Weight loss - is it possible?

[Denise29w]

Any help on losing weight? I had rai a year ago and since then have piled on tons of weight. Gp still struggling to get my levo right. At the moment I've just been upped to 175 levo again (still feel dreadful I'm sure my weight gain isn't helping physically or mentally). I'm trying to eat sensibly but at a loss at how to shift the pounds. Will it ever come off or am I destined for a life of being big?

[Boon79]

My advice would be to order a full thyroid blood panel privately. T4 and T3 need to be optimal. GPs only go by TSH. As a basic guide, TSH should be 1 and no higher in order to feel well.

No matter what I tried, how little I ate, I couldn't lose weight on levothyroxine. I took a leap of faith and purchased natural dessicated thyroid from Thailand. I mix a tiny amount of levothyroxine 25mcg with 1 grain of NDT, and lost 9 lbs in a few weeks with a absolutely no change in my eating habits. Important point...the NDT needs to be increased slowly so that you get used to the addition of T3 hormone.

I think a lot of the loss was water weight.

You can get a private test through Medichecks or Blue Horizon in the UK, and it costs around £40. You can also select the option to get doctors comments free of charge. Please don't feel that I'm pushing NDT. We're all different and being optimal on levothyroxine might be the right path for you. If you decide to get private bloods, post the results here. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum!! Good luck.

[Denise29w in reply to Boon79]

Thank you. A lot of people mention private testing. How do gp s respond to results being gained privately as far as prescribing meds are concerned? I've never done any kind of private medical stuff

[Marz in reply to Denise29w]

Lots of people on the Forum have tests done Privately - it is the only way to have all the CORRECT testing done for diagnosis and for ongoing treatment

[Hidden in reply to Boon79]

Hello, can you please say how to buy the NET? I live in the US and my labs are within range so my doctor will not refer me to an endocrinologist. Thank you

[Boon79 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Happy4you. I have sent a private message about NDT.

[Hidden in reply to Boon79]

Thank you so very much Boon79, this has been gratefully received.

[ilovecruises in reply to Hidden]

Hi Happy4you! I'm in the US as well. Does your insurance require a referral? My insurance does not. None of my doctors referred me to an endocrinologist either and I sought one out for myself. After having a complete thyroidectomy the surgeon referred an endocrine doc but prior I was only told to see an ENT. Even since the surgeon referred I've changed doctors because she wasn't listening.

I encourage you to advocate as much as you can for yourself and I recognize doctors can make you feel like they know best, however, you know how you feel and your body. Insurance changes so much so you should definitely call your provider and check if you actually need a referral or if you can seek out a specialist on your own.

[Hidden in reply to ilovecruises]

It has been a total disaster trying to find a doctor who knows anything about endocrinology or the thyroid. I have been following the advice on Dr Child's website. I went to the nature thyroid website and the have a list of practitioners there whom I hope are at least informed about their medication. No insurance coverage as the docs on their list are mostly NP naturopath and not in the insurance network. I have my appointment tomorrow. I will bring in my labs and see what I am told. Best to you.

[ilovecruises in reply to Hidden]

Hi Happy4you! How was your appointment?

[Hidden in reply to ilovecruises]

Hello Cruises, my appointment went very well. The NP looked at my labs and actually had the Stop the Thyroid Madness calculator on her phone. She plugged in my numbers and saw that my free t3 was low and reverse t3 quite high. The doc gave me samples and told me to test the dosing for a few days before getting a prescription. I started with 3/4 grain today and felt very good. Office visit was $300 not coveted by insurance. Have you had any luck finding a doc? I live near Spokane, Wa.

[ilovecruises in reply to Hidden]

I am in Cleveland and I started at University Hospital (I still have great doctors there), however, I went through 3 doctors trying to find someone that would pay attention to not just TSH but what I said about my side effects, etc. and now my endocrinologist is with Cleveland Clinic. So far she's been accommodating.

[reta2]

I just saw your post. My cat had RAI after being diagnosed as hyper. I knew something was not right after treatment (heat seeking and inactive). All the docs were looking at was T4 labs and stating results were good and cured. I finally found a doc that would run FT3 at my request, and it came back low. Then T3 was prescribed again at my request and it helped.

[ilovecruises in reply to reta2]

How are you two years in?