Graves and weight GAIN!

[Autumn]

:confused: I have graves which is bad enough. But most people our lucky enough to loss weight with it. Just my luck I am a weight gainer with graves. I am 27 5'8 and a year ago weighed 147 now I weigh 205. I waas hypo when I was first diagnosed12/1/06.So I dont know how long I was that way. Now I am hyper with enlarged thyriod that have nodules on both sides. Wating to get biopse and doc. wants to kill thyriod with RAI is that a good thing? I really am getting sick of dealing with all of this thyriod stuff! ASny help would be GREAT!

[GD Women]

Autumn,

Some hypos will lose weight while others gain. Likewise with Graves'. Some Graves' will lose weight and others will gain weight. It really depends on our system, and of course, eating and exercising. Some people will lose weight after RAI treatment. As myself, I did RAI to stop the weight lose. Go figure.

With nodules, normally if they are cancer free, and not too large, doctor will take the wait and see approach. If they grow fast and large, then surgery is recommended for removal. RAI is done after thyroid cancer surgery.

Doctor can give you RAI to see if nodules stop growing or shrink them. However, very seldom RAI will shrink the nodule and if thyroid has been too damaged, then nodules will usually stay, although not grow.

Hope I answered you question.

Best of Luck and Health.

[searchingforanswers]

Sorry to hear about your weight problem. I had my thyroid radiated about 4 years ago. Since then my weight has been a constant moving target. I used to 6'1 195 lbs, but now my standard weight is 215. I've always been lean and in shape. Since Graves Disease, four years and twenty pounds later, I have a decent sized gut and handles. I hate it! I work out 5 or 6 days a week and can't seem to lose a pound. My medication is at the upper end of the scale at 1.75 mg and still no help.

With regards to fitness, I have a theory that a person's medication needs to be changed accordingly with their exercise program. If you went from exercising from 2 days a week to 5 days a week, then you natural metabolism should speed up, but since we our metabolism is medicated that doesn't happen. The problem is that it takes months for your new exercise program to show an effect on your lab work where you meds need to be fixed. Then the meds are increased and it takes months again for the meds to affect you. If you stop exercising or decrease it a bit then you are over medicated. This is the problem I have been having.

[Arual]

Hi,

i am new to this site and new to discussion forums generally plus im new to graves disease...first started feeling ill about 6-10 months ago with sweating dizziness and nausea. Even before that my eyes had got really dry and i had got this huge appetite from somewhere i have always enjoyed food but i was never sated even after tons of snacks so despite the overactive thyroid i also put on weight. I went to a health food shop and she thought i maybe had yeast intolerance so did a special yeast and sugar free diet and the weight fell off altho i still had a massive appetite a packet of ryvitas doesnt put on the pounds like 8 cookies. I didnt feel any better though and came off the diet and the weight piled back on again. eventually docs did blood tests and i got diagnosed, but now im on the drugs even if im careful what i eat the weight is not really coming off...im also frustrated as you are supposed to get skinny with overactive thyroid!! am getting married soon and concerned about my weight, although it is not too bad, and also concerned about the eye disease as that seems so random, my eyes havnt got poppy yet but they are sore with some double vision. im happy to have a reason for all these strange symptoms finally but also a little worried. i would love to hear other peoples experiences and will have a look thru the posts, i feel like i should have got on with things a lot more as i felt so ill i let a lot of things at work slide has anyone else had this type of experience? wow sorry for the overly long post it is nice to write to people who might understand. thanks for listening if you got this far! Arual xx

[Debs]

Hi Arual

Im writing on the forum for about daughter who is 17, she was diagnosed about 6 months ago after suffering simptoms similar to yours for nearly a year. Although as you say it is good to know what is causing the symptoms it's so confusing. She is quite overweight just now and seems to permanently graze all day long. She also is reluctant to exercise as she got so used to feeling awful and tired all the time that now she is scared of using up all her energy supplies, it's a bit of a vicious circle really as i'm sure if she did some exercise she would feel better in her self.

She has been recommended to have the radioactive Iodine treatment quite soon as even on her block and replace meds she is still swinging between over and under active. They have advised her to have it done now as they think the risks of her getting pregnant within a year are less now than in 5 to 10 years time.

It seems like such a big decision but I think it is the right one and we have faith in her consultant as he is a good guy. Hope you feel better soon and it was nice to compare notes....!

Debs

[GeekLady]

I have Grave's and also gained weight rather than losing. I would occasionally feel hunger pangs but mostly I didn't -- it was a need to fuel the lack of energy. I thought I was supposed to have an abundance of energy because of the way my heart was racing. Instead, I felt tired out. And no matter what I ate or how much, I never felt full. There was alway room for dessert. And more dessert. So my endo explained that although my metabolism increased, my appetite offset it.

Had the RAI a week ago Friday. I'm trying to be more mindful of what I eat, and am exercising. I gained a two and lost one pound, so far. I don't feel as compelled to snack constantly, but with my slowing metabolism I don't expect the pounds will drop.
I'm not having as many palpitations now. I was on the fence but I feel like I did the right thing with the RAI, for me.

Also, over the last two years or so I would start to cough every time I ate anything dry, such as saltines, pretzels, popcorn in particular, and I'm not doing that as much since the treatment. :)

GeekLady

[Arual]

Hi Debs and GeekLady, it was good to read your posts, makes me feel better that i'm not alone! I completely identify with you Geeklady about never feeling full, i felt so weak and tired all the time it seemed food would help by restoring blood sugar levels, but it never really did and i too never felt full. i think as well as the thyroid symptoms eating junk also affects your body negatively adding to tiredness so it is indeed a vicious cycle. im glad you are feeling better already after the RAI and i wish you good health.

I hope your daughter is feeling very much better soon Debs, she should be full of energy at 17, that is really unfair for her. My doc tells me RAI is the very best treatment, so i hope she feels a lot better soon. My friend with Graves has recently had RAI after 2 years on thyroid reducing meds, and she feels a lot better now. She is also struggling with weight but she really loves her food, she is starting with a few fun excercise DVDs as it takes a while to build back the muscle the thyroid lost.

I have managed to lose a bit of weight by following a low GI diet, this type of food stabilises your blood sugar levels and makes you feel full for longer, it has really helped me and i have been less compelled to eat all the time. Basically its just swapping food for better alternatives so wholegrain bread not white bread, brown rice, not white rice, sweet potatoes insteads of ordinary potatoes. If you do a google search there is loads of info on GI diets and its meant to be best for controlling hormonal conditons like thyroid or polycystic ovaries. hope that helps.

Arual x