MG and low thyroid
 

I've had MG since 1984 and have learned to handle it over the years. My problem began with a weight gain last year. Nothing I did helped. Finally I went to my GP and asked if she would run the low thyroid test to rule this out. If this was negative, then the weight loss was in my hands. If it was positive, then nothing I did on my own (without medication) was going to help.

Unfortunately she forgot to tell the lab we wanted a negative result and it came back positive. I'm extremely sensitive to all kinds of medicine so we had some ups and downs getting the dosage right. By late fall that was worked out. But... with what exercise I can do, diet that supposed to work for low thyroid and all the rest has only resulted in slowing down the weight gain - I'm still about 30 lbs more than I'm comfortable with.

The more I weigh, the harder it is for the muscles to move me around. All low thyroid forums indicate that additional exercise is needed to lose weight with this condition. Ouch! That kinda puts me in a catch-22 situation.

Has anyone found a way to handle these two conditions together and lose weight?

Cover your ears...I'm about to holler....OK, ready?

GET TO AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST!!!!!!

I have had thyroid problems for years, and now my daughter has them. There are autoimmune thyroid diseases, like Graves and Hashimoto's, and it's likely you have one of them, because they often go along with MG. In my experience, a GP doesn't know very much about thyroid issues. Just today, my endo was telling me that everything my daughter's doctor said about her lab results was wrong. He said a TSH and a T4 test isn't enough--she needs a special kind of T4 test, etc.

Also, just because your numbers are in the normal range doesn't mean your thyroid is functioning properly. "Normal" is different for different people, and one thyroid test might come out normal, while a more sensitive one reveals problems. It's complicated stuff, and you need an endocrinologist--preferably one who specializes in thyroid problems and not just diabetes. If you are being treated properly, your thyroid shouldn't be low.

Losing weight with MG is hard enough without adding hypothyroidism to the mix! Hypothyroidism is treatable. I wish you the best of luck. I lost 50 pounds two years ago, and the only way I've found I can keep it off is by counting my calories.

Abby

I appreciate the information. The whole endocrinology bit is completely new to me. I've also got osteoporosis and arthritis so I've gotten pretty familiar with the whole skeleton and muscle system over the years. I just hadn't planned on the internal parts falling apart on me.

I've got an appointment later this week and I will ask for a referral to an endoctrinologist.