Graves' Disease Support Group

Hell yes this has destroyed my self esteem and self image> I feel like a scare crow. I was always thin but now Im rail thin hair looks like straw feel like garbage and have pretty much inprisoned myself to my home very few places i will go now. I am takin Xanax and have gone to counseling but its pretty hard to except the way i looked b4 to the way i am now I have had much trouble gettin this under control

I lost a dramatic amount of weight when I was first diagnosed about 8 years ago. I am talking about 40 pounds in 2 months. My levels are up again now and I lost 12 pounds in 1 1/2 weeks. Way too much, too soon. When my levels are even, I do not gain or lose. I have not gained a whole lot from this disease. I am really active though, exercise a lot and eat really well.

Yes!! I've been scared to exercise because of my heart rate. Before, all of this I was trying to lose wait about 20lbs. and I couldn't so I went to the endo in 9/07 to check my thyroid levels and everythink was normal thinking I might be hypo. 3 months later I started have symptoms of hyper. It's was way weird. Anyway, that's when I stopped exercising and my legs lost all muscle tone and so did my arms. I've never been so embarrassed to put shorts on in my life. (I never looked perfect, but still this is bad). As of 05/12/08. I had to stop taking Methimazole because it was making my liver enzymes go up, now my doc want to do RAI. I'm petrified of this. Now I'm actually more worried about my eyes than my legs. They are starting to protrude and RAI can make it worse....Right now I don't feel I have any control over this until I get my thryoid under control and that might be 2-6 months. According the Doc. That's if RAI works right away or not. RAI can make all symptoms come back for a while after treatment. If methimazole can't work for me then what do I do? I'm truly scared..

I have gained weight. Being hyperthyroid gave me an insatiable appetite. Food hits my stomach and then evaporates. I don't think I have ever spent more money on food in my whole life.
I have never lost weight easily. It is easier for me to lose weight now, but only if I can rein in my appetite. If I were to eat this same amount of food if I were well, I'd probably be about 400lbs by now.

Hi ksantama...I lost 40 lbs in about 2 months before I was diagnosed. Since Ive been on meds Ive gained it all back and then some. It sucks. I think that is one of the only things I can say thats good about my graves was the weight loss. It is quite normal to gain when you start your meds. I felt pretty bad about my appearance mainly because of my eyes. I still do sometimes. I think one of the first steps is accepting the situation. I was told by my Doc that when things settle down and a balance has been achieved the weight should take care of itself providing your eating well and getting exercise. Meanwhile, just be careful what you eat, get lots of rest and try to keep the stress to a minimum. Dieting wont work right now and I dont know why, but Ive tried. Getting your life under control...well....one step at a time

Hi KellieK...My doc has me on PTU You may want to see if you can make a change in meds before deciding on taking the RAI. My eyes do protrude but the PTU and steroid drip seemed to stop it from going any further. You may want to talk with your Doc about other options first. You may still need to have RAI but you will have explored other options. Weve had many discussions about this subject, you should read some of the threads, I think they could help you alot.

I am hypo since RAI and gained a lot of weight. I always had trouble maintaining my weight before but now it is almost impossible. I don't eat fried foods or snacks and sweets except for fruit and maybe unsalted popcorn. I walk and do Yoga as much as I can and I am still over weight. My facial features have changed too. But this is me now and I have excepted it. It is not easy to do. I use to avoid people ,mirrors and taking pictures. Not any more.

"I am hypo since RAI and gained a lot of weight. I always had trouble maintaining my weight before but now it is almost impossible. I don't eat fried foods or snacks and sweets except for fruit and maybe unsalted popcorn. I walk and do Yoga as much as I can and I am still over weight. My facial features have changed too. But this is me now and I have excepted it. It is not easy to do. I use to avoid people ,mirrors and taking pictures. Not any more".
Marpo,
I couldn't say that any better, especially your last sentence, I wait until I look like a hippie before getting hair cuts because I can't stand looking into that huge mirror, and I like my hair short.(not to mention I can't see the top of my head). Probably a blessing (LOL). Gaining weight and having my face change was (is) the hardest thing for me to deal with.

I'm scared...I've been hypo since right after high school (now 37) and on the heavy side. Now I am hyper with Graves and I am loosing weight...finally...AWESOME...but I am scared that the treatments will cause me to gain that weight back and more!!! Help

If you get your thyroid levels at the right ranges that you feel your best at, the weight may be easier to handle.

{{{hugs}}} :-)