What is wrong with me and why can't my body lose weight??? (gained rapidly for seemingly no reason)

A couple years ago I moved from TX to NM. I got into an abusive relationship, and during the first 3 or 4 months of it, I went from 5'4 and 130 pounds to 5'4 and 180. It was almost all in my stomach. I kicked out the abusive guy after one year of his ****, and about three months later met my fiance (we've never had a fight, it's the healthiest relationship I've seen anyone have, the boy's an angel)

Then I got long vertical stretch marks from the top of my pubic area to right above my naval. Then the turned purple. two years went by, the weight hasn't budged. The marks are red now. I haven't seen a doctor in a while because the state is low on doctors. I can't see one until July 31st, and who knows IF I'll be able to see one after that within a year. Doc was clueless last I checked. He ran urine and blood tests, ultrasounds x-rays, and put me all the way through PT and had me see a chiropractor. Nothing. My diet and exercise routines didn't change throughout the weight gain. Now they have, because it hurts to even walk! I dropped out of college because sitting up for class hurt my back too much and I started failing my classes.

I can hardly walk, my body feels weak and slow. I've gotten flabby in my neck, pudgy in my thighs and legs, and gained absolutely no weight in my arms (which constantly go numb). I've tried atkins, more exercise, physical therapy, cutting out sweets, sodas etc, and sitting in my closet crying for hours, and nothing has done anything other than add a couple pounds here or there. Walking is difficult and my balance is off. I feel like I'm falling forward when I try to walk. Stairs have made me lose consciousness. I'm always nauseous and I throw up a lot.

Everyone thinks I'm pregnant. Scott's family asked him if I was. I can't do this much longer.

I'm quitting smoking and that hasn't helped, i just managed to regain my childhood asthma and gained post nasal drip so bad I can't sleep.

Also, I have PTSD and bipolar disorder, both are well managed, medicated and undergoing treatment with a very capable psychiatrist who would also like to know what's wrong with my body.

So...all my life I was the skinniest thing, why am I so fat now? What should I do? Wedding is December, I'd like to not look so pregnant when I'm not actually pregnant. It's all starting to aggravate my psych problems. What are my options?????

[Barb135]

When you see your doctor on July 31, the first I'd recommend is to ask to get your thyroid levels checked.  You could very easily have a low or non functioning thyroid.  As long as you are at it, I'd also ask to be checked for insulin resistance and PCOS, as well as adrenal function.  Sometimes things go wrong in our bodies and no matter what we do, weight just won't budge.  If you have any of the issues I mentioned, that could be behind your inability to lose.  I would first rule out all of those, then when you know you have medical issues resolved, you can concentrate on diet and exercise.  Of course, that doesn't mean that you can just forget diet and exercise until then or even IF you have a problem - you still have to be diligent.  

I speak on this from experience because I gained 30 lbs in about 4 months during late 2007/early 2008.  It turned out that I have hypothyroidism and although I still have to watch what I eat and get regular exercise, I know not to expect a large weight loss until I get my thyroid issues resolved.  

Just don't eat the sweets, sodas, high fat things, etc and keep working at it, while you wait for your upcoming appt.  And of course if there's a chance you might be pregnant, make sure you take extra good care of yourself and eat what's good for you and the baby........

I'd also recommend that you start the food diary and exercise tracker here on MH. The food diary will help you to know if you are really eating more than you think you are, as often happens......

Good luck and do keep posting so we know how you are doing.  

[Lofn]

Thyroid and all hormone levels were the first things they checked. They said I have all the hyperthyroid symptoms, but if anything my levels were hypo...I had all the effects of an autoimmune disease, but they couldn't find an actual autoimmune disease.

I've had two miscarriages in my life. I'm on the pill and I don't think I'd be pregnant for two, almost three years. They've done ultrasounds to confirm, this being pregnancy would be impossible. Trust me, pregnancy would be welcome. It would mean I don't have a mystery illness and that it would go away if I did all the right after pregnancy things.

As for food, I might do the tracker, but that's not the problem. The biggest problem I see is honestly not how much weight I weigh, but where it all is. I feel like I can't walk and it's pulling me forward, like I'm falling forward all the time.

This is why I'm here. No one has any idea yet, and I want more options. My doctor already looked into all of that, and he came up empty. I'm looking for new reasons.

On that note though, what is insulin resistance and PCOS? I'm not sure if he tested that, but he said he tested a lot of stuff.

[TrudieC]

Make sure he tests it all again.  Your bloodwork can change and develop over time, especially when you're dealing with auto-immune issues.  Some doctors don't test the proper things for thyroid either (and yes, you sound hypo not hyper).  Go to the Thyroid forum's health pages.  There is information there on what to get tested.  Look at what they're testing and insist on a copy afterwards.  Try posting in the undiagnosed forum too.  Someone might have an idea.  Good luck to you and once you get this figured out we're here to help you.

[Barb135]

I agree with what Trudie said.  There's nothing wrong with looking for new reasons, but don't abandon the old ones either.  Often doctors don't test for the proper things when looking at thyroid issues.  Most only test for TSH, not the real thyroid hormones AND you CAN be having hypo symptoms, without it showing up in the blood work yet.  Trudie is right - with autoimmune diseases, things can change fast, so you need to be retested.   If you haven't seen a doctor for a couple of years, a lot of things could have changed by now.........

Insulin reisitance is "pre-diabetes" and to put it very simply, you pancreas produces insulin, but your cells are resistant and aren't allowing the food you eat to enter your cells to be used for energy, instead it's being stored as fat.  Pre-diabetes can often be treated to prevent full blown diabetes.

PCOS is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome - I'm not real familiar with this one, but I know it too causes weight gain/inability to lose. I know there are several on here that have it and might be willing to explain it to you.

Yes, I would agree that pregnancy would be out of the question if this has been going on for 3 years.........

I'm not sure about the falling forward stuff - that would be something for a doctor to evaluate - maybe inner ear problems affecting your balance or something?  

Try changing your diet around - add some extra calories for a few days, then drop them again.  If you eat the exact same amount or same things every day, your body will get used to it.... Same with exercise.  Change your exercise around on a regular basis.  When you do the same thing every day, in the same order, your body gets used to it and it's no longer a challenge so it isn't working the muscles properly.  

Do get all your blood work done again though - Trudie's suggestion of checking out the health pages on the thyroid forum is excellent and make sure you ask for and receive a copy of the lab report for your records.  

I know how frustrating it is to work SO hard at losing weight with an undiagnosed medical issue.  I exercised my rear off (ahem.... I TRIED to exercise it off) for nearly a year with absolutely NO results before my pcp decided to check the thyroid issue  and by then the damage was done.  Now it's a daily struggle for me to just keep from gaining more, let alone lose......ugh....

Good luck and don't give up.............

[Lofn]

He tested a;; the usual tests, and then tested all the ones he doesn't usually test for...I can't remember names, but I've had a ton of blood taken, I'll try and get them to take more, especially when I get a second opinion.

Already searched for PCOS (My friend has it, I just didn't recognize the abreviations), and I've had ultrasounds and x-rays...thought I mentioned this before?

The falling forward is from weight in my stomach. I thought I made that clear...anyway, the weight is almost all in my stomach, and it's heavy for some reason. I gained almost fifty pounds and it all went to my gut, and it's pulling me forward and down, so that when I'm standing I feel like I'm being pulled to fall on my face and when I walk I feel like my weight is forcing me forward.

I'm becoming increasingly scared that the doctors won't see the problem and them bam, for all my efforts I wind up diabetic, or with an unchangeable thyroid issue, or in the hospital from falling down stairs or something. I don't want this to get really bad because the doctors can't figure it out, or because I can't see a doctor soon enough because I'm poor, and I really hoping I'm not getting judged based on my insurance provider.

[Barb135]

My point was that your tests were a couple of years ago and a lot of things can change in 2 years......

I DID understand that you thought your falling forward was from your stomach being enlarged; however, I thought it prudent to present another possibility - as in a balance problem.....

I don't mean to scare you, but if you are really looking for something - I have a neighbor who began gaining a lot of weight in her stomach and it turned out she had some type of tumor.  I don't believe it was malignant - she had it removed and her stomach is a lot smaller, although she is still considerably overweight with big rear, thighs, etc.  I'm sure this type of thing would be a very rare occurance, but I've learned to never just toss off an idea until it's been totally ruled out with appropriate testing....

Some people are more prone to putting on weight in certain parts of their body as opposed to others - take myself - I tend to put it on in the rear and of course, the ever lovin' "saddlebags" - only recently have I begun to put it on in the stomach and yes, I believe that I have insulin resistance, even though my pcp says not.  I'm going to broach it with my endo when I see him at the end of Aug because I am beginning to exhibit some of the symptoms - first and foremost - constant thirst..........

In my opinion, I recommend that you ask to get your thyroid retested (both thyroid hormones AND antibodies), along with blood sugar/insulin, etc...... Then depending on the results and the doctor, ask for ultra sounds, x-rays, etc.  

All that said - I have to say, bad things happen every day and it's never wise to go looking for problems, so I strongly recommend that you "don't buy trouble" in thinking that there is something horribly wrong.  It could be something that can be treated quite easily - maybe even just with getting in a good walk every day, doing a few crunches, or something else to step up your exercise, along with watching your diet very closely to make sure you aren't eating more than you think you are. This is where a food diary can do wonders......

Good luck  

[cjpietrz]

Hi there :)

My situation was VERY similar to yours.  Sudden, unexplained, rapid weight gain especially in my stomach--I looked pregnant--was working out 4 days/wk for at least an hour, food journaling, and eating healthily and still gaining!

Turns out this was all due to an antidepressant I was taking, Lexapro.  Lexapro, as well as other antidepressants/anti-anxiety medications can cause the same sudden, unexplained, rapid weight-gain, a few in particular are Effexor, Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, Tofranil, Parnate, Nardil, Elavil among many others...

My dr. swore that the weight gain wasn't due to the drug.  I came to find out that in the FDA's trials of the drug, weight-gain was not showing up because the trials only lasted 8--12 weeks, and the weight gain wasn't occuring in patients until after 6 months of being on the drug (on average).  Furthermore, it only happens in about 25% of patients...

I would make sure to thoroughly research side effects of any medications you're taking & obviously talk to your dr. before discontinuing any medication.

Thought that could possibly help!  Let me know!

Christina