually a vitamin - it's a hormone that affects everything in your body and every cell in your body apparently has receptors for it. It is related to weight gain. So if you are vit d deficient your body tells you to lay down fat and or hoard it. I have an over active thyroid gland and several years before I was diagnosed I went to the doctor's and was told on one occasion it was because my age (under 50); then I was told (it's fibromyalgia - 'there's nothing we can do'
. It was on speaking to a friend that they suggested getting a blood test for vit 12 levels.
Normal is between 50 and 80 and this is the minimum you need for day to day healthy functioning. My level was 15! At 12 and below children get rickets. There is a big risk that your vit d levels are low from years of it being stripped back when you had an over active thyroid gland. Your gut seems to use up too much or something when you are over active and your parathyroid hormone looks for somewhere else to get it from and will just take it from your bones. Anyway the long and short of it is that low vit d and you end up with a load of symptoms including aching muscles, bones, joints, exhaustion, difficulty sleeping, you could gain weight. Sounds familiar? I am being treated with 20,000 IU daily dose of vit D by the doctor - this is many many times the recommended daily dose. I am not well BUT I feel so much better. It'll take some time fory our levels to start to rise.
I've had and overactive thyroid and was very ill for 2 years - (lost weight at first) - but now - I just seem to be
putting on inches around my middle. Never had a fat middle before - and hate it!!! People just think you are
overeating!!!! But I don't overeat - and I go to the gym a lot and exercise. However, since my overactive thyroid
incident - I'm now on carbimazole, and bisoprolol, (was already on warfarin for my antiphospholipid syndrome
diagnosed after a blood clot on the brain), After a hysterectomy I was put on estrogen which did put on weight
(even thought they told me it wouldn't) - so I'm really fed up with this humpty dumpty tummy!!! I've had a lot of
health problems (non before the blood clot on the brain) - and doctors just glibly say to loose weight when often
the meds they prescribe for you are responsible for the weight going on in the first place!!!!
I have had a multi nodular goiter with thyroiditis for 6 years now although it took docs 3 years to diagnose. They spent the first 3 years telling me it was all in my head. I initially lost 10kg and went really thin but after 3 years of being on propylthiouracil have gained it all back plus an extra 5kg. The pharmacist told me that the propylthiouracil will make me gain weight and only exercise will help. My body aches so much I can't be bothered to exercise and my vitamin D levels are so low they are almost non existent. I don't have much appetite so i dont ear much but i still gain weight. This along with hair loss and muscle aches doesn't do much for me along with the mood swings. I am now 47 and feel 87.
Feel so sorry for all the ladies in these posts - what we need to concentrate on I suppose is that we're still alive - aand still able to get about. Being overweight is awful - and affects our confidence and self esteem - and most folk are not supportive - especially the medical people. One would think they would understand the situation - surely there are enough people out there who are telling them about how difficult it is. I suppose because we're not going to drop down dead - they think 'deal with it'!!! I'm trying to be proactive - I'm going to cut out carbs as much as I can - eliminate sugar (no chocolate girls) - try to do a bit of exercise every day!!!! And hope for the best. Good luck all you girls - remember - you ARE gorgeous!!!!!
I have not had my thyroid out yet - but I have put loads and loads of weight on - before I had PTU and even more since. Tired and fed up
You are not alone. I gained weight as well. It is a side effect of my meds as it says they will increase appetite.
Weight gain can actually be a symptom of hyperthyroidism / Graves' disease, as I found out myself after being diagnosed in Jan 14. I couldn't believe it - I have all the symptoms, tiredness, anxiety, sleeplessness, brain fatigue, palpitations but no weight loss! I was prescribed carbimazole 20mg a day, but on reading how others had gained even more weight, I decided not to continue with the drug... Stupid I know! I'm waiting to see an endocrinologist as a private patient to see what he recommends. Fingers crossed hey?!
so funny- we have to keep our sense of humour!
I had...sweating, tremours, weightloss,itching,rash,hair loss, ocular migraine, leg pain, palpitations.....and wait for it....a trembling jaw......
And they say you may experience 'some of the symptoms'... lol
N
I have put on around 10kg and feel really fat. Pharmacist said it's from the anti thyroid drugs. I am on PTU. I barely eat but it doesn't seem to make a difference with the weight gain. I was always size 12 but now 14 and flab puffs out over jeans. My sister laughs saying for the first time in her life she's thinner than me. I initially lost 10kg in 3 weeks when i got hyperthyroid before diagnosis but I'd rather take PTU and put on weight than be as sick as I was before PTU. Still feel ill but nothing like before
Thank you for responding. Sometimes I feel like jacking it all in. I am so fat now. I have put on 7 stones over the past few years. and still have some of the residual symptoms. My mum shouts at me and calls me fat and keeps tellin me what I am doing 'wrong'! She was a nurse and I have told her so many times that I am not the only one with these types of symptoms despite having an over active thyroid. What is wrong with people? I am not going to have the complete operation until I have a second opinion that I cannot have a partial thyroidectomy. It's bad enough battling your body, your mind, the general public and the doctors without having to put up with your mother talking to you as if you are stupid.
Hi my name is Carrie and I'm new to this site. I just found out that I have hyperthyroidism. I have gained a tremendous amount of weight and other ppl I have talked to that have hyperthyroidism have lost weight. Im still waiting to see the specialist and also very nervous to do so. I have been told that they will make my thyroids hypo and that will cause me to gain even more weight. I'm always tired with no energy to do anything and I'm always hungry. Any suggestions would be great.
Hi my name's Emma.
I was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid when I was only 16, but I can say with confidence I had symptoms when I was 14 onwards! I am now 20 and after being off medication for 5 months I relapsed! The weight gain has been terrible I went from a size 8 to a size 12! And too some that may not seem that bad but for my age i feel massive! I work out most days for hours and since being back on tablets the weight has stopped coming off and i have a strong feeling I am now hypo! I feel hopeless I've done everything right quit smoking, exercise and improved my diet. I hate my reflection with a passion and stopped leaving the house when I was 17. I originally tried writing this because I wanted to give somebody hope, but being honest I have no hope and most days wish I was dead. Is anyone else just sick of being tired all the time?