Another womens thread...tx, weight gain, menopause?

[Lady Lauri]

Hi all. Not in a vain sense ( tho it *****!), more in a baffled way.......
Tx ended Feb. 26. I'm one that gained a few during tx. (sitting on my a*s for mths.) I weighed 126 at start, 133 at end. Figured that was lucky rather than 100 at end! Pre tx I have always been very fit, active, slim without too much 'work' at it. Mense's all normal. Post tx I am gaining, fast??? I am very active again, eat excellent.  It's like I now have a lot more fat cell's !?Periods have stopped @ 2mths now (not pregnant!) TSH say's 'normal'.  Other lingering post tx sides are fading (tho slowly).
Anyone else have these strange change's? I'm not liking this weight issue at all!! Not to be shallow, but dam!! What else could cause this besides thyroid?
  
LL

[Frank J. Perrotta]

"Frank...what's your liver stage, is it high damage? I'll have to ask my doc (head of research at Shands) about that but won't see him till August. Your young to have the weight issue's to be excused as 'getting older' weight and you never had the problem before? This gynacomastia, is there treatment for that?
   I was one that got bigger breast on tx!   They are gone now tho :(
Left with the jello butt and puny breast :( "

Can we trade breast? I think any woman would be proud :( , LOL....

before treatment my biopsy showed 1/6 scaring. Docs believe it was a combo of the C + meds (INTERFER)on causing some sort of mess with my estrogen levels.

Yeah, as a 45 year old male I really am uncomfortable getting hot flashes about 3.30pm every day. I want off this rollercoaster.

Maybe forgot to mention I "cured".

p.s. Big Thanks Deb for any followup.

later ladies,
frank

[Lady Lauri]

I knew that the liver does (help) rule the hormones, but my liver isn't too damaged and my last fibroscan post tx was better than the 1st (low damage in both). I'd assume with HCV the liver is in fight mode, not working right and hormones can go crazy. Than add these hell drugs and all is out of whack. I do believe it is a change in metabolism and hoping it goes back. I have cut carbs out and haven't gaimed any the past week, actually think I lost a couple lbs.

Frank...what's your liver stage, is it high damage? I'll have to ask my doc (head of research at Shands) about that but won't see him till August. Your young to have the weight issue's to be excused as 'getting older' weight and you never had the problem before? This gynacomastia, is there treatment for that?
   I was one that got bigger breast on tx!   They are gone now tho :(
Left with the jello butt and puny breast :(

LL

[Deb_c430]

I will def follow up on this,  I am curious myself,    I have heard many snipets, but never read a ful scale report.  

I have heard many say they noted increased in breast size while treating.  

I would like to know why?  

Def will try and find something

Deb

[Frank J. Perrotta]

Been following this thread as have abnormal weight gain 3.5 years off treatment. Male here...

Exercise + 1200 cal still no weight loss with carrying 225lbs (about 55lbs extra after treatment).

I have developed gynacomastia in a pretty sever form (male breast). As well as a number of other non-weight related issues - the usual aches, pains, fatigue.

My GP also believes that it is from some sort of liver failure or inability to do its job and process much of anything.

One test that remains low is estrogen but just slightly low.

Would be great if your doc has anything on that male breast thing.

thanks for any info...

p.s. All the liver gurus I have seen refuse to believe it has anything to do with their meds or the liver???

[Deb_c430]

I asked my GI and regular Doc, about correlations between womans hormones and HCV.  GI said yes there is,   in total liver failure men often grow breasts.  he said he will look for a good study for us.  

So much is connected to each other.

Deb

[Deb_c430]

I have my thyroid and sugars every couple of weeks and  both are ok.

I normally eat what ever I want,  always have, in moderation.  Its this txt! Fat? LL I eat like a pig! icecream sandwhiches, and fat.

I am Italian, food to me is almost a relegion! lol

I have always been small, genetic, Mama was also, sisters too.

But this is ridiculous!  Loss of muscle tone is right! I was and always been pretty fit, even after my accident,   pool therapy is AWESOME, part of my therapy after accident was running in the pool! I love it, so easy on your joints ect.

Fuzzy, aww you don't weigh so much!  All that will come back I reckon.  


I am on my way now for my ladies visit

Deb

[Lady Lauri]

Meki.......I put permanent indentations on my bed ....
Thats sooo funny as I too was in bed/couch @ 85% of tx and kept turning my mattress due to the indents, sagging where I'd sit/lay all day!
During tx my hormones were checked...fertility level! Now I don't know but I agree, tx just whacks it all out and with women we have the whole hormonal things going on also.

Susan...no need for a hyster. for me, all is fine there so figure it just moved me into menopause? Hope your feeling better :(

Sldb...do read the link PK sent for mremeets thread, it was very informative for me in this and I'm going to try the low carb thing tho I live on yogurt, fruit, pasta :(

Xenigma.....also have a couple friends did/doing chemo for cancer (1 passed :( the other still in so don't know about gaining afterwards)  all lost weight which is the norm for any chemo tx, but I gained a few ( I do nothing 'normal'!) and it's this post tx gaining that's confusing me?? I'm thinking menopause also, at 50, but last Dec. hormones were all fine.

Pk...that thread was great, perfect timing , Thanks! I posted on it. While I am not overweight (yet!!??) I'm getting a lot of jiggly fat around the belly, hips and absolutely no reason for it.  Back to busy, yoga, eating well, etc. Gotta be the metabolism. Mremeets thread  makes sense.  I don't know on the hair loss. Mine was coming out mth. 3-6 but stopped about 5 weeks post. I had so much it doesn’t really show so was lucky in that. Have you had your thyroid checked out? That can be a sign of weight gain and hair loss. My TSH is fine tho, so not the reason here.  Thanks for that thread!

Rita...get a hormone check. I did and it was normal on tx? At start of tx I had a period (full one!) 4 times in Oct! (great for anemia!) I was doing shots in my stomach. I thought to switch shots to my hips and after that had very few periods. Not sure that's what did it but worth a 'shot' :)

Deb...you eating a lot of fatty foods?  Try to, for weight loss on tx. I ate foods I'd never normally eat! I also never had to worry much about my weight, 'flab'. In my 40's had to watch what I eat a bit but not much. This is different tho, it's like jello fat just forming in my belly and hips and arse. Of course it can't be in the dam chest too, ya know!?

Fuzzy.....LOL, dam sure no bathing suits this year! I lost a lot of muscle thru tx :( I guess sitting/laying for mths.  isn’t good for that :) I couldn't make myself do even yoga on tx but have gotten back to it the past few weeks. Tx 'aged' me too, but it's wearing off a bit, tho being 50 is hampering that youthful look also, lol. Love yoga...better than any pain pill for muscle pain..even if it hurts doing it, the rest of the day you feel better.

jd....just remembered I forgot to PM you, like 3 weeks ago.
....jiggly fat..... is it! I never had much body fat, cept for my  mini J Lo butt :) and I keep wondering 'is this water or fat' as I am seeing it. My J Lo butt has turned to 'jello butt' these days :( And thanks to all who said I look great in the photo’s, but I'd have to post one of 1-2 yrs. ago and you'd see....not the same!
Yes, we will all be gorgeous again soon :)............if I have to freaking pay for it, lol.
J/K !!

Andom...going to google that! Never thought of that and my sugar had dropped to 32 on tx, than up, than down. Last labs at 12 wks, were ok tho. Thanks

Thanks ladies, I also posted on Mremeets thread, which was perfect info. for my questions asked (cept the menopause, female parts.)

On to my boring, low carb diet...I don't like meat :( I like pasta and fruits and yogurt and juices and cereal :(

LL

[Andromedae]

"Anyone else have these strange change's? I'm not liking this weight issue at all!! Not to be shallow, but dam!! What else could cause this besides thyroid?"

The weight gain could be due to insulin insensitivity.  HCV can cause that in the liver.  something for a doctor to check out.

[jdwithhcv]

I've lost about 23 lbs on this tx.  Already was chemically pushed into early menopause during cancer chemo and/or radiation, so now I'm dealing with those metabolism changes.  I'm hoping those 23 lbs don't come back (I still have a few pounds to spare!) and I'm getting as much exercise as I can with the anemia.  Hoping to avoid too much muscle loss, I know how often people lose muscle during tx and the weight comes back on as jiggly fat.

Swimming helps, I can work out without fighting gravity or straining joints.  Also, I run in the pool - maybe its silly but I feel I get extra benefit from the resistance of the water.

You look great in the lunch photos, BTW


darla - I can contribute some fat for Deb, too!

Next year we'll all be gorgeous again.  Can't wait!

[fuzzy1dar]

I didn't gain or loss weight....stayed at 125lbs. but all my muscles seemed to have turned to fat with alot of it around my middle!  I worked thru most of my tx (missed about 8 days) at a very phyical demanding job and still lost mucsle. I look like I've aged 10 years in the last 6 months!  So I guess its going to be an uphill battle to regain any body tone.  I don't/can't do treadmill due to pins and plate in my ankle so walking/running is out for me.  I will most likely start doing my yoga again...I find it helps mind and body!

I also think the meds mess with our metabolism....I wonder if we ever return to normal or if this is the new normal.  As far as my monthly goes...I had one period 2 weeks into tx and only one other period thru out the 24 weeks!  Wondering what my body is going to do now that I'm finished with tx.  

Deb....You're so tiny ~  I got a little extra fat I can spare for ya!  Lol

I hope you ladies take care and have a pleasant summer!
ps...no bathing suit for me this year!  Lol

[Deb_c430]

I really wish I could find some more info concerning hormones and HCV, I know there are connections, my menses started slowing way down before I even knew I had HCV, menopause does begin early in my family, but I really think this disease  has contributed to it.  

I am a weight looser, I have always had a super fast metabolism and need to eat to keep weight on.     I started this tx at 122 or so, i am down to 98, hate it!

[Lady Lauri]

Thanks ladies, I have some info. to add and want to read that thread but it's 2 AM and I'm up at 8 so I'll post tomorrow night, haven't forgotten this :)

LL

[rita863]

I am still treating and have lost about 10-15 lbs so far (28 weeks) Menstrual as been out of wack right after the first month.  I either get it every two weeks or i skip a month.  I am 45 so could be the start of menopause, although gyn says no its from meds.

Hoping to be normal once tx is done!

[pKinCA]

Have you read mremeet's thread about his weight gain and how he managed to lose it?  It's over on the Hep C forum... If you can't find it let me now and I'll send it to you...

Anyway, I too gained weight on tx and am still gaining 3 months after quitting.  And like mremeet said in his post, it seems to be mostly in my abdomen :-(  Not liking it either... Have finally gotten serious about resuming exercise on treadmill and it seems to be helping a little bit so far... we'll see... Timely post of yours because I don't fit into most of my clothes and am debating on whether to go out and buy bigger size... that could be a major mistake :-)

Right after I quit tx, I was getting weird hormonal sx -- my legs were tingly like when I used to take birth control pills, and the worst was that I had hot flashes for a few weeks!!!!  I was livid!!  :-)  First, the meds almost kill me then this!  Fortunately all of this has gone away now... I bet your cycles will get back to normal in a little while...

Really puzzling to me right now is my hair loss -- it started two months post tx... and gets worse each day.  Is your hair still falling out?  I saw the pics from your luncheon and your hair looks long and healthy!  Is it real? :-)  And, you look really good!!  Not overweight at all !!

Hopefully our bodies will adjust to being med free and and get back to our normal selves soon!

pK

[Xenigma]

I have 2 friends that both had cancer (females)
after their tx, they both gained megga weight and can not get it off.
BTW-they lost weight throiught their tx.  I think the meds screw with our bodies - our metabolisms somehow gets out of whack.
Most people lose weight.
In the begining of tx I ate the same as pre-tx and worked the same hours but still lost weight.  

As for the periods, your body is still adjusting, it does take awhile.  I think all women are different when it comes to this.  Maybe give it a little more time to adjust and get back on track.  You are 50 so this is about that time for men-a-pause.  Just a thought
enigma

[sldb]

Yes, all this has happened to me, even saw an endocrinologist, everything is normal.  I know everything is not normal but cant find an answer.  Please let me know if you find out something...Leah

[susan400]

I had my hysterectomy at age 30.  I didn't even know about the Hep C or start any treatments until I was age 36, so, I can't really say that the treatment had anything to do with my female problems.  I had female problems from my mid 20's up until the time of my hysterectomy.  I had my one child, got pregnant at 19 and had him at 20.

Susan400

[meki]

OK - you can look up my posts --- but I'm a weight gainer/loser during TX

At first - I lost all muscle weight --- I was at 210 -215 before TX...

I was pretty chunky.

They did not do weight based Riba. I did 800 a day 400 x2 daily.

I could ONLY eat cracker and pretzels. I lost to 170 --- about half way through TX something kicked in - and I looked at food and I gained 5 lbs.

I didn't eat much - but what I ate packed back on.

Nothing tasted good - and I barfed a lot... But during the last - I found that if I kept a cracker in my mouth and was constantly nibbling on something like a pretzel - I wouldn't get as sick.

I got pretty sick during TX - started having aches and pains -- so I didn't move a lot.

At the end of TX - I was a zombie with a pretzel crumb stack on my chest.

I put permanent indentations on my bed where I sweat and froze every night. The couch had a molded spot where I half laid/half sat throughout TX.

I started having horrid periods --- thick huge clots --- horrible cramps - intense pains and mood pains --- total fatigue.

They did a check on hormones - fine -- checked my ovaries -- left ovary had a huge cyst --- and looked like fibroids were internally all over my uterus.

Cancer readings negative...

They decided to do a hysterectomy --- so I did that.

Turned out Adenymyosis --- which you'll have to look up... but having that hysterectomy was the greatest thing I've ever done... They bruised/broke my pelvic bone during the insertion of a Gynecare TVT transplant --- and that took awhile to heal... Incredibly painful -- but had it fixed -- and since then --- PERFECT!

No more crampings -- no more pains in stomach --  lower back area --- but that's when I really noticed the incredible bone pains -- the tingling --- the awful joint, connective tissue pains that I thought were related to my uterus pains... And they were getting worse...

Which led to the diagnosis of Neuropathy!

Which -- they put me on Tramadol --- and OMG -- My world is FANTASTIC now.

I'm not kidding -- I'm still on the mend from HCV the TX and healing from the hysterectomy.

But I'm starting to get back into living.

For the last 2 years - living has been just awful.

No ambition - no will - no energy -- no escape from feeling horrible.

And now the last month and a half --- I've been coming alive again. I can play sports again --- after 10 years of feeling sick - of hurting -- of being in pain... for once --- the only pains I feel are aching muscles from playing an hour and a half of badminton out in the yard with a 19 year old...

And I'm keeping up...

So --- did the TX change me?

Did I gain weight?

Yeah..

But it could be that the TX is not so good for women...

Or maybe not just the TX --- but HCV --- over all.

Yanno?

Like maybe our bodies learned to live with the HCV --- so insidiously slow --- but creeping in like a slithery snake.

And eventually we got worse on TX --- and felt worse... So the body is just feeling bad.

And it takes awhile to heal.

But women's reproductive organs may be more so affected by the combination of having HCV and then the TX chemicals.

It's just my experience --- so can't tell you about others --- but that was mine.

It wasn't easy -- NONE OF IT..

But at this very moment - it's getting better and life is certainly changing for me.

Much love to you L!

Have a great night.

Meki