Do you have under active thyroid?

too much of me · July 29, 2007

:banplease:I have a under active thyroid. So I was wondering for those who have this problem, How has it affected your weight loss?

(or has it). Having this problem was one of the reasons I decided to get the band. Trying to loose weight before the band was like running up hill and not getting any where.:faint:

Alexandra · July 29, 2007

If you're taking medications for your hypothyroid, there's no reason you won't be as successful as anyone else with the band. Until the levels are under control, though, you probably won't be cleared for surgery, so if you're not on meds now you should talk to your doctor about treatment.

too much of me · July 29, 2007

Oh yes I am taking medication for it and eating the right foods to promote thyroid funtion. Still I had a hard time loosing weight.

WASaBubbleButt · July 29, 2007

I have Hashi's and I've lost 83 lbs since December. As long as you are taking your meds and your labs are normal you should be good to go.

BlueEyedBaby · July 29, 2007

I too have Hashi's (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis) It is an auto-immune disease in which your body litterally burns your thyroid out. My endocrineologist told me a few years ago that chances were that if I went on a starvation diet and never ate another bite of food, I would die of malnutrition before I lost a pound. How's that for encouraging? Even with the medications it is a tough battle but it can be done. It will just be harder for you. I also have PCOS which makes it doubly hard. But since I know what I am up against, and have accepted the fact that I will not loose as fast as some ppl, I am ok with it and can carry on with my weight loss, no matter how slow it is. I am just happy to be loosing period as opposed to constantly gaining....

crazyace · July 29, 2007

Hi --I just tested postive for the antibodies--thryoid perotase (sp?)--they were really high---my thyroid levels seem to vary---9.1 then 3.5--my doctor doesn't want to put me on any meds yet --she is going to test me every 3 months and see what happens---i am going to be banded on august 13---should I try and harass my PCP into putting me on meds?

goldthimble · July 30, 2007

Oh my lord!!! I am having major problems right now with the same thyroid problem. I just logged on to see what was new. I have lost three lbs in 4 months. I need to lose 10 all together before I see the surgeon in 3 weeks and I can't lose anything. I am so hungry. I saw a new Endo last week and he is running all kinds of blood work including type 2 diabetes. I was diagnoised 30 yrs ago with Hashis. Till three yrs ago it was not a problem and I had a doc who decided to cut my meds in half. I left him and went to a new doc who agreed with the first because of the TSH results. I have so many problems since from a 70 lb weight gain to high cholestrol and full body sweats, and no energy to name a few. The new doc seems to want to listen to me. I told him I want answers. He agreed to help me. He even agreed with the lapband. His last words as we left the office were ..We will get you through this and help get the weight off and answer the other medical problems.

Hope you all do well. Thanks for letting me vent. I love this sight.

Linda

WASaBubbleButt · July 30, 2007

Hi --I just tested postive for the antibodies--thryoid perotase (sp?)--they were really high---my thyroid levels seem to vary---9.1 then 3.5--my doctor doesn't want to put me on any meds yet --she is going to test me every 3 months and see what happens---i am going to be banded on august 13---should I try and harass my PCP into putting me on meds?

Which tests do those results belong to? T3, T4, TSH??

I would strongly urge you to go to Welcome to About.com and look up their thyroid forum. The ladies there are amazing at reading labs and they are more up to date than many docs I know. I think it would be a world of info for you.

blugini59 · July 30, 2007

Hi, I'm new to this thread. I was diagnosed with under active thyroid when I was 15. Now, I'm 32 and been on so many different brands of medications and dosages I just got sick of it all. That and the fact that I have the fat gene from my whole family seemed like I was never gonna beat it. Last year I was on 3 different meds/dosages and gained 40lbs in the process. So it was a big part of my decision to get the band. I am at 5 weeks with the band and take my current medication regularly. I am happy to say I have lost 26 lbs. at this point and will be starting my excersize routine this week. I hope you all have great success. Underactive Thyroid is so depressing. Now we don't have to look like we have Thyroid problems. :eek:

crazyace · July 30, 2007

Which tests do those results belong to? T3, T4, TSH??
I would strongly urge you to go to Welcome to About.com and look up their thyroid forum. The ladies there are amazing at reading labs and they are more up to date than many docs I know. I think it would be a world of info for you.

yes ---thank you ---i checked it out and i think i will try to push my doctor to be more firm with my thyroid----my TSH seems to be different every time it is checked---9.1 then 3.5 etc.---i am not on any meds for it right now---my doctor said with a high--Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Antibodies (TPOAb)---i will need to be on meds at some time---i think she wants to wait until my TSH is high all the time. I am just afraid that i will get the band and then not loose any weight.

WASaBubbleButt · July 30, 2007

yes ---thank you ---i checked it out and i think i will try to push my doctor to be more firm with my thyroid----my TSH seems to be different every time it is checked---9.1 then 3.5 etc.---i am not on any meds for it right now---my doctor said with a high--Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Antibodies (TPOAb)---i will need to be on meds at some time---i think she wants to wait until my TSH is high all the time. I am just afraid that i will get the band and then not loose any weight.

I have Hashi's and sometimes I need meds, sometimes I don't. But I've had it for years and I no longer need the tests to tell me I'm not feeling well. NOT per my doc's advice, mind you.. but I keep Levothyroxine around the house. I only take it about 4 months out of the year. Then my antibodies go down and all is well again.

With Hashi's sometimes it needs treatment and sometimes it doesn't. When your thyroid reaches 'crap' level, then you'll need meds for the rest of your life. It's no big deal for the majority of people, just an inexpensive tablet daily.

One thing you will see on that forum is EVERYONE blaming their inability to lose weight on thyroid issues. That's just not true. A LOT of those members (not the core group of ladies that kinda run the forum but the other members) have it in their head that all they need to do is take a pill daily and the pounds will melt away. Not true. The fat that is indeed due to thyroid issues doesn't just go away with a pill. The pounds that were gained during untreated thyroid issues still need to be burned. It may not be fair but that is reality.

Many of those women keep going back to their doc insisting they aren't losing weight. Well, they aren't. They sit in front of their computers whining that the fat doesn't just magically disappear. If you really bug them about exercise they claim they did the laundry that day. THAT was their exercise. So take those people with a grain of salt. It's easy to see on that forum who the educated folks are and who the whiners are.

Those ladies do non stop research and they are more up to date on thyroid issues than many GPs. Example, when you get labs done your TSH (depending on the lab) will say that normal values are between something like 0-12. The American Endo Assn. changed what they believe to be normal years ago. They believe that a TSH of anything over 6 needs to be treated but many of the labs still show up to 12 is normal. Many also believe that for a Hashi's patient (not just hypothyroid but an actual Hashi's patient) they should shoot for a TSH of 0.5-1.0. Yet the labs that come up with the normal range don't take that into consideration at all.

The problem is when you go to your GP the GP will show a lab value of 9 and believe that is what normal is. After all, the labs show right there normal is up to 12 and yours is 9. Yet endos believe up to 6 is normal so they will treat your 9 most of the time. Many GPs don't keep up with such issues.

If you are wavering around and going from a 3 to a 9, I can see why your doc is sitting on this. If you take thyroid meds during the times you don't need them you can end up with a thyroid storm and that can damage your heart and kill you. So some docs are verrrry conservative with someone who has never taken thyroid meds before. An experienced thyroid patient will know the signs and either cut back on meds or get some labs when the symptoms of a low TSH kick in. Many docs are verrry conservative with newbie thyroid patients.

One more point... when we look at lab values, the "normal range" is what is AVERAGE for MOST people. If you have a TSH (for example) of 6 but you don't feel well and have other symptoms of a high TSH many endos will treat you anyway with low dose levothyroxine. The good ones will, anyway. Not everyone feels good with average labs, some need a bit more or a bit less. Everyone is individual and unique. The better docs will go by physical exam and how the patient feels WITH the labs. The lazy docs depend on labs alone to tell them what to do. I have had the BEST experiences with young, female endos. The younger endos are more up to date, not stuck in their ways, and they don't seem to go by how you should feel but instead how you do feel.

That is not to say all older endos or male endos are bad, they aren't. I'm referring to my experience only.

goldthimble · July 30, 2007

I have Hashi's and sometimes I need meds, sometimes I don't. But I've had it for years and I no longer need the tests to tell me I'm not feeling well. NOT per my doc's advice, mind you.. but I keep Levothyroxine around the house. I only take it about 4 months out of the year. Then my antibodies go down and all is well again.
With Hashi's sometimes it needs treatment and sometimes it doesn't. When your thyroid reaches 'crap' level, then you'll need meds for the rest of your life. It's no big deal for the majority of people, just an inexpensive tablet daily.

One thing you will see on that forum is EVERYONE blaming their inability to lose weight on thyroid issues. That's just not true. A LOT of those members (not the core group of ladies that kinda run the forum but the other members) have it in their head that all they need to do is take a pill daily and the pounds will melt away. Not true. The fat that is indeed due to thyroid issues doesn't just go away with a pill. The pounds that were gained during untreated thyroid issues still need to be burned. It may not be fair but that is reality.

Many of those women keep going back to their doc insisting they aren't losing weight. Well, they aren't. They sit in front of their computers whining that the fat doesn't just magically disappear. If you really bug them about exercise they claim they did the laundry that day. THAT was their exercise. So take those people with a grain of salt. It's easy to see on that forum who the educated folks are and who the whiners are.

Those ladies do non stop research and they are more up to date on thyroid issues than many GPs. Example, when you get labs done your TSH (depending on the lab) will say that normal values are between something like 0-12. The American Endo Assn. changed what they believe to be normal years ago. They believe that a TSH of anything over 6 needs to be treated but many of the labs still show up to 12 is normal. Many also believe that for a Hashi's patient (not just hypothyroid but an actual Hashi's patient) they should shoot for a TSH of 0.5-1.0. Yet the labs that come up with the normal range don't take that into consideration at all.

The problem is when you go to your GP the GP will show a lab value of 9 and believe that is what normal is. After all, the labs show right there normal is up to 12 and yours is 9. Yet endos believe up to 6 is normal so they will treat your 9 most of the time. Many GPs don't keep up with such issues.

If you are wavering around and going from a 3 to a 9, I can see why your doc is sitting on this. If you take thyroid meds during the times you don't need them you can end up with a thyroid storm and that can damage your heart and kill you. So some docs are verrrry conservative with someone who has never taken thyroid meds before. An experienced thyroid patient will know the signs and either cut back on meds or get some labs when the symptoms of a low TSH kick in. Many docs are verrry conservative with newbie thyroid patients.

One more point... when we look at lab values, the "normal range" is what is AVERAGE for MOST people. If you have a TSH (for example) of 6 but you don't feel well and have other symptoms of a high TSH many endos will treat you anyway with low dose levothyroxine. The good ones will, anyway. Not everyone feels good with average labs, some need a bit more or a bit less. Everyone is individual and unique. The better docs will go by physical exam and how the patient feels WITH the labs. The lazy docs depend on labs alone to tell them what to do. I have had the BEST experiences with young, female endos. The younger endos are more up to date, not stuck in their ways, and they don't seem to go by how you should feel but instead how you do feel.

That is not to say all older endos or male endos are bad, they aren't. I'm referring to my experience only.

I have had a problem with Hashi's for 30 yrs. I was on meds and could always lose weight. I never used that as an excuse. Three yrs ago my then doc dropped my meds in half. I gained weight FAST no matter what I did. I have tried like you can't believe and the weight does NOT come off. Please don't say that we all are blaming our thyroid and just not working at it. I work at it ALL the time. Working out and healthy eating. I have even tried different fad diets to no avail. I now have a doc who is willing to work with me to get to the bottom of things. I am an active person. And when I get online I usually have my laptop on my treadmill! I know Hashi's and thyroiditis inside and out. I have chart of all my blood tests over the yrs and am a very educated person.

All I ask is please don't lump us in one pile. Thank You.

Linda

WASaBubbleButt · July 31, 2007

I have had a problem with Hashi's for 30 yrs. I was on meds and could always lose weight. I never used that as an excuse. Three yrs ago my then doc dropped my meds in half. I gained weight FAST no matter what I did. I have tried like you can't believe and the weight does NOT come off. Please don't say that we all are blaming our thyroid and just not working at it. I work at it ALL the time. Working out and healthy eating. I have even tried different fad diets to no avail. I now have a doc who is willing to work with me to get to the bottom of things. I am an active person. And when I get online I usually have my laptop on my treadmill! I know Hashi's and thyroiditis inside and out. I have chart of all my blood tests over the yrs and am a very educated person.
All I ask is please don't lump us in one pile. Thank You.

Linda

Actually, I didn't. I was pretty clear about what I wrote.

Your meds were cut in half, your thyroid issues were not being treated well. The bigger point is that you make it clear you exercised. I made it clear the people I was talking about were the ones that thought if they took a pill the pounds would melt away and they wouldn't need to exercise. Obviously, you aren't in that group.