Thyroid issues

i am about ten years out of surgery. I originally lost over 200 pounds. I stopped losing no matter how hard I tried. Then I went to law school while working and gained back about 60 pounds.

I've been feeling "off" for about two years now. My bloodwork was fine last year. This year I went to an endocrinologist and asked for a full workout including hormones. He did it and my estrogen was high but he still blew me off.

i decided to try another dr and this dr said all my symptoms point to a thyroid issue..even though my tsh number is in range. He's running more in depth blood work this week.

has anyone had thyroid issues appear after surgery and did thyroid meds help you get back to losing?

I have been on thyroid meds since before surgery. Obviously it wasn't helping me lose weight then per se. At one point during weight loss I had a huge stall and I wasn't quite to goal. Blood work showed I needed my meds adjusted. Doc said give it a month on the new dose and you'll start losing again and I did.

Thank you! I'm frustrated simply because it has gone undiagnosed for so long, especially the past two years. I stalled but maintained a 215 pound loss for about 7 years. I started law school, was working two jobs and was unable to continue my twice a day gym routine and the weight came back quickly.

I would try to at least get some walking in -- but i figured my weight gain was stress, lack of exercise, and some unhealthy habits--but i've been so tired, going to bed more and more early. But the thing that was really frustrating was I kept having this shakiness inside. I was told it was anxiety -- which i had never felt in the past.

I told several doctors, was put on anti anxiety meds and while that 'helped' a bit with the shakiness it didn't help with other areas and i found myself becoming more anxious and not wanting to do anything.

A friend suggested i may be going into menopause and since i had an ablation, i should have my hormones checked. I went to an endocrinologist to have a full blood workup done and he did a handful of stuff and said, i wasn't in menopause and he couldn't help me.

When i went to this new doctor, and told him my symptoms -- he said i have a thyroid issue and should have been on meds for years. He said the shakiness is called 'internal shivering' and is one of the symptoms. My legs he said is collecting surface fat and that's why i don't retain water but they still look swollen. That's another sign. My tiredness, lack of motivation, anxiety, being cold all the time, everything that was ignored because one bloodtest was showing in the range.

I still need the bloodwork run -- he's doing 10-12 vials he told me, to be sure, but he said he'd be shocked if he's not right. I'm just hoping to be able to get back to my old self. I used to love to wake up and go for a walk in the morning and then go to the gym in the afternoon. I just want this "internal shivering" to go away. I never wanted to be 'thin' but i was happy when i was about 260-270 and wearing a size 16-18. It would be nice to be be back there again and maybe even smaller.

If the meds can just make me feel better again...so i can get back to what i know was helping me lose weight and living a healthier lifestyle - I'll be thrilled.

I'm confused. If the doc suspects a thyroid disorder, is he suggesting hypo or hyper? The shakiness you mention is consistent with hyper; and the anxiousness. Tired, cold etc is consistent with hypo. I was severely hyper (Graves' disease) prior to WLS surgery, and had a total thyroidectomy.

The tsh range is broad, so docs will quickly dismiss you if you're even one tenth of a point in range. An endocrinologist would know to also check T3, T4 and free T3- those give more of a total picture of thyroid function. I'd trust the endocrinologist - but still view your lab results yourself to see what the levels are.

Thyroid impacts weight, but is not the end all reason behind gains or losses. Calories in is 85% of this.

Have you struggled with depression?

Absolutely agree! I had radiation on my thyroid gland back in the day when they thought it was a good idea (1950's when I was little). So have taking a synthroid ever since. I did have the hair loss, lethargy, etc. I am rechecked every 6 months to keep the medication properly adjusted.

All the tests peachpie noted are done then. I've had changes over the years, and my doctor will not refill without the blood test checks.

And "average" is a stat, not an individual person. Each of us has a different body chemistry based on our genetics.

I highly recommend a book called Stop the Thyroid Madness. The science behind how they developed the standard for the "normal" range of test results is suspect, and the authors make the argument that patients should be treated according to their symptoms, not strictly relying on blood tests. Also, many doctors only look at the TSH, when they should be examining every stage of the thyroid process.

I was having textbook thyroid symptoms, and convinced my doc to run the full panel suggested in the book. We found that while my TSH was "normal" several of my other factors were out of range or nearly out of range. The authors of the book as well as their followup book aimed at medical professionals make the argument that most people don't feel well unless their numbers are in the top half or even top quarter of the "normal" range.

Anyway, my doc prudently ordered a thyroid sonogram before trialling any meds, and I'm glad she did. I was apparently having an uncommon but documented side effect to one of my meds for my auto-immune and it was causing lots of tiny nodules in my thyroid, commonly referred to as a goiter. I stopped that med, and the symptoms went away. We'll re-sono the thyroid and repeat the blood tests this summer to confirm.