QuestionHi, I am a 30 year old woman and a mother of 4, I had my last in sept 2008, in april of 2009 i had a hysterectomy, due to endometriosis and horrible periods. (painful and insanely heavy). I am also hypothyriod since 2007. in the 3 months after my hysterectomy i went from 130 lbs to 160lbs, i also quit smoking in June 2009, so i sort of thought this was due to both hysterctomy and quitting....then between July and October my thyroid levels were at about 8, but we didn't figure out til sept increased synthroid, and check in 6 weeks, no change increased again, and check and was normal. my thyroid was manageable prior. I was 180lbs by October of the same year, (50lb weight gain in 6 months). i also started noticing some swelling ie: like fluid retention after the hysterectomy as well. I have gone through insane bouts of mood swings, and my breasts have grown from a C to an H. I maintained the weight of 180 for about a year, even with dieting (ie: GI Diet) and excercise added into chasing around 4 kids.then Dec 2010 i started gaining again, more water retention, and aching muscles/joints. I have gained another 40lbs since Dec. but it varies between 5-10 lbs of water i think, as by morning i am 217 and by evening i can range between 220 and 227. The swelling is generalized, all over, but more noticable in face, breasts, abdomen (can put jeans on in am and have to change by noon), and legs. I have been having insane Charlie horse like symptoms through the night which have been waking me up, making it difficult to sleep, also tummy pain if i lay on left side. I suffer from hot flashes, crazy sweating, and cannot stand anything higher than 20 degrees C, i have been diagnosed this past year with vitiligo which is spreading at a very fast rate, whereas prior, when my thyroid was stable it would stay gone, i would notice the white spots more when my thyroid was off. We have tested liver, heart, cortisol, LH and FSH, all neg. I am waiting on ultrasound results, and my latest thyroid results, though the nurse has said my free T3 is 3.7 (not sure if this is an issue),I was seeing an internest who was convinced it was all my thyroid, and when it proved to not be, he basically said he wanted to take a wait and see approach, imagine my dumbfoundedness. I have been suffering for two years, i get sooo achy and out of breath with this swelling, and weight gain, and no matter what it won't shed, do you have any ideas on what i should be asking my dr to check for, as he is completely baffled at this point. I would greatly appreciate the suggestions, as i would like to get back to living a normal, active, happy lifestyle with my children and family. Thank you for the time to read this!
AnswerFirst of all, you said thyroid level around 8.... the money test is the TSH and that number should be between 0.5 and 1.5... even tho the range goes up to about 5.5, you should increase the dose of synthroid until it is around 1.0, then you know you have proper replacement.
You have almost doubled your weight in 2 years.... you didn't really talk about diet but even with hypothyroidism, you have to eat a lot of calories to gain at that rate. Also the mood swings which would make me wonder about clinical depression causing the weight gain/eating/mood swings. If I am off base completely, you also might want to make sure the cortisol angle was really investigated thoroughly.... a simple cortisol level may not be sufficient.
Just a few thoughts... I hope this helps.....
