Hi all. I was here a few years ago after being diagnosed and treated (wrongly in my opinion) for Graves' disease wtih RAI. Unfortunately since, I've been miserable. Its been over 6 years since I had taht done and a yo yo of living. I miraculously had a child (even after being told I could never have more kids - go figure this one out) one year ago. Well. Ever since I got pregnant and have had her, I have been miserable!!! I am tired, I have gained so much weight AFTER giving birth and that is even after adjusting my calorie intake to 500 less a day. When I walk I hurt (my ankles hurt) and that isnt where my weight is. I jsut feel like I'm a walking zombie and my endocrinologist has finally gotten my Synthroid regulated per labs. Well, he is only treating me for T4 and not T3 levels as most dont. I'm beside myself as I've gained soooooo much weight and this shouldnt be happening. Im calling up another endocrin to see if he will prescribe cytomel because my current one wont. I also have been sick ALOT the past two years and get every cold, sniffle, chest cold etc out there. Is there an end to this madness?

Hello – Wow, I’m so sorry that you are dealing with all of this. First off, a nutritionist who presented at our 2009 conference suggested that we *not* to go below 1150 calories per day, to ensure our bodies are getting the nutrients that it needs. I’ve heard others say that number should be closer to 1300 or 1500. I’ve personally struggled with weight ever since my diagnosis (have been on Methimazole since 2007), but I can’t imagine even being able to get out of bed on 500 calories per day!

I have heard mixed reviews from patients about adding T3. Some patients feel much better when adding T3 to their regimen…but others have found that it actually caused a recurrence of their hypER symptoms. But since you aren’t feeling well, it’s certainly worth a conversation with your doctor to see if this might be a good option for you.

In the meantime, perhaps a complete physical might be helpful *just* to rule out that there isn’t anything else going on that might be causing your symptoms.

Take care!

Thanks for your reply. I meant I had to lower my daily intake by 500 calories so I was only eating 900 cal. I actually found a holistic medicine place (a Naturopathic Dr) in NC that I will try and see about underlying issues. Im just tired of being tired and cranky and gaining weight and just plain miserable to be around