Tumor on thyroid was benign , now what?? Lost some inches, no weight

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Diggergirl1996
Diggergirl1996 Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm getting frustrated by this losing inches, losing no weight argument. I have been working out 5 times a week, and watching calories, but no budge in the weight. Last year, I swam 5 times a week and lost 30 lbs in 3 months. I have been swimming now since February, and have only lost 10. I'm at a loss . I am so discouraged.

I've also undergone a biopsy of my thyroid after finding a goiter that was 3.5 cm. The endocrinologist is convinced there's nothing wrong. I found out that the tumor was benign, so yay, but what in the world would have caused this? The cells found in the goiter match up to Hashimotos, but he says no. Even if you have normal TSH, T3, and T4, you can still have this disease. The doctors have no answers. Honestly, I was hoping to blame my thyroid for these issues.

When dieting and exercise don't work, what really is the best answer? Has anyone experienced anything similar?

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Replies

  • arb037
    arb037 Posts: 203 Member
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    http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

    Dont let your Dr blow you off. Read up and educate yourself on thyroid health.
  • Vixxie75
    Vixxie75 Posts: 51 Member
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    I agree with Arb037. Don't let them push you away. Ask questions and keep going. I know it's hard but it could be worth it.

    The other thing could be that you've reached your 'level'. What I mean is last year you weighed more so it took more effort to loose weight. Now you've lost some it could be you're doing enough to maintain that weight. Maybe try adding something new, mixing things up or pushing yourself a little harder? For instance if you could do 5 laps of the pool in 10 mins try going for 6 laps. I know from my own experience you can get to a place where things 'settle' and its so frustrating!! I've 'settled' for 4 years! Now I'm determined to push harder and loose more.

    Good luck
  • TriBecca_14
    TriBecca_14 Posts: 8 Member
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    I have Hashi's and it was only diagnosed by testing my antibodies. Like other's have said, don't let you dr blow you off. Get another opinion if you still don't feel 100%. My thyroid was removed in February and it is a challenge to drop pounds. I find that for me, it is better to do a little less cardio and more strength training. Good luck on your journey!
  • Diggergirl1996
    Diggergirl1996 Posts: 29 Member
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    Vixxie75 wrote: »
    I agree with Arb037. Don't let them push you away. Ask questions and keep going. I know it's hard but it could be worth it.

    The other thing could be that you've reached your 'level'. What I mean is last year you weighed more so it took more effort to loose weight. Now you've lost some it could be you're doing enough to maintain that weight. Maybe try adding something new, mixing things up or pushing yourself a little harder? For instance if you could do 5 laps of the pool in 10 mins try going for 6 laps. I know from my own experience you can get to a place where things 'settle' and its so frustrating!! I've 'settled' for 4 years! Now I'm determined to push harder and loose more.

    Good luck

    I plan to go to another physician to recheck all of my tests. My sister has Hashimotos and I have the same symptoms as she did. Unfortunately, she had to have the thyroid removed, and like others mentioned, it's quite a challenge to lose without working out 2 hours a day. If that's something I need I do, then I think I'm just going to have to do it. You are right though, I have to push myself even further.
  • Diggergirl1996
    Diggergirl1996 Posts: 29 Member
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    TriBecca_14 wrote: »
    I have Hashi's and it was only diagnosed by testing my antibodies. Like other's have said, don't let you dr blow you off. Get another opinion if you still don't feel 100%. My thyroid was removed in February and it is a challenge to drop pounds. I find that for me, it is better to do a little less cardio and more strength training. Good luck on your journey!

    Did you happen to go to an endocrinologist or just a general physician about testing the antibodies?
  • Diggergirl1996
    Diggergirl1996 Posts: 29 Member
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    arb037 wrote: »
    http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

    Dont let your Dr blow you off. Read up and educate yourself on thyroid health.

    Thank you for that. I have been reading all kinds of articles about natural supplements. The one thing my doctor told me is that he didn't want to put me on a thyroid med to replace hormones, otherwise, he would have never been able to take me off of it. Since my TSH, and T3/T4 levels are normal, that makes sense, but with HM, sometimes the levels are normal.
  • TriBecca_14
    TriBecca_14 Posts: 8 Member
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    Diggergirl1996 wrote: »
    TriBecca_14 wrote: »
    I have Hashi's and it was only diagnosed by testing my antibodies. Like other's have said, don't let you dr blow you off. Get another opinion if you still don't feel 100%. My thyroid was removed in February and it is a challenge to drop pounds. I find that for me, it is better to do a little less cardio and more strength training. Good luck on your journey!

    Did you happen to go to an endocrinologist or just a general physician about testing the antibodies?

    My GP tested first and then sent me to the Endo. I had three nodules that were tested and came back as unknown for cancer cells. My thyroid was huge which indicated I had Hashi for sometime and never really knew it. The final biopsy came back clean-good news! I even have to push my Endo for tests sometimes; it is an ongoing struggle. Im finding that exercise is a small part of the overall plan. Eating clean is very important when you have hashi's-some have even had great success going gluten free. Keep asking questions of your doctor and read up as much as you can. A lot of info out there! Good luck!!
  • arb037
    arb037 Posts: 203 Member
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    Yup hypo and hashi here as well. Weight loss is possible once meds are regulated. Make these Drs figure it out
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Diggergirl1996 wrote: »
    Honestly, I was hoping to blame my thyroid for these issues.

    When dieting and exercise don't work, what really is the best answer?

    Open your diary for personalized advice, but are you logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly? Exercise for fitness; log to lose weight.

    I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and logging worked for me—long before my thyroid levels entered the "normal" range. I followed the advice in the Sexypants post: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • Diggergirl1996
    Diggergirl1996 Posts: 29 Member
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    arb037 wrote: »
    Yup hypo and hashi here as well. Weight loss is possible once meds are regulated. Make these Drs figure it out

    May I ask what types of meds you were prescribed?

  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Diggergirl1996 wrote: »
    May I ask what types of meds you were prescribed?

    There are three treatment options for hypothyroidism:
    • Synthroid (synthetic T4),
    • Synthroid + Cytomel (synthetic T3), or
    • Armour (desiccated pig—or pig + cow—thyroid glands)

    Meds reduce my fatigue, so I can be more active. But they had zero impact on my weight. I still kept gaining & gaining until I learned to log everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly.
  • arb037
    arb037 Posts: 203 Member
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    Synthroid aka levothyroxine intially.
    The body needs more than just T4.
    I switched to Armour Desiccated thyroid.
    Also take these supplements
    Thyroid complex
    Panax ginseng
    B100 complex
    B5
    Adrenal extract.
    I take more but these are mainly for thyroid and adrenals.
    Adrenals and thyroid work in unison, think of a balance beam, if one is up the other is down. So if your thyroid is down your adrenals are ramped up (cortisol) ie stress.
    Bloodwork will tell the story. My Dr pulled cortisol in the Am and PM to check diff levels at diff times
  • arb037
    arb037 Posts: 203 Member
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    Alot of Drs so not like to prescribe Desicated thyroid meds for what ever reason ( no legit reason). You can find bovine and povine thyroid online without a script. You can just order it online its considered a supplement.
  • katharmonic
    katharmonic Posts: 5,720 Member
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    I've been losing weight since I started tracking carefully and exercising, but last year I was hyperparathyroid and had a parathyroid adenoma removed, along with a thyroid nodule. Now I am suspecting I'm hypothyroid and I need to convince my doctor to order the full thyroid panel and/or refer me to an endocrinologist. I don't know why it seems so hard to convince drs. on this but it really does seem like my dr. looks for any other answer but that one just because the TSH level has been normal.

    I would keep pushing with your thyroid issues - have you read the website Stop the Thyroid Madness?
  • Diggergirl1996
    Diggergirl1996 Posts: 29 Member
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    editorgrrl wrote: »
    Diggergirl1996 wrote: »
    May I ask what types of meds you were prescribed?

    There are three treatment options for hypothyroidism:
    • Synthroid (synthetic T4),
    • Synthroid + Cytomel (synthetic T3), or
    • Armour (desiccated pig—or pig + cow—thyroid glands)

    Meds reduce my fatigue, so I can be more active. But they had zero impact on my weight. I still kept gaining & gaining until I learned to log everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly.

    Yes, the doctor said if I was expecting these drugs to help with the weight loss, then I should think of a different route. Thank you for that feedback.
  • Diggergirl1996
    Diggergirl1996 Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    arb037 wrote: »
    Synthroid aka levothyroxine intially.
    The body needs more than just T4.
    I switched to Armour Desiccated thyroid.
    Also take these supplements
    Thyroid complex
    Panax ginseng
    B100 complex
    B5
    Adrenal extract.
    I take more but these are mainly for thyroid and adrenals.
    Adrenals and thyroid work in unison, think of a balance beam, if one is up the other is down. So if your thyroid is down your adrenals are ramped up (cortisol) ie stress.
    Bloodwork will tell the story. My Dr pulled cortisol in the Am and PM to check diff levels at diff times

    I did do the morning cortisol test, and it was normal, however my episodes of fatigue typically happen during the afternoons. I will follow up about retesting at a different time. All of my tests have one thing in common, they were all completed in the am.
  • Diggergirl1996
    Diggergirl1996 Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    arb037 wrote: »
    Alot of Drs so not like to prescribe Desicated thyroid meds for what ever reason ( no legit reason). You can find bovine and povine thyroid online without a script. You can just order it online its considered a supplement.

    I will look into that as another option if needed. Thank you!
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
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    I'm a weird Hashi person. I've had it since I was 11 and I'm now 33. I've been able to lose weight even when my numbers are crazy. I was losing weight with a TSH of 28 (yeah, and that was WITH meds) and am still losing with a 13 (again, increased meds). I have a blood test this week and hopefully I'm down around 2.

    One thing that made the big difference for me was cutting carbs.

    I also have a multi-nodular goiter and periodically do a biopsy. I feel your pain with that one. Best wishes!
  • Diggergirl1996
    Diggergirl1996 Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    katharmonic wrote: »
    I've been losing weight since I started tracking carefully and exercising, but last year I was hyperparathyroid and had a parathyroid adenoma removed, along with a thyroid nodule. Now I am suspecting I'm hypothyroid and I need to convince my doctor to order the full thyroid panel and/or refer me to an endocrinologist. I don't know why it seems so hard to convince drs. on this but it really does seem like my dr. looks for any other answer but that one just because the TSH level has been normal.

    I would keep pushing with your thyroid issues - have you read the website Stop the Thyroid Madness?

    This frustrates me to no end. I realize the levels war normal, but to have such a large growth, and for them to just say, I don't know what cause it", is just unacceptable. I was thinking about seeing this Austrian doctor that hooks you up to some machine and it senses all of the elements in your body. I don't really want to be another science experiment for her, but what do I have to lose?

    I've never been to that website. Thanks for that resource. I already started reading some of the information. So helpful!
  • ks_mommaof5
    ks_mommaof5 Posts: 73 Member
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    Hello! I'm 1 year into a diagnosis of hypothyroid, two nodules and Hashimotos. It is incredibly difficult to get into an endo here ... 6 month wait list. While I waited, I gained 8 inches in my abdomen and 20 pounds in the 2 months after going on synthroid. I had a full battery of tests given these symptoms and wound up with no diagnosis. When i finally saw the first endo, he said it was all in my head despite not ordering a single lab. I was furious. After getting on a second doctor's waiting list, I decided to do something drastic ... something that I'd never attempted before despite having lost 50 pounds three years ago ... I gave up refined sugar and white flour. This had never been necessary at any other point in my life ... but the results were immediate. I'm down 20+ pounds in less than 8 weeks. I am constantly full with lots of protein, fruits and veggies. I also eat corn tortillas. Now that I'm back to 60 minute workouts I'm reintroducing complex carbs and am still seeing results ... even though it's much slower than ever before in my life given my level of effort!!

    Take heart ... for what it is worth you are not alone!!!! Keep putting one foot in front of the other ... feel free to friend me for motivation. :)

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