Hypothyroidism & GBS

Hi I was wondering if anyone out there ,like me, has Hypothyroidism and had the gastric bypass surgery. I am currently on Synthroid ( or rather the generic substitute).My levels are normal,as I was told by my PCP. My question is,do you believe the thyroid disease could be giving a slow weight loss? Ever since the beginning of surgery,I have encountered plateau after plateau. Right now I am almost a year out ( june 23,2006) and I am only down 113 lbs. It seems as most people are hitting this loss that I am currently at around 3 or 6 months out. I exercise 3 days a week at the YMCA with 1/2 on elliptical or cross trainer & do close to 1/2 on the Cybex machines.On the OFF days,I walk or do running laps in my swimming pool and mow the lawn (1hr & 1/2 uphill) I do keep a pretty healthy diet.I have also upped my protein shakes to at least 2 a day to make sure the protein quota is being hit. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.I am becoming quite frustrated fast! You can email me privately at wickedcarver at hotmail dot com  Thank you - Kim

OMGosh, I could be writing this post. I too am frustrated.  I completely stopped losing at 9 months and figured my *honeymoon* was over.  Turns out that my thyroid is still bad.  I had severe eye symptoms and joint pain (not to mention horrible hair) back in January.  I got the joint pain back a few weeks ago again and asked PCP for another lab prescription....sure enough, levels are still bad. Anyway, he switched me from generic to pure synthroid.  He said he's not messing around with generics anymore.  I get retested in 6 weeks. I'm hoping that my honeymoon returns!!!! My only advice is that my PCP wants my thyroid to be between .5 and 1.0....this is where many women feel their best.  Discuss non-generic prescriptions with your PCP...supposedly generics can vary widely and the dosage in each pill in less accurate (ie: you think it's 50 micrograms, but may only be 35) For me, I did lose weight pretty fast, however, I know plateaus!  I am serious that I have stopped losing...and I am a very good post-op patient...no white carbs, lots of protein, water, etc.  I play by the rules...big time. It is frustrating and if you don't have hypothyroid, it is hard to understand. Keep me posted and good luck...you've done great!!! Karen

Hi, Kim.  I am 59 years of age and have had thryoid disease for over 23 years. I have had many ups and downs with my thryoid functions. My PCP discovered that I can only take the "real" non-generic form of synthryoid to maintain a healthy TSH level. I have lost 176lbs and am 6 lbs below my goal. I am thrilled with my journey and my new healthy, smaller sized life. I hope that you achieve a healthy TSH level and that your weight loss continues. Remember that this is not a slippy downward weight loss, but a series of steps with weight loss and then plateaus as our bodies adjust to the weight loss. Use a measuring tape to record your inches lost. This tool helped me along the way when it seemed that the scale did not move, but my body shrunk. Good luck to you and don't be frustrated. You are doing wonderfully with your 113lb loss in a year.

Hi Kim, Depending on how big you were to start with, 113 pounds lost in a year is not bad!!!!  I lost 116 pounds in a year (I too am hypothyroid - hashimoto's). How much more do you need to lose?  It will come off slower over the next year, that is just part of surgery. Hang in there! J.J.

I thought of another question...  What level does your PCP like to keep your thyroid at?  I think my last measure was just under 2.0 somewhere.  I think I feel better with it a little lower. I checked out your profile and saw where you are weight wise.  Just don't try to focus on the number too much.  You are doing so great!  Isn't your life a heck of a lot better now?  Also, make sure you don't skimp too much on calories or you might be putting your body into starvation. I weight 168 right now - 4 pounds up from my goal.  I haven't been able to get the 4 back off, but I have lost 3 or 4, I was up almost 10 pounds around my wedding and the first couple of months of marriage. :)  I'm working on getting the 4 back off and I'd like to lose a couple of more pounds. Hang in there! :)

Thank you all for your replies.It helps to hear others experiences. I really am not sure what level my PCP has me at.I am going to ask my surgeon when I go for my year checkup on July 9th.Maybe they can help me out. Take care all, Kim