As I am still on the quest to understand my swelling I started to look at polish publications (I grew up in Poland). I came across an interview with a endocrinologist in a national newspaper which was so brilliant in explaining what thyroid issues are, the weight gain part struck me in particular, see below.
“Weight gain comes mainly from water, not from fat. Symptoms of hypothyroidism can affect many organs and be different, but the cause is one: decreased metabolism. In various tissues, glycosaminoglycans accumulate in excess. These substances together with other ingredients of the skin prevent evaporation of water. When there are too many of them, swellings form in the body and the patients gain weight.
Characteristically, these swellings persist regardless of body position and time of day. If they have been formed on the ankles, lifting the legs up will not make them disappear. Patients with circulatory insufficiency often also have swelling, but they disappear, for example, after a good night's sleep.
Often, in the first place, the edema appears near the eyes, and that at the same time the muscles weaken, the face gets poured and dead in expression.
Glycosaminoglycans are deposited in various places. If under the skin - swelling occurs. If in the intestines - torments constipation, and when they are deposited in the pericardium, there may be heart failure. If there are too many of them in the central nervous system, the patient becomes drowsy, sleepy, devoid of reflexes, jokes, seems less clever, loses a spark, nay! suffers from depression.”
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AnnaSo
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Unexplained 'swelling' was always used to diagnose hypothyroid patients - before blood tests and levothyroxine were inroduced which overtook the knowledge that doctors used to have in diagnosing by Clinical Symptoms alone.
Now all they do is look at us and tell us how important it is for us to loose weight! Whilst denying us T3 or NDT or even adequate T4 to stop us being hypothyroid.
This endocrinologist really has hit the nail on the head. What’s their name so we can look the person up see if there are any other papers/advice written.
Sorry to hear you also suffer FancyPants! For me it’s a bit different, I’m not wobbly, if anything my limbs, belly and bum are very firm, hard, like there is too much stuff in the tissues and they are at full capacity. It hurts to touch those areas too... my skin is purple ish colour and bleaches when pressed. Do you also have such experience?
The skin on my arms feels like that. It's stiff and hard and swollen. I can't pinch it, I just can't get hold of any, although it's not discoloured, it's sore if I try to do the pinch test and the colour of my arms never go brown in the sun anymore, just speckled, it's odd.
I feel as if my insides are sloshing around, but my arms are definitely stiff with fluid under the skin.
Me too. But it's a step forward to learn that glycosaminoglycans accumulate in tissues and prevent evaporation of water. While we knew about mucin we had no idea how it was formed. Now maybe we can research what to do to prevent it.
For me personally it was a first to hear that hypo weight gain is predominantly water. That is probably why we hear about weight ‘melting off’ those who hit the sweet spot with meds. Water gets flushed much quicker than fat would get burnt. I personally remember that when I got diagnosed crack in 2007 I lost 10kg in the first month of treatment, doubt I burnt 10kg of fat in such short time ☺️
Just had my bloods back from medichecks,looking good,so why,after a year on NDT,am I still so heavy & blubbery?ie why am I retaining so much fluid.Why aren't my energy levels up more?
That's not the case here! The slightest effort and I'm dripping wet. I'm currently dripping wet because I just picked a few damsons off my tree. Slightly warm temperatures and I'm sweating all over. I'm never cold, always too hot and sweaty.
Thanks AnnaSo, that takes us a step further to understanding the cause of weight gain. I asked my current (good) endocrinologist why we gained weight and how we could prevent it - and guess what he said? I bet you know. He said, "I have no idea!" And that's from a good guy.
Hi LAHs, I’m so glad others also found it useful! ☺️ I’m totally with you, even though we know know hypo often mean weigh gain I’ve never heard/read why actually gain it. Yes slow metabolism for sure but what does that mean. Now I feel much more enlightening, and to be fair a bit at ease too. We didn’t ‘eat’ that wait and telling us to next time I hear a doctor say ‘go on a diet... we’ll go educate yourself first mate then we talk ☺️
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