Hi friends,
I’ve been hypo (Hashi’s) since 2008 and have been on a journey to improving my health. T3 has really helped as has improving my diet.
One thing I have noticed is that on some days I swell up across my body. This is noticeable when I put on my watch, wedding ring and trousers: everything is more snug all of a sudden.
I’ve clearly not put on a tonne of fat overnight but I wonder what this is. Could it be some kind of water retention? Or inflammation?
It could be water retention or a food intolerance perhaps?
What supplements are you taking and what are your latest vitamin results?
Do you know if you had positive thyroid antibodies? Many with autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's benefit from a gluten free diet. A smaller percentage of those also need to remove dairy from their diet to feel well. These are intolerances and will not show up on any blood test.
Hmm food intolerance is a good one, I know I don’t feel so well if I have too much wheat. So this could indeed be the driver.
Vits are generally good as I supplement and monitor my levels. What vits would you be concerned with for this kind of thing?
I have had positive antibodies in the past, which was clearly a sign of Hashi’s back when I first became Hypo. From time to time I do check them again but the Endo doesn’t think there’s much value there given I don’t have a gland left after all these years.
If not food intolerance what would cause the water retention.
As someone with Hashi's then you should really trial a strictly gluten free diet to see if it benefits your symptoms.
I'm not sure that there is just one vitamin that would be related to swelling. Fish oil is anti inflammatory so you could try that as well as the strictly GF diet.
I agree, the less wheat I eat the better I feel and I have gone wheat and gluten free… but then somehow the darn stuff sneaks back into my diet - only so many times you can avoid sandwich, pizza, toast, cake. Wheat really is like a drug!
You need to fix your mind to do it and if it helps then you likely wouldnt want to go back to it.
Oh I have. But wheat is ubiquitous and so easy to end up eating despite best intentions. Doesn’t help that it’s so palatable - eating rice whilst everyone is tucking into naans at your local curry house is torture 😂
I get this too and I’m gluten free. Have you ever had microbiome testing?
Haven’t had microbiome tested. Do you mean like the Zoe test?
gluten and dairy both cause inflammation
In everyone?
In many with autoimmune disease
About 86% of Hashimoto’s patients benefit from gluten free
About 50% from dairy free
And all thyroid patients should probably avoid soya
This does not always show up on celiac blood tests. Gold standard is an endoscope via your mouth, but I never got to that stage, due to delays.
I just could not tolerate gluten.
After another year I found I was autoimmune underactive. There all so similar.
It is worth getting a blood test though while you are still on gluten.
My Mum is celiac and autoimmune under active thyroid too.
Good luck.
I’ve head the celiac endoscopy and the doctor told me I wasn’t gluten intolerant. But I know for a fact I don’t do well on wheat so I avoid it as much as I can, whether it is indeed gluten intolerance or another issue who knows. Modern Wheat has apparently been engineered to be more addictive (higher in opiates vs wheat of yesteryear), medical testing.probably can’t identify intolerance to theee frankenfoods!
I am newish to this but it seems the gluten products goes through/leaks the gut wall into your blood. Then the antibodies that nobble your thyroid glands flare up to attack the gluten proteins. It leaves me feeling pants for a week.
My Mum 20 odd years ago did not show up on endoscope for celiac. They redid test and found damage at lower/deeper part?
I tested negative for coeliac twice ….roughly 20 years apart
endoscopy in 2016 confirmed several gluten intolerance (I had no obvious gut issues)
Life has been transformed on gluten free diet
Similarly (reluctantly) went dairy free 2022….again astonishing improvement
Hi Wired123
I've noticed puffy eyes, watch tight, shoes tight, waistband tight -as my thyroid function has declined. Everything else is the same, just thyroid function worsening.
Does it happen overnight or more gradual. Mine is overnight.
Yes, overnight, Wired123 .
Also, sometimes after dozing on the sofa all evening and when I then go to bed around midnight.
I notice the tightness of my watch when I put it on before going out in the morning but recently after I got home, noticed tiny skin breaks from the metal watch band being tight/wrist puffiness during the day.
So I guess it's anytime. But I tend to notice it when I put a watch on in the morning.
Interesting. Do you think diet or any other lifestyle factors are in play. Mine certainly happens after eating at a restaurant or just having too much carbs (particularly bread).
@Wired123, regarding your swelling:
I'm 7kgs lighter than quite some years back but my waistline has blown out, can't do up buttons on same pair of trousers that were easy to button when-I-was-7kgs-heavier. That has been happening for the last three years when thyroid function has deteriorated.
Recent weeks had some energy (thanks to NDT since March) to get new clothes/shoes -and it's cost me a fortune!
But another cost of time, energy and money is having to wash not only underwear but also outer clothes (shirts, trousers, caps) every time they're worn due to being sweat-soaked.
-I'm not Hashi’s (+ gluten-free diet didn't work for me), still working out NDT dosages (never tried levo) and find too much or too little NDT gives me the same symptoms, eg sweating -and maybe the swelling?
It’s so interesting how our experiences are so weird.
I too have found my waist getting bigger since adding T3 to my T4. I’ve lost a lot of weight but my tummy has barely moved much. So incredibly frustrating and I don’t know how much is fat and how much is just water/swelling.
Guessing it would be water?
After my thyroid was injured/poisoned decades ago, I went from working all day on little food not losing weight to commonly losing 7 lbs overnight: that could only be water.
Mind blowing isn’t it? There’s so much science does not fully understand!
Feeling very puffy on levo and HRT
Bulging or Puffy eyes
Puffy face 
Swollen puffy red eye lids 
Puffy face 
