Feeling Awful Today

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-06-2004
Feeling Awful Today
2
Wed, 07-07-2004 - 9:12am
I feel really awful today. Today I'm feeling really swollen, like my hands feel tight and swollen, my legs and feet are swollen, my face is puffy, my neck is swollen and I feel pressure at the base of my neck. I posted yesterday that I was feeling like I was choking. Last night I had to sleep with my top part of my body elevated because I thought I was going to choke. How soon do these symptoms go away? Did anyone lose weight immediately after you began taking thyroid medication? the first time I got a prescription I lost 6lbs in a couple of days but since I have not been taking my medication I've gained about 15lbs. Is weight loss immediate? How soon will this awful uncomfortable feeling go away?
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-21-2003
Wed, 07-07-2004 - 10:24am

Can you lay down and put your feet up, up above the level of your heart? This helps with some of the swelling. Also drink tons of water, atleast 64 ounces. I hope you start to feel better. You might need some extra help though if you swell a lot. I take two water pills as well, although they don't help anymore. I take maxzide and lasix (sp). I have awful swelling some days. I got super excited when I lost 7 pounds over a week, then gained 10 in swelling the next week...well that was depressing. The weight will come off but slowly. We need to eat well too to help naturall train our metabolism. I try not to step on a scale either....it's a mental thing. If I feel good, I just leave it at that b/c generally I won't have lost any weight.


iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Wed, 07-07-2004 - 1:34pm
Hi - I'm sorry you're feeling so bad. With the swelling, retaining water is a part of being hypothyroid. Perhaps you're right before your period as well? I take water pills right before my period too, though I know they aren't good for your system, sometimes I just can't take being so bloated. Drinking plenty of water will help. So will watching your intake of salt, salty foods and processed foods which contain a lot of salt. DON'T drink green tea. It contains floride which is very bad for us - the floride blocks the iodine recptors in out thyroid, causing it's function to slow even more. I just posted something abouthis last week. If you want the article, go up to the search box and type in Green Tea. It should come up.

When you lost that 6 pounds, it had tohave been water weight. It's almost physicaly impossibly to lose that much weight in such a short time. Not that water weight isn't weight loss -it's just that it's likely to come back!! Where as losing body fat and watching what you eat, keeeps the weight off. You can still lose weight when you're hypothyroid but I think Kelly is right to some extent. it can be a slow process but there are things you can do to help iy along. Eating 4 to 6 small meals a day helps keep your metabolism running evenly throughout the day, burning more calories thatn if you ate 3 regular size meals. Exercise helps tremendously. So does building some muscle. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat so you can actually speeed your metabolism by adding some muscle.

Why don't you call your doctor and ask him if he has any suggestions for your throat? Sleeping raised up is probably the best thing you can do. I'll see if I can find something for you in the meantime. I'll post it here if I do. Hang in there!! You're going to the doctor this Friday, right? Cathy :)