NO Thyroid and Impact on Balloon's Efficacy on a Weight Loss

[jansluv 47]

I am 10 days out since my balloon procedure and have lost nothing. ZERO. I am maintaining 1100 calories/day diet with Protein at every meal. eggs, shakes, fish, fruit, yogurt...is pretty much all I have eaten. I had my thyroid removed 2 years ago due to cancer and am wondering if the balloon has messed with my meds and have crashed my metabolism or something. Am having blood work done later this week to figure this out. Anyone else have no thyroid and the balloon? I would love to hear your story.

[Daisee68 2,493]

I had RNY so I know it is not the same, but I have Graves Disease so I had my thyroid ablated with radiation iodine in 2011 so I have no natural thyroid function and take Synthroid replacement every day. My med did not absorb properly post WLS (and my endocrinologist told me to expect it), so I was hypothyroid for a while and had to up my med. Synthroid can be particular so it would seem reasonable that the balloon could mess with absorption but it would seem odd that you would be enough hypo-thyroid in just 10 days. It could have occurred prior to your surgery and just now revealing itself? Also remember that you have to be consistent with taking your med and eating - i.e. at least an hour after the med, no Calcium within 4 hours of med (or if you do, just do It consistently), etc.

Not sure if that helps, but I thought I would throw you what I knew...

[jansluv 47]

I had RNY so I know it is not the same, but I have Graves Disease so I had my thyroid ablated with radiation iodine in 2011 so I have no natural thyroid function and take Synthroid replacement every day. My med did not absorb properly post WLS (and my endocrinologist told me to expect it), so I was hypothyroid for a while and had to up my med. Synthroid can be particular so it would seem reasonable that the balloon could mess with absorption but it would seem odd that you would be enough hypo-thyroid in just 10 days. It could have occurred prior to your surgery and just now revealing itself? Also remember that you have to be consistent with taking your med and eating - i.e. at least an hour after the med, no Calcium within 4 hours of med (or if you do, just do It consistently), etc.

Not sure if that helps, but I thought I would throw you what I knew...

Now that you say it, perhaps I was hypo prior as my weight was escalating since November. I thought it was just holiday eating. Hopefully blood work shows this and Doc will up my meds. Thank you for the reminder about meds and calcium. I had been taking a multi Vitamin since my balloon with my synthroid...need to figure out a better routine.

[Daisee68 2,493]

One of the other signs I get when my thyroid is off (either hypo or hyper) is Restless Leg. My calves start jumping around and creepy crawly. Yick! I hate it. Sometimes even though my labs don't show anything significant, I KNOW from symptoms that I am off. You will learn that eventually and what level you are most comfortable at. My PCP tested me (as part of another panel) and said my thyroid was fine. My TSH was 4.9. That is NOT fine for me. To feel ok I need to be between 1 - 2 TSH. My endocrinologist recognizes that my count should be lower and trusts me and my symptoms to know if I need to adjust. Keep track of some of the other things that seem off - dry skin, hair loss, joint pain, irritability, etc. And if you don't have an endocrinologist or feel like they don't give you the attention you need, find a new one. I went through 3 before I found one that I liked (mine also deals with kidney stones which I have and is somehow related to my thyroid issues and the different way I process Calcium as well as my diabetes and now my Vitamin levels/metabolism). It may take a while to find a good endo but keep searching if you need to. Good luck!