About Me + Talking to my Doctor
smaihlee
Posts: 171 Member
I am 41 years old and have been overweight to some degree my whole life. Tried many times over the years to lose, but really didn't try hard enough to lose more than a few at a pop. I managed to stay at size 14 throughout most of high school and college.
I first knew something wasn't right in the months after my wedding in 1996. Weight gain, fatigue, and depression despite eating better and exercising. Complained to gMD and got a rx for Zoloft (lol), which I took for about a month and then stopped both the rx and the doc. Complained to GYN a few months later and got lame excuses, until he found the goiter on my left lobe. Officially dx with Hashimoto's and had my left lobe removed in April '97. Have been on Synthroid ever since with probably a dozen dose adjustments since then. All dose changes were based on labs alone, to my recollection, with the exception of 1 decrease that was based on palpitations.
Gained 60+ pounds during my pregnancy in 1998. Lost 30 pounds rather quickly in the months that followed, and more in the next couple years, but have mostly hovered between 230 and 250 for the last 10 years. I've never felt "great", per se, but I suppose I was content to just feel OK. I have great vitals, excellent general health, and am able to avoid the doctor's office except for well visits and recommended annual tests.
I was on the pill from age 18 until about 18 months ago. I had stopped having periods, and even though my doctor said it was normal it still bothered me and I wondered if PCOS was at play. I thought it might explain the propensity of my body to hold onto weight. Saw a reproductive edocrinologist who really made me feel small and basically told me there wasn't anything wrong with me and to just get over the absent periods. I decided to stop taking BC pills because I felt like the hormones weren't doing me any favors. I have felt better since stopping, though my period came back with a venegance--heavier than ever and on a < 28 day cycle.
Even though things are pretty copasectic, I felt my age creeping in on me last year. Knees started becoming swollen and painful. Less energy. Hair loss. I was freaking FAT (around 255 when I finally got the courage to weigh myself). I finally decided at that point last fall that I wanted to focus on a more healthy lifestyle and being the best that I can be. Started regular exercise plus better diet and watching calories. Added Fish Oil + Vit D, B-Complex + C, GABA, and powdered Magnesium (based on adrenal stuff I read on STTM).
The magnesium has been AMAZING. Most amazing thing ever, in fact. I've seen a dramatic improvement in my regularity, sleep habits, calmness, menstrual pain, leg cramps, and cravings. I've always had a serious weakness for sweets and chocolate, and I honestly blame that fact for my inability to stick with weight loss efforts in the past. Magnesium has given me control over what I consume, more than anything else.
I started in early January with a calorie limit, putting more healthy and fewer processed foods into my diet. Though I've adjusted the daily limits a few times to try to find something that works, I've done what I think is an excellent job sticking with my calories each day. I am exercising 4x most weeks with an average burn of 450 calories/workout. I work a desk job, so I'm not as active as I would like to be during the week, but that's something I will continue to try to work on.
Even with all the positive, I am a little disconcerted at how slowly the weight is coming off. I lost 5 pounds last November, rather quickly, but since then it has been sloooooooow. Currently at a 22 pound loss overall, which works out to be about a pound a week. I know that's nothing to cry about, but considering how much more I need to lose (ideally 60 to be "normal", but I'd be satisfied with 50) I just can't grasp that long of a timeline.
I can't help but believe that I either need higher dose of Synthroid or switch to another product. I am currently taking 150 mcg, which I've been taking for a little over a year (and down from 175 before that). The switch down was not based on anything other than labs. I have a physical tomorrow and plan to try to discuss this seriously with my doctor. I had labs back in November (only so that I could get a refill) which were supposedly "normal", but I know from reading more in-depth on STTM that changes should be based on symptoms as well as labs. I really want to get a handle on my care, and the more I read the more I want to kick myself for not being more proactive about this sooner.
Especially now that I have learned more about Hashimoto's and that it requires different considerations that plain old underactive thyroid.
I know what tests I should request, and I know that I should try to talk to my doctor about considering a switch to natural thyroid should upping my Synthroid not produce the desired effects in my labs or my well-being. My biggest concerns are that she is not knowledgeable enough about thyroid disorder treatments and/or unwilling to switch meds. Naturopaths and holistic health providers are pretty much non-existent in my hometown, so just adding or switching providers isn't really feasible.
Really what I am looking for are words of wisdom or suggestions on other things I might discuss during this appointment. Things I should insist on. Suggestions on other things I should try myself to boost my metabolism--diet-wise or in terms of supplements.
Thanks! So glad to have found this group (and MFP in general)
I first knew something wasn't right in the months after my wedding in 1996. Weight gain, fatigue, and depression despite eating better and exercising. Complained to gMD and got a rx for Zoloft (lol), which I took for about a month and then stopped both the rx and the doc. Complained to GYN a few months later and got lame excuses, until he found the goiter on my left lobe. Officially dx with Hashimoto's and had my left lobe removed in April '97. Have been on Synthroid ever since with probably a dozen dose adjustments since then. All dose changes were based on labs alone, to my recollection, with the exception of 1 decrease that was based on palpitations.
Gained 60+ pounds during my pregnancy in 1998. Lost 30 pounds rather quickly in the months that followed, and more in the next couple years, but have mostly hovered between 230 and 250 for the last 10 years. I've never felt "great", per se, but I suppose I was content to just feel OK. I have great vitals, excellent general health, and am able to avoid the doctor's office except for well visits and recommended annual tests.
I was on the pill from age 18 until about 18 months ago. I had stopped having periods, and even though my doctor said it was normal it still bothered me and I wondered if PCOS was at play. I thought it might explain the propensity of my body to hold onto weight. Saw a reproductive edocrinologist who really made me feel small and basically told me there wasn't anything wrong with me and to just get over the absent periods. I decided to stop taking BC pills because I felt like the hormones weren't doing me any favors. I have felt better since stopping, though my period came back with a venegance--heavier than ever and on a < 28 day cycle.
Even though things are pretty copasectic, I felt my age creeping in on me last year. Knees started becoming swollen and painful. Less energy. Hair loss. I was freaking FAT (around 255 when I finally got the courage to weigh myself). I finally decided at that point last fall that I wanted to focus on a more healthy lifestyle and being the best that I can be. Started regular exercise plus better diet and watching calories. Added Fish Oil + Vit D, B-Complex + C, GABA, and powdered Magnesium (based on adrenal stuff I read on STTM).
The magnesium has been AMAZING. Most amazing thing ever, in fact. I've seen a dramatic improvement in my regularity, sleep habits, calmness, menstrual pain, leg cramps, and cravings. I've always had a serious weakness for sweets and chocolate, and I honestly blame that fact for my inability to stick with weight loss efforts in the past. Magnesium has given me control over what I consume, more than anything else.
I started in early January with a calorie limit, putting more healthy and fewer processed foods into my diet. Though I've adjusted the daily limits a few times to try to find something that works, I've done what I think is an excellent job sticking with my calories each day. I am exercising 4x most weeks with an average burn of 450 calories/workout. I work a desk job, so I'm not as active as I would like to be during the week, but that's something I will continue to try to work on.
Even with all the positive, I am a little disconcerted at how slowly the weight is coming off. I lost 5 pounds last November, rather quickly, but since then it has been sloooooooow. Currently at a 22 pound loss overall, which works out to be about a pound a week. I know that's nothing to cry about, but considering how much more I need to lose (ideally 60 to be "normal", but I'd be satisfied with 50) I just can't grasp that long of a timeline.
I can't help but believe that I either need higher dose of Synthroid or switch to another product. I am currently taking 150 mcg, which I've been taking for a little over a year (and down from 175 before that). The switch down was not based on anything other than labs. I have a physical tomorrow and plan to try to discuss this seriously with my doctor. I had labs back in November (only so that I could get a refill) which were supposedly "normal", but I know from reading more in-depth on STTM that changes should be based on symptoms as well as labs. I really want to get a handle on my care, and the more I read the more I want to kick myself for not being more proactive about this sooner.
Especially now that I have learned more about Hashimoto's and that it requires different considerations that plain old underactive thyroid.
I know what tests I should request, and I know that I should try to talk to my doctor about considering a switch to natural thyroid should upping my Synthroid not produce the desired effects in my labs or my well-being. My biggest concerns are that she is not knowledgeable enough about thyroid disorder treatments and/or unwilling to switch meds. Naturopaths and holistic health providers are pretty much non-existent in my hometown, so just adding or switching providers isn't really feasible.
Really what I am looking for are words of wisdom or suggestions on other things I might discuss during this appointment. Things I should insist on. Suggestions on other things I should try myself to boost my metabolism--diet-wise or in terms of supplements.
Thanks! So glad to have found this group (and MFP in general)
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Replies
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At a minimum, ask for the Free T3 and Free T4 numbers. My doctor always tests for those. You might also want to ask about RT3, which is the reverse T3.
If your doctor does not test for those or acknowledge that you're still feeling like crap despite the labs, you should not be afraid to go find another doctor.
Other than that, keep exercising. Whether or not you lose weight, I think it can help us be a little more stable. It always sucks to start working out when you're tired, but for me personally, I do start feeling better a couple months into the regular workouts. I've fallen out of my good habits, and I am really starting to feel it.
That's all the suggestions I have for now. I think you've already done your research and you know what your options are. Sometimes you just need some other thyroid patients like us to validate what you're going through.0
