Health related weight loss question

john_not_typical
john_not_typical Posts: 44 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Until a few years ago, I was generally a healthy weight. I was an athlete in high school and (division 3) college. I started gaining weight at an alarming pace and noticed I didn't have the same level of fitness I enjoyed before. My doctor and I (I have a graduate degree in biomedical engineering) kind of thought I was just slacking off and needed to get back on track. I went from 200 to 300 lbs in 4 years.

One day I was feeling very poorly and ended up in the hospital. After four days of poking and prodding, turns out I have a serious heart condition that usually kills people before they graduate high school, but I made it this far. I have significant issues with my liver and my thyroid due to my heart not moving enough blood through my body, but both of them have generally been addressed well enough that they should not be an issue with my weight.

(Okay, so my endocrinologist is less than convinced, but thinks I should be able to lose weight if that's really what I want to focus on.)

My doctors are real doctors that work at some of the best hospitals and medical schools in the country. They are qualified to solve my issues, but can't.

I vomit quite frequently, like 5 to 6 days a week. All my doctors, principally my gastroenterologist are focused on finding out why. Problem is, due to my heart condition, he's terrified to touch me. The problem is that I keep gaining weight.

I have been imaged so much that the only places that haven't been touched by either an MRI or X-Ray CT scan are my arms and legs. As a guy that spent his entire time in grad school doing research involving imaging, I can't see anything wrong with me.

Sometimes I think I'm making all this up. My doctors assure me this is not the case.

I only eat 1.5 meals a day at most, but I've gained over 4 pounds in two days after eating nearly nothing and vomiting it up right away.

I'm not expecting miracles, but I'm wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. I'm out of ideas. My doctors are out of ideas. Anybody have any?

Thanks.

Replies

  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    You haven't mentioned an internist.

  • kimondo666
    kimondo666 Posts: 194 Member
    edited August 2019
    dunno, maybe you are deep sleep eater(you eat while asleep). And after eating in sleep you dont vomit it. Dunno its divination at this point for me. Check your fridge carefully after night.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    If the situation is continuing to get worse, and the doctors in your area are not able to help you, you may have to travel to get help. It sounds like you are in the U.S. For cases where all other local options have been exhausted, The Mayo Clinic might be an option for you.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    john_not_typical wrote: »
    Until a few years ago, I was generally a healthy weight. I was an athlete in high school and (division 3) college. I started gaining weight at an alarming pace and noticed I didn't have the same level of fitness I enjoyed before. My doctor and I (I have a graduate degree in biomedical engineering) kind of thought I was just slacking off and needed to get back on track. I went from 200 to 300 lbs in 4 years.

    One day I was feeling very poorly and ended up in the hospital. After four days of poking and prodding, turns out I have a serious heart condition that usually kills people before they graduate high school, but I made it this far. I have significant issues with my liver and my thyroid due to my heart not moving enough blood through my body, but both of them have generally been addressed well enough that they should not be an issue with my weight.

    (Okay, so my endocrinologist is less than convinced, but thinks I should be able to lose weight if that's really what I want to focus on.)

    My doctors are real doctors that work at some of the best hospitals and medical schools in the country. They are qualified to solve my issues, but can't.

    I vomit quite frequently, like 5 to 6 days a week. All my doctors, principally my gastroenterologist are focused on finding out why. Problem is, due to my heart condition, he's terrified to touch me. The problem is that I keep gaining weight.

    I have been imaged so much that the only places that haven't been touched by either an MRI or X-Ray CT scan are my arms and legs. As a guy that spent his entire time in grad school doing research involving imaging, I can't see anything wrong with me.

    Sometimes I think I'm making all this up. My doctors assure me this is not the case.

    I only eat 1.5 meals a day at most, but I've gained over 4 pounds in two days after eating nearly nothing and vomiting it up right away.

    I'm not expecting miracles, but I'm wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. I'm out of ideas. My doctors are out of ideas. Anybody have any?

    Thanks.

    I can't help other than to say that to the bolded it is impossible to gain 4 pounds of fat eating and vomiting in the way you described. You can't gain fat without enough calories to create it and 4 pounds would require a surplus of 14000 calories over the 2 days. I would say it has to be mostly water weight but I am uncomfortable commenting on your situation because I lack the expertise.

    @NovusDies was it you on another thread (today?) who said some time back you gained a crazy amount of water weight due to a medical issue?
  • poisonesse
    poisonesse Posts: 573 Member
    I'm no doctor. But really fast weight gain as you describe could mean your heart problems are worsening. If you aren't getting satisfaction from your current doctors, do look elsewhere for additional input.

    https://www.cardiosmart.org/~/media/Documents/Fact Sheets/en/zp3773.ashx

    This addresses sudden weight gain when you have heart problems and how to monitor it. And I seriously hope they find out what's wrong quickly and you can get back to life.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    john_not_typical wrote: »
    Until a few years ago, I was generally a healthy weight. I was an athlete in high school and (division 3) college. I started gaining weight at an alarming pace and noticed I didn't have the same level of fitness I enjoyed before. My doctor and I (I have a graduate degree in biomedical engineering) kind of thought I was just slacking off and needed to get back on track. I went from 200 to 300 lbs in 4 years.

    One day I was feeling very poorly and ended up in the hospital. After four days of poking and prodding, turns out I have a serious heart condition that usually kills people before they graduate high school, but I made it this far. I have significant issues with my liver and my thyroid due to my heart not moving enough blood through my body, but both of them have generally been addressed well enough that they should not be an issue with my weight.

    (Okay, so my endocrinologist is less than convinced, but thinks I should be able to lose weight if that's really what I want to focus on.)

    My doctors are real doctors that work at some of the best hospitals and medical schools in the country. They are qualified to solve my issues, but can't.

    I vomit quite frequently, like 5 to 6 days a week. All my doctors, principally my gastroenterologist are focused on finding out why. Problem is, due to my heart condition, he's terrified to touch me. The problem is that I keep gaining weight.

    I have been imaged so much that the only places that haven't been touched by either an MRI or X-Ray CT scan are my arms and legs. As a guy that spent his entire time in grad school doing research involving imaging, I can't see anything wrong with me.

    Sometimes I think I'm making all this up. My doctors assure me this is not the case.

    I only eat 1.5 meals a day at most, but I've gained over 4 pounds in two days after eating nearly nothing and vomiting it up right away.

    I'm not expecting miracles, but I'm wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. I'm out of ideas. My doctors are out of ideas. Anybody have any?

    Thanks.

    I can't help other than to say that to the bolded it is impossible to gain 4 pounds of fat eating and vomiting in the way you described. You can't gain fat without enough calories to create it and 4 pounds would require a surplus of 14000 calories over the 2 days. I would say it has to be mostly water weight but I am uncomfortable commenting on your situation because I lack the expertise.

    @NovusDies was it you on another thread (today?) who said some time back you gained a crazy amount of water weight due to a medical issue?

    I am not sure mine is a medical issue. My doctor seems to think it is about the massive weight loss. However, I have experienced on 2 occasions a 15+ pound water gain while eating maintenance for 4+ days. One was a diet break over Thanksgiving and the other was a vacation.
  • SWellz
    SWellz Posts: 62 Member
    I would make sure your cardiologist is aware that you gained 4lbs in 2 days. I'm sorry for what you're going through and hope it all works out for you.
  • stella7x7
    stella7x7 Posts: 2,848 Member
    Do you have ademia.? Are your legs swelling and getting big ? I sure hope you find some answers soon.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    No one here can diagnose you but don't you think you need to go somewhere else. We can only surmise but it does sound like some congestion. Could be in the lungs.
  • TheRealSlim_Shelly
    TheRealSlim_Shelly Posts: 66 Member
    john_not_typical wrote: »

    I don't want to go into details because I know how people lose it here, but doing medical research I have seen things that I literally cannot believe. The only problem is I saw them and they happened. People's bodies can do interesting things.


    I’m intrigued by what you are inferring... are you talking about something spiritual?

    If I were you I wouldn’t stop at a second opinion, I would be getting a third, a fourth, a fifth. I wouldn’t stop until I found the right doctor who could give me answers. I would start moving heaven and earth. I’d be admitting myself to the hospital with sudden weight gain.

    I’ll be praying for you. Don’t stop searching for answers 🙏
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Are you actually putting on fat or is most of it water weight related to your heart condition?
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    It sounds more like fluid retention. That’s generally related to heart or kidney failure. I’m sorry you’re going through this but this sounds more like a medical issue not a fat gain issue. I sincerely wish you a full recovery.
  • john_not_typical
    john_not_typical Posts: 44 Member
    Sorry, retaining fluid
  • Emmapatterson1729
    Emmapatterson1729 Posts: 1,295 Member
    edited August 2019
    Hope you get it figured out!

    Yeah, diuretics for breathing!! I remember, I couldn't walk from bed to toilet without being short of breath and could only lay on my left side to breathe while lying down.

    It sucked going from feeling young and strong, thin and fit, to being labeled morbidly obese and bed ridden.

    This is one reason, I hate it when people say things like they have no sympathy for obese people or that all obese people are to blame for their own problems from over-eating and being lazy.

    Sorry, no magical answers here, just somewhat similar circumstances, but different conditions.


  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I would think a better hail mary would be to get your information in front of current students who will be tomorrow's medical specialists. Let their youth, drive, and ego work in your favor. Nothing much may come of it but sometimes even several bad idea might lead to one good one. There are some pretty smart people here but it wouldn't even be easy to conclusively determine someone has the flu over a message board with a few paragraphs of information.
  • john_not_typical
    john_not_typical Posts: 44 Member
    Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »
    Hope you get it figured out!

    Yeah, diuretics for breathing!! I remember, I couldn't walk from bed to toilet without being short of breath and could only lay on my left side to breathe while lying down.

    It sucked going from feeling young and strong, thin and fit, to being labeled morbidly obese and bed ridden.

    This is one reason, I hate it when people say things like they have no sympathy for obese people or that all obese people are to blame for their own problems from over-eating and being lazy.

    Sorry, no magical answers here, just somewhat similar circumstances, but different conditions.


    Thanks for the understanding. It sounds like we have almost the same story except I am in my 40's.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    john_not_typical wrote: »
    Until a few years ago, I was generally a healthy weight. I was an athlete in high school and (division 3) college. I started gaining weight at an alarming pace and noticed I didn't have the same level of fitness I enjoyed before. My doctor and I (I have a graduate degree in biomedical engineering) kind of thought I was just slacking off and needed to get back on track. I went from 200 to 300 lbs in 4 years.

    One day I was feeling very poorly and ended up in the hospital. After four days of poking and prodding, turns out I have a serious heart condition that usually kills people before they graduate high school, but I made it this far. I have significant issues with my liver and my thyroid due to my heart not moving enough blood through my body, but both of them have generally been addressed well enough that they should not be an issue with my weight.

    (Okay, so my endocrinologist is less than convinced, but thinks I should be able to lose weight if that's really what I want to focus on.)

    My doctors are real doctors that work at some of the best hospitals and medical schools in the country. They are qualified to solve my issues, but can't.

    I vomit quite frequently, like 5 to 6 days a week. All my doctors, principally my gastroenterologist are focused on finding out why. Problem is, due to my heart condition, he's terrified to touch me. The problem is that I keep gaining weight.

    I have been imaged so much that the only places that haven't been touched by either an MRI or X-Ray CT scan are my arms and legs. As a guy that spent his entire time in grad school doing research involving imaging, I can't see anything wrong with me.

    Sometimes I think I'm making all this up. My doctors assure me this is not the case.

    I only eat 1.5 meals a day at most, but I've gained over 4 pounds in two days after eating nearly nothing and vomiting it up right away.

    I'm not expecting miracles, but I'm wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. I'm out of ideas. My doctors are out of ideas. Anybody have any?

    Thanks.

    I can't help other than to say that to the bolded it is impossible to gain 4 pounds of fat eating and vomiting in the way you described. You can't gain fat without enough calories to create it and 4 pounds would require a surplus of 14000 calories over the 2 days. I would say it has to be mostly water weight but I am uncomfortable commenting on your situation because I lack the expertise.

    @NovusDies was it you on another thread (today?) who said some time back you gained a crazy amount of water weight due to a medical issue?

    I am not sure mine is a medical issue. My doctor seems to think it is about the massive weight loss. However, I have experienced on 2 occasions a 15+ pound water gain while eating maintenance for 4+ days. One was a diet break over Thanksgiving and the other was a vacation.

    Thanks. Turns out it wasn't your post I was thinking of, but Emma's.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited August 2019
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    john_not_typical wrote: »
    Until a few years ago, I was generally a healthy weight. I was an athlete in high school and (division 3) college. I started gaining weight at an alarming pace and noticed I didn't have the same level of fitness I enjoyed before. My doctor and I (I have a graduate degree in biomedical engineering) kind of thought I was just slacking off and needed to get back on track. I went from 200 to 300 lbs in 4 years.

    One day I was feeling very poorly and ended up in the hospital. After four days of poking and prodding, turns out I have a serious heart condition that usually kills people before they graduate high school, but I made it this far. I have significant issues with my liver and my thyroid due to my heart not moving enough blood through my body, but both of them have generally been addressed well enough that they should not be an issue with my weight.

    (Okay, so my endocrinologist is less than convinced, but thinks I should be able to lose weight if that's really what I want to focus on.)

    My doctors are real doctors that work at some of the best hospitals and medical schools in the country. They are qualified to solve my issues, but can't.

    I vomit quite frequently, like 5 to 6 days a week. All my doctors, principally my gastroenterologist are focused on finding out why. Problem is, due to my heart condition, he's terrified to touch me. The problem is that I keep gaining weight.

    I have been imaged so much that the only places that haven't been touched by either an MRI or X-Ray CT scan are my arms and legs. As a guy that spent his entire time in grad school doing research involving imaging, I can't see anything wrong with me.

    Sometimes I think I'm making all this up. My doctors assure me this is not the case.

    I only eat 1.5 meals a day at most, but I've gained over 4 pounds in two days after eating nearly nothing and vomiting it up right away.

    I'm not expecting miracles, but I'm wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. I'm out of ideas. My doctors are out of ideas. Anybody have any?

    Thanks.

    I can't help other than to say that to the bolded it is impossible to gain 4 pounds of fat eating and vomiting in the way you described. You can't gain fat without enough calories to create it and 4 pounds would require a surplus of 14000 calories over the 2 days. I would say it has to be mostly water weight but I am uncomfortable commenting on your situation because I lack the expertise.

    @NovusDies was it you on another thread (today?) who said some time back you gained a crazy amount of water weight due to a medical issue?

    I am not sure mine is a medical issue. My doctor seems to think it is about the massive weight loss. However, I have experienced on 2 occasions a 15+ pound water gain while eating maintenance for 4+ days. One was a diet break over Thanksgiving and the other was a vacation.

    Thanks. Turns out it wasn't your post I was thinking of, but Emma's.

    I knew it was too good to be true for you to be thinking of me. :disappointed:

    You probably read my odd water ballooning in an older thread and connected it incorrectly.
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