Pretty much since puberty, I've always been one to retain water around my period, but in the last decade, it's been more like, week of period=normal, every other week of the month=FULL OF SUBCUTANEOUS WATER!!
It seems to have gotten even worse recently. I have painful water bloat around my middle, my breasts, my thighs and butt and even my upper arms!!!
My GP is pretty cavalier about a lot of things, and dismissed it when I mentioned it in Jan. as, "some people just retain more water."
However, when he put me on a Fentanyl patch for my back pain last year, I got some pretty pronounced, "pitting" edema in my feet and ankles, and all he said was that he didn't think it was the Fentanyl, and I KNEW IT WAS! It went away as soon as I stopped!
Needless to say, while I like my doctor, he's often too busy and too set in his knowledge of "what most commonly happens" to see things that might not fit the norm.
Like my unexplained weight gain of late...My whole adult life, my average weight has been about 115-120, except when I went up to 155 on Neurontin.
This year, in the past 2 months, in fact, I went up to almost 130, and no matter what I do, unlike six months ago, and the way I was the rest of my life, it won't change. My doctor's response? "Well, there are only 2 ways you gain weight, either you eat more than you burn or don't burn as much as you eat."
I haven't changed anything, and it seems too sudden to be just "my age."
I think it's water!
Meanwhile, my lips are shriveling up from lack of saliva, my tongue sticks to my throat and wakes me up at night....Sigh.
Anyone else NOT on meds and have TOO MUCH WATER on their bodies? Or sudden weight gain? (BTW, I've had thyroid tests many times, probably the last was the beginning of the year, always normal.)
BeBe, fluid retention and subcutaneous edema are most often caused by one of two things (or a combination of the two)...right sided congestive heart failure, or kidney impairment. As you can see, either is a potentially serious concern. I'm only guessing here, and this is in no way an attempt at diagnosing or even suggesting a DX, but since you had an increase in edema with Fentanyl, and that drug has documented effect on renal renal tract smooth muscle but none on the cardiovascular system, I would think the first place to look for an underlying cause would be kidneys.
Fentanyl on it's own probably wouldn't be the cause of the pitting edema, but when combined with undiagnosed kidney problems it might be a contributer. SjS (indeed most autoimmune diseases) can have renal (kidney) issues as well.
We all have to remember, too, that the dryness of SjS isn't systemic...it's very possible to have completely adequate hydration or even fluid overload in the body tissue or the circulatory system, and still produce no moisture from the affected glands.
hey Bebe.
I have the same problem with water retention every week, except the week of my period. I have also gained 20 pounds without a change to diet.
I think the reason for my problems is a reaction to taking a proton pump inhibitor that raised my prolactin levels. I had this problem a couple of years ago and had the same symptoms (Plus a few more).
I also take anti inflammatories which are known to cause water retention
Have you checked your medication for these side effects? I am sure Fentanyl causes a raised prolactin, which can cause your symptoms amongst many others.
I know I've had this retention problem for years, and I've had numerous CBCs and kidney function tests because of some various meds I've been on over those years, all normal! So frustrating! Here's the really weird thing. I've been on 25 mg Zoloft and 25 mg Topamax a day for years, and in the begining of the year, I went off them for 2 months to see what things might have been cause BY them. Turned out, when not on BOTH of those meds, (I added one, no difference, and have been on just the other, no difference,) I retain EVEN MORE water! From what I understand, Topamax can have a slight diuretic effect, so I'm assuming that's partly it. I also know it can be hard on the kidneys, which is why they're periodically checked.
As for congestive heart failure...I knew about that one, but don't have the other symptoms really. However, there are 2 possibilities that could be causing it- one is something I recently discovered. The first is that I have regurgitating mitral valve prolapse. I've read that water retention CAN be a symptom of that...I have seen a cardio in 4 years, it's mild, though my old one had told me to come back in 2. I asked my cavalier GP about it and he said I probably didn't need a cardio...
The other thing I DIDN'T know- morphine can cause both edema AND elevate the release of the antidiuretic hormone, which I think causes the kidneys to release more fluid into the body. I've been on 15mg-30mg morphine almost daily, for a little over a year, so maybe that's it?
Or, maybe it's my dysautonomia? Sigh. :-\
Bebe,
I am struggling with my middle and terrible bloating, just like you. I've gained a lot of wt. recently and haven't changed my eating habits. I can't understand just why I've gained all this wt.
It is so miserable to think that last yr I was a size petitie 4 or 6 and I just bought 8P & 10P jeans. UGHHHHH! I am so unhappy about my size. It may sound like nothing , but I've lost my breasts, cervix, uterus, ovaries, scarless body....and I hate to lose the only thing I have left and that was a cute figure.
I must be retaining water!! I am only taking 300 mg of neurontin at night so I don't think it's the neurontin. I had been taking 1300 mg at night to sleep and it finally quit working.
If anyone has any suggestions, please tell me what to do.
I see my worthless rheummie on the 17th. TY in advance. Tinker
Quote from: Tinker on December 13, 2008, 06:11:04 PM
Bebe,
I am struggling with my middle and terrible bloating, just like you. I've gained a lot of wt. recently and haven't changed my eating habits. I can't understand just why I've gained all this wt.
It is so miserable to think that last yr I was a size petitie 4 or 6 and I just bought 8P & 10P jeans. UGHHHHH! I am so unhappy about my size. It may sound like nothing , but I've lost my breasts, cervix, uterus, ovaries, scarless body....and I hate to lose the only thing I have left and that was a cute figure.
I must be retaining water!! I am only taking 300 mg of neurontin at night so I don't think it's the neurontin. I had been taking 1300 mg at night to sleep and it finally quit working.
If anyone has any suggestions, please tell me what to do.
I see my worthless rheummie on the 17th. TY in advance. Tinker
Tinker,
It could ABSOLUTELY be the Neurontin! I was only EVER on 200 mg a day, for about 2 years, and after the first year, I very slowly started to change, then suddenly in 6-8 months, I just bloated up to 155 from my normal 120. When I realized it had to be the meds, I went off of it. My doctor put me on Topamax instead, she said they had similar actions but opposite side effects regarding weight, and I went right back to my normal weight in 3-4 weeks. That was in 2001. Flexeril made me gain weight easily and quickly, so I went off that in a couple of weeks after I started it, and Toprol, a beta-blocker, also made me gain weight, esp. around the middle, after being on IT for over a year.
So yeah, it can happen!
Bebe!!! Thank you ever so much for the tip about the neurontin. Last night, I looked up side effects and there, big as Dallas, it states "weight gain." It was very gradual for me.....then all of the sudden I gained 13 lbs. in 6 wks.
And I'm a bit MORE active than before!!!!
I know topomax is for migraines, but did you say that your doc gave you that in place of the neurontin? What does it help you with? Pain, or sleep, or ??
I can't tell you how excited I am that this might be the answer. I may even buy a New Yrs. Eve dress in a 6 P and see if I lose the wt. in time to wear it!! lol
Thanks, Sheila
Hi Tink.
I was given Neurontin a few years ago for peripheral neuropathy. But only made it as far as the titration level. I gained 8 pounds in a week, which is not good. My doctor changed me to Topomax.
Topomax is used for many things besides epilepsy. Headaches and nerve pain been two of these. It was used in the US as a weight loss treatment.
I took Topomax for a few years, the side effects eventually became too much to bear. The worst is dehydration, which is the last thing needed. The other bad symptom, is memory loss. You become dafter than a box of frogs. But if it works for you and you can tolerate the side effects, go for it.
Ha, "dafter than a box of frogs!"
Topamax hasn't had THAT effect on me, thankfully! When I FIRST went on it, food tasted TERRIBLE, even carbonated water tasted weird! I had some other weird effects, too, like a vibrating sensation on my skin. I took it for 3 weeks, dropped from155 to 130, (I continued to go back to my normal 120 and even lower on my own, JUST BECAUSE I WAS OFF NEURONTIN,I don't diet!) stopped taking it, then sometime later, I went back on it and no side effects. Not even the weight loss. It appears to ONLY make you lose weight that isn't normal for YOUR OWN body. Same thing with Zoloft, which caused me to lose nearly 10 lbs. the first time I went on it, but not after that.
Neurontin didn't HAVE weight gain as a side effect when I was on it! They told me I was crazy when I said I thought that was it!
Doctors never want to believe that it's not ALWAYS a woman's own fault when she gains weight. I never had that problem, but I've seen them do to others, and now, ME! grr.
I was on Depakote once, for a short period of time- THAT stopped my migraines from happening. I told my doctor and six months later it was in a medical journal that it helps migraines. I don't know if my report contributed to that or not, but I know I got tired of being guinea pig years ago!
So, considering Topamax CAN be mildly dehydrating, isn't it weird that I have to take it because I'm even MORE uncomfortably bloated without it? (But mainly, I take it for headache prevention.)
Quote from: BeBe on December 15, 2008, 09:54:26 AM
Ha, "dafter than a box of frogs!"
It's scary when Kermit becomes more intelligent than you. :-[
Quote from: BeBe on December 15, 2008, 09:54:26 AMTopamax hasn't had THAT effect on me, thankfully! When I FIRST went on it, food tasted TERRIBLE, even carbonated water tasted weird! I had some other weird effects, too, like a vibrating sensation on my skin. I took it for 3 weeks, dropped went from155 to 130, (I continued to go back to my normal 120 and even lower on my own, JUST BECAUSE I WAS OFF NEURONTIN,I don't diet!) stopped taking it, then sometime later, I went back on it and no side effects. Not even the weight loss. It appears to ONLY make you lose weight that isn't normal for YOUR OWN body. Same thing with Zoloft, which caused me to lose nearly 10 lbs. the first time I went on it, but not after that.
Food didn't really change that much for me. I think Topmax dulled the taste, - bit like smoking does, but it didn't make anything taste bad. When I started on Topmax, I could not keep weight on. It took months to balance out at a decent weight. Since stopping it I am 20 pounds overweight, but that was caused by another drug ::) I may try Topmax again see if I can get back to my usual 110/115 lbs.
Quote from: BeBe on December 15, 2008, 09:54:26 AMNeurontin didn't HAVE weight gain as a side effect when I was on it! They told me I was crazy when I said I thought that was it!
Doctors never want to believe that it's not ALWAYS a woman's own fault when she gains weight. I never had that problem, but I've seen them do to others, and now, ME! grr.
My mum has had that problem for years. It took 20 years to be diagnosed with a thyroid problem. Up until diagnosis, she was classed as fat, lazy and greedy. Since diagnosis, she has gained even more weight and the doctors opinion is; She is fat, lazy and greedy ::)
Quote from: BeBe on December 15, 2008, 09:54:26 AMSo, considering Topamax CAN be mildly dehydrating, isn't it weird that I have to take it because I'm even MORE uncomfortably bloated without it? (But mainly, I take it for headache prevention.)
MILDLY dehydrating!!!! You are joking right? I became so dehydrated on Topomax, I thought my eyes would bleed and cacti would grow in my mouth.
Quote from: pixi on December 18, 2008, 07:28:34 AM
MILDLY dehydrating!!!! You are joking right? I became so dehydrated on Topomax, I thought my eyes would bleed and cacti would grow in my mouth.
LOL, yeah, but you have Sjogren's! It's only considered "mildly" dehydrating to some "normal" people. ;)
I just discovered something that may be a contributing factor in my weight gain! I've been taking a potassium supplement along with my calcium and multi, which doesn't have potassium, for nearly this whole year. Even my doctor seemed surprised by that and said, "why are you taking THAT?" I started taking it because I've never really eaten very well, at least not by the standard that "they" say one is supposed to- I really only eat ONE actual meal a day, don't eat more than one serving of veggies per day, not much fruit, at least not on a daily basis, etc. I just don't feel right if I put more food than I do now in my stomach in one day. My blood has always had the normal amounts of all the stuff its supposed to have, even vitamins, etc., so there goes the theory that we ALL have to eat "3 meals a day" and "x amount of servings of veggies and fruit, etc.," but I thought I might be missing potassium since it's not even in my multi.
My heart, which normally beats really fast, even at rest from the mitral valve prolapse, has barely been beating at all in recent months which makes me feel sluggish. Unlike most, I LIKE when it beats faster, I like being hyper! I found out last night that potassium LOWERS heart rate, and on top of that, I've cut out a LOT of salt from my diet, which forces the body to put MORE potassium in the blood!! So, no more potassium, and we'll see if I lose a few lbs., if not the water bloat!
Wish me luck.
I'm 125 or 126 today, down from 130 a few days ago....
Linda said: "We all have to remember, too, that the dryness of SjS isn't systemic"
Linda, I found this curious as my Dr has told me that SJS can affect any moisture producing gland in your body, and moisture producing glands are virtually everywhere. He said this explained why I have intestinal, thyroid, reproductive and even neurological issues. Could you clarify what you mean by SJS not being systemic because I'd like to ask him about that because it sure feels systemic to me! lol
FWIW I also have water retention issues and during some reading came across an article which said because of SJS the tubules inside the kidneys can even become dried out and actually block off urine from leaving. I got the info on the web a while back when I googled about sjs and kidney issues because I was often experiencing upper back pain and such bad fluid retention. I planned to ask what he thought about this at my next appt in a couple weeks.
FYI, I was told by the Dr to take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar twice a day as it is a great natural diuretic. It works all right, it makes for a delicious salad dressing, it's cheap and can't hurt to try.
The other thing is, I guess forget about the "8-10" glasses of water being adequate, b/c it doesn't seem to be enough for me anyway!. I usually fill a 2 gal pitcher with water and leave it out on the counter so I can see where I am at all day. That I think helps me more than anything because when I see it there I remember I need to drink, otherwise I get busy and forget :(..
Sorry, I probably should have said circulatory, not systemic.
I just meant that fluid overload caused by systemic illness like kidney or cardiac disease, which is usually reflected in edema, can be totally isolated from the glandular effects of SjS. In SjS, each moisture producing gland or organ can be affected and produce many effects in it's own area, system, and function. In circulatory systemic disease, the cause can be from one organ, but produce effects in all parts of the body, for example, kidney disease can cause swelling of the lower legs...remote but a direct result.
I didn't for a minute mean that SjS isn't systemic...it most definitely is! I meant the dryness of SjS isn't systemic. The effects of SjS can cause systemic disease, too, like the kidney problems you describe. I've found that personal water requirements vary greatly...some people can't tolerate 8 glasses of water daily without causing electrolyte imbalance, others need much more simply to maintain comfort.
Regarding water intake- I've discovered that I think I was drinking TOO much. I've decided to let my kidneys decide using the old "bathroom" trick- the color of a person's urine should always be palest yellow or nearly clear and I drank so much water that mine almost never HAD a color, so now I just note that and if it's telling me I need more, I drink more! :) I'm less bloated, anyway.
I've been having weird BP issues, though. My BP IS usually borderline, 140/90, and oddly, my DIASTOLIC is always borderline or higher, even when the SYSTOLIC is close to normal, which is unusual, but lately both are high but the really WEIRD thing is my pulse is abnormally low. Like, barely out of the 50's low when resting. I have tachycardia because of my MVP, so that's why it's especially odd! I don't know what high bp/low pulse means, though, but I do know that I walk or bike a few miles, (>10 usually) a week, more in the summer, SINCE June, so maybe my heart's in decent condition now.
However, a search on the net showed me that hypoglycemia can cause low pulse, and when I checked my fasting glucose number from last year, it was only 70, and THAT was after I'd forgotten that I drank a Starbuck's Frappuccino, so technically, it wasn't on an empty stomach...shouldn't it have gone HIGHER than 70, then!?
I wake up with nightsweats often and have a lot of disturbing dreams, which I also read can be from hypoglycemia...So complicated!
Linda, I understand what you meant now :) Thanks for clarifying that for me.
Bebe, you look awfully young to have a bp of 140/90. that's a little high isn't it? Oddly I have hypoglycemia too, my family Dr sent me twice to get the glucose test b/c he didn't believe the results the first time! He thought the lab screwed it up LOL I would think that a bs of 70 after a
Starbucks thinga ma jigger is low, I agree with all the sugar in those you should have been higher. Is there an coorelation of hypoglycemia with SJS I hadn't read or heard anything myself.
Quote from: missyb on December 22, 2008, 12:09:38 PM
Linda, I understand what you meant now :) Thanks for clarifying that for me.
Bebe, you look awfully young to have a bp of 140/90. that's a little high isn't it? Oddly I have hypoglycemia too, my family Dr sent me twice to get the glucose test b/c he didn't believe the results the first time! He thought the lab screwed it up LOL I would think that a bs of 70 after a
Starbucks thinga ma jigger is low, I agree with all the sugar in those you should have been higher. Is there an coorelation of hypoglycemia with SJS I hadn't read or heard anything myself.
My doctor has been getting on my nerves lately because he's so cavalier about my (many) issues. I hadn't remembered the drink until well after I had the test, so I guess he figures 70 was fine, but has been lax on some other things, IMO! I mean, it's MY body, and I know that something like this new, extra 3 inches on my waist, mostly my waist, when I DON'T GAIN WEIGHT THERE normally, is something to take note of, especially when it's happened in the past 6 months. He just says it's because of my age! My MOTHER, who had 4 kids, (I've never had any,) didn't start putting weight on around her middle until menopause, until age 50. I know, we're all different, but I've found out I'm NOT menopausal, so it's not that, and I never even eat more than 2000 calories a day if that, and some days I wake up 3 lbs. heavier on a day when I ate much fewer calories the day before! Things like that don't add up to me. Today is one of those days. I was 125 yesterday and have a bad cold, haven't eaten even as much as normal, yet, today, 131, and noticably thicker in the waist.
It's making me crazy! I expect to be this way again til I get my period, 3 &1/2 weeks from now, that's been the pattern. Then a one week reprieve.
I was dx'd with high bp, well, "labile" high bp- it fluctuated a lot, which went along with my tachycardia and the MVP. I used to be on beta-blockers for that, but had to stop as I got more active and physically conditioned because my heart rate got too slow and I felt bad, then I no longer needed the beta-blockers. I can't take them now for the BP, apparently, because my pulse is already too low to start with! Gotta make an appt. with "Dr. Cavalier," who also didn't think I needed to go back to a cardio, even though before I moved to this city, my old cardio said I should see him in 2 years, and it's been 4 since I've seen one.
grr...
After having my third daughter at 25 i was to have a tubal the next day...they pulled me off the table
because my BP had jumped to stroke lvl....after being in the ICU for about three days and not getting
my BP under control they had a new doc come in and he put me on HCTZ...I lost nine pounds of just
water weight in one day and my BP went down to a not as serious lvl. I take Lisinopril/HCTZ now
for my BP...the only concern is my Kidneys from taking it...seems like its always something that
helps one thing causes something else..cant even take steroids cause im allergic...lol..
JJ
I'm working with a couple of theories, until I see the doctor, about what might be going on. It could be the morphine I take for my back pain. I started that over a year ago and after the first 4 months, I did start to slowly gain weight, going from a very svelte, (and too thin, really,) 112 to my average adult weight of 120. Then I started to hang there for a couple of months, and then in Sept., this extra 5-10 jumped on my frame. I haven't changed anything in my life, not meds, not eating habits, (except to eat less to see if it makes a difference like it always has, and this time it isn't,) not lifestyle.
I did have a slight allergic reaction to the morphine for the first several months - just a hive or two on occasion and some itching and a little peticiae(sp?) but it only happened over 15 mg and I only used to take that much. I stopped getting those symptoms the more often I increased the dose to 30 a day, and was up to that most days for the past several months with no more itching, etc. BUT- I do have occasions of mild angioedema in the face, too, which can also be caused by a reaction to morphine, I just discovered! Some mornings, I wake up and my lips and eyelids are swollen. Lately, it's ALL my lower abdomen.
And I just found out that one CAN have angioedema THERE, too!!!! So I'm biting the bullet and this is day 2 with no morphine.
I'm going to try to find another med other than opiates, or maybe see if they'll give me an injection in the sacroiliac, where the main problem is.
I swelled up REALLY BADLY in the feet, ankles when on Fentanyl before the morphine, even though dr. said he didn't think it was that, I found that it, too, can cause edema, and I never had it before or since that way!
I should print that paragraph out for when I see my doctor, because after reading that, I see a pattern! It doesn't explain the high BP, though.
The OTHER thing I've been wondering about is my kidney function. That could cause the high BP AND the swelling if they aren't working right, I think...wonder if the kidney problems related to Sjogren's do those things..
Hi Bebe,
Well, I gave up on losing any wt by stopping the neurontin. The neuro did confirm that could be it, but after a week or so off of it, I only lost 2 lbs. and couldn't sleep.
So, I started back on it 3 days ago and I'm now sleeping. Thank goodness.
I don't know why, but I just have a feeling that I am going to drop this weight and soon. I have tried to cut back, but I wasn't eating much to start with.
Good luck with your edema and I hope you figure it out. I bought a lot of sale clothes on Coldwater Creek.com so now, I have to stay at this weight or lose to wear them!! They were cheap in the outlet that I couldn't pass them up. Maybe the new duds will be a motivator. UGH! I hate being chubby. I still haven't started the prednisone. No guts! But after our little trip, I have to give it a shot. (only 10 mg every other day.) Tinker
Tinker,
I wish you luck! Seriously, though, I have, (or maybe I should say, "had," >:( a really fast metabolism, and Neurontin KILLED it to the point that NOTHING I did made a bit of difference to my weight. As long as I was on it, all it did was continue to go UP! Topamax was SO much better.
I'm trying to adjust to the body I have now, but honestly, the WORST TIME in my WHOLE LIFE was the year and 1/2 that I was overweight and I had two crying spells, (yes, with lots of tears...I have them this week,) today over it because between being sick with a nasty cold for the past 7 days and depressed and worried about it becoming an infection and that I'll "never" be well enough to do things again, and my 130 lb. body that only seems to be gradually climbing with every menstrual cycle, I just kind of lost it! I hardly recognize myself, and I don't have clothes for "this" body- not just in size, but style...I got away with a ton of things when I was a size 2 or 4 that I wouldn't dare wear now, at a 6 or (maybe even) 8. I was used to being able to do that, and more than that, a lot of my identity is tied up in it, too, so I feel like I've lost that as well.
It's like, "yesterday," (seems like it was,) I was a small-boned, petite, slim 44 yr. who only ever had to be concerned with the size of her butt in clothes, and who had, by today's standards, an almost impossibly small (24-25 in) waist, and I woke up and I'm suddenly just another puffy, doughy middle-aged woman who looks as if she's in sweats no matter how tailored the clothes might be because of the body underneath!
Sorry, I had to vent to someone besides my poor husband who had to hear it all day!
I have noticed that my heart rate is back up to "my" normal resting rate of about 75 again since stopping the potassium supplements, so I was right about that slowing it down too much, so with any luck, maybe that'll help boost my metabolism once I become active again after this cold.
I'm going to make an appt. with my GP tomorrow for a regular checkup and take my husband along to back me up this time, and tell him, "look at my chart back to this time last year- SEE A PATTERN?" and "Hey, doc, don't you remember how, in Feb. of THIS YEAR, I was concerned about my weight BECAUSE I WAS A BIT TOO THIN, and you said, 'don't worry about it, hey, women would kill you for that,' yet, by the next visit, a few months later, even your PA noted that I had a weight GAIN that was significant and had yet ANOTHER by the one after that, yet when I was concerned about the weight GAIN, you just told me that there were 'only 2 ways you gain weight, eat too much or exercise too little,' even though I told you I HADN'T CHANGED ANYTHING!!" GRR.
I'll insist he does thyroid, kidney tests...maybe some metabolic ones like cortisol, too. If he still gives me a hard time, it's time for a female GP!!!
Hi BeBe :)
Could you be heading into perimenopause?? If you're havuing those blood tests done ask for FSH (or is it FHS?) as well. It's to do with hormones that will tell you if you're approaching menopause or not anyway.
Before menopause people often gain a bit of weight because oestrogen is stored in fat and the body realises that it needs some in storage. Now why that happens to some - and not others - is a mystery - but worth exploring.
I can't imagine 130lbs looking fat I must admit. I used to weigh 112 lbs and am now 182 and have never had steroids but I do have a thyroid problem. I totally understand not liking the new body shape. I jut got rid of mirrors and reckon if I can't see me - what I look like is other people's problem - not mine!
Take care - Scottie :)
Quote from: Scottietottie on December 26, 2008, 05:07:53 PM
Hi BeBe :)
Could you be heading into perimenopause?? If you're havuing those blood tests done ask for FSH (or is it FHS?) as well. It's to do with hormones that will tell you if you're approaching menopause or not anyway.
Before menopause people often gain a bit of weight because oestrogen is stored in fat and the body realises that it needs some in storage. Now why that happens to some - and not others - is a mystery - but worth exploring.
I can't imagine 130lbs looking fat I must admit. I used to weigh 112 lbs and am now 182 and have never had steroids but I do have a thyroid problem. I totally understand not liking the new body shape. I jut got rid of mirrors and reckon if I can't see me - what I look like is other people's problem - not mine!
Take care - Scottie :)
Scottie,
I know, 130 isn't that bad, it's just "not me." And it's because so much of it is in my middle now, which I never had before, even when I neared 130 once before. And whenever my weight went even a few lbs. off, all I ever had to do was just stop BINGING all day long and eat normal amounts of food and I'd go right back to my normal weight. Now, nothing I'm doing or not doing is changing it. I noticed that when wearing jeans/anything that constricts my lower abdomen, I seem to have a harder time breathing when walking, but not because they aren't the right size or because I can't get air into my lungs, it feels like it's the compression on my lower abs that does it, which is weird.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that the cold I had is "gone," but my submandibular salivary glands are still swollen as well as parotids a bit more than usual and lymph glands as well!! So I even look fatter from the neck up!! arg! I'm having a little trouble swallowing, and not just from saliva issues, it feels swollen in my throat. Colds are only supposed to last a week at most, and never involve the salivary glands like this! I don't know what to do. I feel like taking my husband's prednisone just to reduce the inflammation, but I'm worried that I'll get (or have) and infection on top of it.
Also, I should have mentioned that I've had those hormone tests twice this year. FSH, LH and estradiol, in Feb when I had lost weight for no reason and was too thin, (like around 108,) and again 2 months ago. When I was too thin, I also hadn't gotten a period for 2 months and they said my estrogen was too low, but now it's all fine, and my gyn said there's no chance that I'm near menopause, so I know the weight's not from that. I had assumed it was, too, when it first started happening...
Hi BeBe - well back to the drawing board. I'd certainly insist on thyroid tests as it can yoyo your weight either way. I'd also get a copy of the results because the high end of normal or the low end of normal doesn't 'fit' everybody. With weight gain - do get a copy of what they say the TSH measures.
Did your gynae say why she was so sure you were nowhere near menopause? I know people who've started in their thirties right up to people who never started till they were well into their fifties. There seems to be a huge possible range for it.
Good luck with the doc and the tests.
Take care - Scottie :)