Question:
Will non-medicated thyroid problems keep my sister from WLS?

My sister is considering WLS, but she has a multinodular goiter that she is not taking medicine for at this time. she also has high blood pressure, type 2 diebetis, is it possible to have the WLS? I heard if you have thyroid problems you could not have the surgery?    — [Deactivated Member] (posted on March 11, 2003)

March 11, 2003
Of course you can! I have Hypothyroid (medicated) and I was still able to get the surgery. There are tons of people on here that have the same problem. You sister should be fine
   — sandrac131

March 11, 2003
Hi there! I had my thyroid removed 2 years ago due to thyroid cancer. I have been on thyroid replacement medication ever since. I was able to have WLS in January of this year. Now having said that, let me say that my doctor tested my thyroid function before surgery, to make sure that my levels were normal. They were slightly off, and I was able to get them back to normal before my surgery date. Had they not been normal by the time surgery came around, they would have postponed. I know that every doctor is different though. The more important issue would probably be for her to see her thyroid doctor to get back on her medications. It is very important for her to take that medication (if she even requires it!). I know tha twhen I didnt take mine, I gained allot of weight VERY fast, and was not feeling well at all! The good news is that if her thyroid is not functioning properly right now, it usally takes a pretty short amount of time to get them back to normal. I wish your sister the very best!! God Bless!
   — kmoran02

March 11, 2003
Hmmmmmmm. Multinodule goiter. That doesn't necessarily mean she needs thyroid meds, *unless* her docs found that her thyroid function was not normal and they put her on thyroid meds that's she's not taking for some reason (and the previous posters are right -- she should be taking them if they've been prescribed). You can have a multinodule goiter and your thyroid gland can work just fine, with no malfunctions; it depends on the person. I was diagnosed with a multinodule goiter 18 years ago, and they tested my thyroid functions at that time and found them to be normal. So I wasn't put on thyroid meds, and my thyroid function was normal all along ... all the way up until the day they took it out for advanced thyroid cancer, post-WLS (because oooops...my docs never considered cancer as a possibility and never biopsied the danged goiter). D'oh!. I don't want to scare you, but be sure her docs have tested her *both* for thyroid malfunction problems *and* for thyroid cancer, which is so highly curable (95 %) *when caught early*. Chances are she doesn't have cancer, but they don't know that if they don't biopsy specifically for it. Just my hard-earned 2c.
   — Suzy C.

March 12, 2003
Hi there-- I, too, have Thyroid issues and am now post op for 8 days . As a nurse as well as a patient, I will tell you that the bottom line re: thyroid is that if the thyroid levels are not "right", they will not do surgery. Good Luck !!!
   — Kewpidoll