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My doctor can't figure out what is wrong with me...
Since I had my youngest daughter August 2012 I have maintained my weight, although I have tried hard to lose. As discouraging as that was, when I first started seeing my doctor to discover if there is an underlying reason, this past month I gained approximately 8lbs in what seemed like overnight. Since I have had my daughter they discovered I have high blood pressure and have put me on medication (I have been on it for about 6 months now). At first it made me feel like crap and then I started feeling better. I know my symptoms could be due to side affects from the BP medicine I am on but would they show up 6 months later? I noticed myself starting to swell a little at certain points in the day especially at night. Maybe the 8lbs is due to some sort of water retention? I don't know I am just frustrated because my doctor was about to give up on me when my friend brought to my attention Celiac disease. I am currently awaiting the results (it has been 3 weeks since I took the test). I am just hoping for an answer. I know there is something wrong, something making it pretty much impossible for me to lose and for this sudden weight gain. I don't know where I was going with this really, I guess I just wanted to vent my frustrations to someone who may understand what I am going through. I am so uncomfortable with the way I feel and look right now, I find myself crying sometimes over it. I work out, eat right... get no results.
What other tests has your doctor subjected you to?
Check up on your medication for side effects on wikipedia or elsewhere on line. Though as you say six months after you started seems odd. perhaps you've been eating more due to stress but only just noticed a weight increase.
My main suggestion is to keep a detailed record of what you are eating. I think whether or not you have coeliac disease, you should do this so that you can show it to any specialists or give them an accurate summary when you talk to them. They make pick up things that a casual explanation of your diet might not cover. Tracking what you eat helps you manage weight anyway.
Also write down about your exercise and general activities.
Do it as honestly as you can.
When i do this, i note my weight every day as well. reading taken in the morning after a pee when i am at my lightest. Even then the reading goes up and down quite radically from day to day. but so long as the general trends is downward that's what matters.
Also, it might be a good idea after the results come back from this doctor and if its negative to get checked out by another doctor. All doctors are different. Some more on the ball than others. Or have different approaches.
I get water retention but i haven't noticed that its such that i could attribute weight gain to it. You usually notice it in your feet, ankles and hands. But it could be from your meds too.
Some drugs can cause fluid retention that shows up on the scale as weight gain, but is not fat, and is usually easily corrected.
Anyway i copied this from webmed. I googled sudden weight gain.
"Experts say that some of the most common types of medications that may cause weight gain are:
"Steroids
Antidepressants
Antipsychotics
Antiseizure medications
Diabetes medications
High blood pressure medications
Heartburn medications
But it's important to remember that a few extra pounds may be well worth the trade-off of what a particular medication does for your overall health, experts say. Further, even if your medications are the cause of your weight gain, you still need to be mindful of eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise.
"Rarely is the problem solved with a change in meds," says May. "These things can contribute, but rarely are the sole cause of the weight gain."
"If you suspect your medication is causing weight gain, talk to your health care provider to see about changing your prescription. But whatever you do, don't go off your medication without seeking medical advice.
"There could be very serious consequences if you stop taking your medication without consulting your physician," says May.
****
REading through the whole article, it does seem that your meds may be most likely thing. nothing else talks about sudden weight gain.
I had that same thing- working out daily, eating right, couldn't lose a pound. I also felt crappy. I begged my doctor for years to test my thyroid, and he wouldn't. He said, "Join Weightwatchers". Then I had another issue (unrelated, we thought) that he sent me to a specialist for. The specialist says to me, "I want to check your thyroid." He did, and it turned out I was hypothyroid. My doctor calls me up saying I need to come down right away and get put on Synthroid. My feeling was, "You didn't listen to my symptoms enough to recognize that something was wrong with my thyroid before, but now you want to treat me for it? No way." I went to a new doctor, who ran additional tests and found I have Hashimotos disease, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland. She treats me now, and I have been able to lose weight since getting treated.
I'm not saying it's your thyroid, but it could be something like that and I'd be persistent in asking for tests and even consider switching doctors.
Usually hypothyroidism is a slow developing disease. Its strange that eagleriverdee's doctor wouldn't let her have a test done. Its so easy to get this done.
I only got mine discovered by accident. Before i got fat. On the other hand, i don't attribute my fatness to this disease.
Usually hypothyroidism is a slow developing disease. Its strange that eagleriverdee's doctor wouldn't let her have a test done. Its so easy to get this done.
I only got mine discovered by accident. Before i got fat. On the other hand, i don't attribute my fatness to this disease.
I was odd- my old doc, who I still occasionally see, is very biased against overweight people so his opinion was I was fat because I overate and I was lying about my diet and my exercise. My new doctor, after reviewing the routine bloodwork lab results going back to 2000 determined that my thyroid began to fail in 2002. She said had she been my doctor, we might have been able to reverse the failure. Instead, 9 years had gone by and it was too late. I'll probably be on thyroid hormone replacement the rest of my life. But at least there's a treatment, and at least I found out what was wrong.
As an example of my old doc's fat-bias: The last time I saw him, he was telling me about his trip to the Grand Canyon. They did a rim-to-rim hike. I, too, am an avid hiker and backpacker and hike all summer long, often very steep hikes in the mountains. However, my doctor says to me, "You'd have loved it! You could have stayed at the lodge at the top out on the patio, with a fancy drink with an umbrella in it, and just lowered your book now and then to take in the view." In his opinion, there's no possible way I could be a hiker, and apparently overweight people are only capable of reading and drinking alcohol. The sad part is he has no idea how biased he is. He actually thinks he's being nice. Unfortunately, for some things I have to see him, because my new doctor is a ND (Naturopathic Doctor) and my State doesn't allow ND's to prescribe Rx even though they have all the same training as MD's.
ND does not equal MD. They do have training, skills and an approach that will be preferred by many people, but to say their training is the same is not true.
Today, within the United States, a "doctor of naturopathy" (N.D.) or "doctor of naturopathic medicine" (N.M.D.) credential is available from five full-time schools of naturopathy and several nonaccredited correspondence schools. Training at the full-time schools follows a pattern similar to that of chiropractic schools: two years of basic science courses and two years that include working in outpatient clinics. Because medical school programs also last four years that include two years of basic science training, many naturopaths claim that their education is equivalent. There are several big differences, however.
The quality of medical school programs is vastly superior to those of naturopathic schools. Medical school faculties are much larger and better trained, and the scope and depth of clinical experience are much greater because people going to medical school clinics encompass the full gamut of disease.
Much of naturopathy's coursework embraces practices—such as homeopathy—that have zero validity.
Some naturopathic graduates take an additional year of postgraduate training where they work in an outpatient setting. However, most go directly into practice. Nearly all medical school graduates undergo 3-6 years of additional full-time specialty training that includes work with hospital inpatients.
Sorry about your missed diagnosis, I just wanted to comment. I guess I'm a bit defensive as an MD, but I practice anesthesia, not general practice
Sorry about your missed diagnosis, I just wanted to comment. I guess I'm a bit defensive as an MD, but I practice anesthesia, not general practice
I guess I should clarify. I did not mean, in any way, that MD and ND are equivalent. But ND's do have the appropriate training to prescribe Rx meds and in some states they are allowed. In other states such as Oregon and Washington, my ND could write Rx's but not in Alaska. My ND is my primary care physician and has completely changed my life - the approach they use to find root cause of problems and treat that rather than just write a prescription to cover up symptoms is much better for me. There is also more focus on lifestyle changes and other behavioral changes by the patient to support their own care. I'm healthier than I had been in years. However, it would be nice if she could give me my birth control, or prescribe antibiotics in the rare cases I need them. Oddly, a nurse practitioner with far less training is qualified by the state of Alaska to write Rx, but not my ND. It's a little crazy.
About 15 years ago I had hyper-thyroidism. I had been dieting anyway and lost quite a lot of weight, but for the last few months it seemed to just drop off - one week I lost 5lb hardly trying. Then my periods stopped. For five months I had nothing. I was not in a relationship and was not having sex. my doctor would not let go of the possibility I might be pregnant for the first two months even though I told her it was impossible and all the tests came back negative.
It took three more months of no periods for her to finally decide that I probably wasn't pregnant and maybe she should do blood tests.
Merstopher is absolutely right: MD's go to accredited universities for 7-8 years. Even nurse practitioners go to school for 5-6 years at accredited universities and they are usually restricted to prescribing non-narcotic meds.
I would be very reluctant to see a ND exclusively!! You may have noticed that respected, accredited universities do not offer doctorates in naturopathy.
I was odd- my old doc, who I still occasionally see, is very biased against overweight people so his opinion was I was fat because I overate and I was lying about my diet and my exercise.
He sounds like a nightmare! Can you find a new MD or are there no other options?
I would check your TSH. Be very strict about your diet, write it down, keep track of calories, carbs, fats.... It is tedious and feel undoable with a busy life, but doing it will make you eat less most likely. I know when I have to write it down and look at it, and then add it up every night I do better.
I myself had similar issues and if I eat any processed carbs I literally gain weight overnight. We used to do a Tuesday night Spaghetti night with my kids and every Wednesday I weighed 2lbs more, no joke. For me I have to live my life with no gluten or wheat. Eating a simple cupcake opens floodgates for me, and leads to a week if not more, of bad eating and weight gain.
Everyone's weight battle is their own but for me holding only myself accountable and know what are my triggers have helped me lose 77lbs so far with the end goal being over 100lbs.
Eagle River Dee, if you're still seeing an MD when you need to and you're happy with your naturopath, then good for you. Naturopaths have in two different cases within my immediate circle, found answers where MD's couldn't or wouldn't. My boyfriend suffered from boils on his legs for years. The MD's all told him to practice better hygiene. (laughable - he's a clean freak to begin with). The naturopath figured out that his heartburn meds were causing an overgrowth of yeast. 18 months later, no yeast, no boils, weight loss and no more heartburn meds. All based on naturopathic treatment and dietary changes. It would take six paragraphs to tell my story, but suffice to say I've been outright ignored by conventional medicine. My only answer was ever Gastric bypass. That's not happening. And I've lost 100 pounds without it. I believe we still need MD's - but I think we can heal ourselves in many cases with the right tools. Naturopaths will help you find those tools. Doctors will parrot what their accredited universities tell them is right even a decade after new science proves them wrong.
OK - back to the original question - Chart your diet and any and all symptoms and see if you can find patterns. If you can, see another doctor, a fresh perspective helps immensely.
If you suspect it may be dietary, try a Feingold approach: Cut out everything but lean meat and vegetables for a few weeks, then gradually add back food groups to see what triggers reactions.
Merstopher is absolutely right: MD's go to accredited universities for 7-8 years. Even nurse practitioners go to school for 5-6 years at accredited universities and they are usually restricted to prescribing non-narcotic meds.
I would be very reluctant to see a ND exclusively!! You may have noticed that respected, accredited universities do not offer doctorates in naturopathy.
She's a Naturopathic Doctor (an ND) which is most definitely an accredited program. There's a difference between a Naturopath (which yeah, anyone can claim to be) and a Naturopathic Doctor. Here's a little bit more on what an ND is: http://naturopathic.org/content.asp?contentid=60 and here's a statement on the training they go through:
Quote:
A licensed naturopathic physician (ND) attends a four-year, graduate-level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an MD, but also studies holistic and nontoxic approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing wellness. In addition to a standard medical curriculum, the naturopathic physician also studies clinical nutrition, homeopathic medicine, botanical medicine, psychology, and counseling. A naturopathic physician takes rigorous professional board exams so that he or she may be licensed by a state or jurisdiction as a primary care general practice physician. Please see the AANMC’s Professional Competency Profile for more information.
My doctor has her degree from Bastyr University. I'm not trying to convince anyone to change what they do- if you like your doctor, great. My MD has misdiagnosed me 5 times in the last several years- diagnoses that my ND caught and then treated. She's completely changed my health, so I have a good reason to trust her. My only point here is to put out an alternative for the OP so that they know it exists, after that the choice is theirs. There is also nothing wrong with using multiple practitioners that complement each other.
My doctor can't figure out what is wrong with me...
