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thyroidectomy & weight gain
I am curious about my friend weight gaining. How can I support her health?This is she explaining her story:
I’m 29 years old. I have done a thyroidactomy surgery 4 years ago. I have been diagnosed for papillary thyroid cancer and I had to remove it completely. Currently I’m facing some difficulties in my weight gain.
I used to weight 60 kgs and today I’m 74 and it keeps on increasing but not dicreasing. I exercise more often than before and I try to keep my body active during the day but I’m still not losing any weight infact sometimes I gain even more on the scale.
I’m completely frustrated as I’m unhappy about my body and I can tell my body changes and the amount of fat I have gained in the last one year specially in my upper body and thighs mainly. Im taking thyroxin 150 dosage everyday and I do blood check up every month to take the right dosages of thyroxine. I always visit the doctor to make sure I’m on the right path but still not sure whats the problem of my weight gain. Please suggest me what’s the reason behind these changes? -
8 Replies
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Hi – unfortunately, the 2 most common problems I’ve seen with conventional thyroid treatment is 1) sometimes T4 only medication is not enough, especially if patients are still experiencing symptoms despite a “normal” TSH and free T4, and 2) most doctors solely rely on TSH and free T4 as markers of thyroid function, which is a far cry from the whole picture.
In the thyroid balance course, I share tests in this video here that would constitute a full thyroid panel which include TSH, Total T4, Total T3, free T4, free T3, reverse T3, and the antibodies anti-TG and anti-TPO.
If her T4-only medication is not helping her feel better, there’s a chance it’s not enough or she’s not converting it well to T3, which is the “active” hormone that has effect in the body. The conversion requires nutrients (which I discuss here), and it also requires good liver and kidney function where the conversion happens. There could also be reasons that can block thyroid conversion. I recommend you watch the video on lifestyle factors of things to avoid here and other reasons why she might have low T3.
Hope this helps give you a starting point to share with your friend. And of course, we’d also be happy to help support her as well if you’d like to invite her to join us too.
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thank you so much for the reply. I just clicked to the links you provided but I think there is problem with website. Somehow I can’t see the video.
I have uploaded the picture for you to see.
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I’m incredibly sorry for this technical glitch that I’m now losing sleep over!! The development team has been working to solve the mystery for a week now, to no avail.
Luckily I have all of the videos saved on my computer so I will share the dropbox links in the meantime as a workaround:
• Thyroid testing video
• Foods for a healthy thyroid video
• Protect your thyroid (things to avoid) video
• Reasons for Low T3 videoMy apologies again but hopefully you can access these videos now. Please let me know.
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thank you so much
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Hello B,
My friend Rawan went today to do the test and her doctor said no need to do all the test you mentioned.
Which is:
TSH
Free T4 (FT4)
Free T3 (FT3)
Reverse T3 (RT3)
Bothe Anti TPO and Anti TG antibodies plus Anti TSH- receptorHe said only TSH and T3 and T4 only because as he said Rawan has done thyroidactomy surgery.
Also he give a descriptions of
Euthyrox 150mcg tablets- once a day for 90 days.Fybogel orange 3.5g effervescent granules (sachets) 3 times daily for 30 days.
Wellbutrin XL 150mg Extended once a day for 30 days
I will share the test once it’s ready in 2 days.
What do you recommend her to do now?
Should she do the other test with other doctor?
Do you recommend any one here in Dubai?Thank you so much.
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testing TSH, T3 and T4 only does not provide a complete picture, and yes, I would recommend finding another doctor. While the thyroid is responsible for producing the majority of T4, the conversion to T3 takes place predominantly elsewhere in the body like the liver, kidneys, intestines, and muscles. So in addition to a complete thyroid panel, they should investigate further to get to the root cause.
In Dubai, I can recommend Dr. Heather Eade at Novomed (naturopath), Dr. Sean Penny at Bedaya Polyclinic (homeopath/functional medicine practitioner), and Dr. Erzbett Makk at Zia Medical Center (MD and functional medicine).
I can also recommend Dr. Eric Balcavage in the US who was our guest expert and author of The Thyroid Debacle. He does virtual consultations and is a thyroid expert.
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thank you for the recommendations.
Rawan got her results could you please check and let me know if there is anything I can help her with.
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Her TSH is really suppressed (it’s her brain saying she’s taking too much T4 so it reduces TSH) because of an elevation in T4 from the medication. This may cause her body to increase Reverse T3 (the inactive form of T3) which will make her feel hypothyroid despite the medication but unfortunately this wasn’t measured. She should talk to her doctor about her medication dosage.
Her triglycerides are elevated, and so is her triglyceride to HDL ratio. This could be due to the hypothyroidism she’s experiencing, but it can also be due to insulin resistance. Unfortunately, only Hba1c was measured. She should get a full blood sugar assessment done which includes fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HbA1C together in the same blood draw. How is her stress level? Would you say that’s a big part of her case? Adrenal dysfunction can also lead to elevated triglycerides.
Higher triglycerides can also be due to liver congestion/fatty liver. Her liver enzyme markers all seem to be on the lower end of the reference range, which could be masked by a need for B vitamins, specifically B6. A clinically low Alk Phos could be due to a need for more zinc and also low B6 which are needed to make this enzyme. So again, they might look “fine” but perhaps they’re masked by an underlying vitamin or mineral deficiency.
Has she had a liver/gallbladder scan to rule out pathology in these organs? Probably a good idea – again, just to rule things out.
Her WBC (white blood count) is functionally low. This tells me something is taxing her immune system. Toxins like heavy metals, amalgam fillings, mold exposure, hidden infections in the mouth from root canals, dysbiosis in the gut, leaky gut/food sensitivities – these are just a few examples of what can tax the immune system. We need to help her dig!! With cancer, there’s usually a toxicity component. Removing the thyroid doesn’t remove the cause unfortunately.
We also need nutrients to make white blood cells like vitamin D, zinc, copper, vitamin A, and B vitamins. Daniel wrote an excellent post on that here in the community.
Keep in mind that copper and zinc compete and because of the pandemic, so many people have been supplementing with zinc exclusively creating a copper deficiency. This alone can lower WBC.
And finally, her doctor prescribed Fybogel 3 x per day. Is this to address constipation? If so, think of that being the first priority to address!! Pooping is one of the main ways we remove toxic waste from the body. If that’s an issue, please watch the “common causes of constipation” video inside the Gut Health Masterclass, and then the video on rapid relief solutions for constipation. But working on the cause of constipation should be your and her #1 focus.
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