I just read about you taking your temperatures to see if your thyroid is messing up or not. I've done that too. I have also been to many Dr. and they have tested me but they insist that nothing is wrong with my thyroid. My sister who's weight blew up to about 550lbs. had Dr.s tell her over and over again that nothing was wrong with her thyroid. At the time we thought she wasn't getting the respect she should have been getting. Well sadely to say my sister passed away in April/02 at the age of 36 and left behind a 10 year old son who was the apple of her eye. They did an autopsy on her and discovered that she had a nodule on her thyroid.. can you believe that.... when asked about it they said they couldn't detect it. I want to know if it is possible to go on a low dose thyroid medication even if the
dr's don't think there is a problem. Has anyone had the experience of taking the low dose of meds with no test proving there was a problem with thyroid.....Celina

Hi Celina,

I'm very sorry to hear about your sister. If someone went into a doctor and said, "I've lost 100 pounds and I don't know why," you bet they would treat that person seriously. So why, if we walk in and say, "I've gained 200 pounds and I don't know why," do they just decide it is our fault and our lack of willpower? I think that many members of the medical profession share the same prejudices as the general population against obese patients -- they are repelled by them and just want to get them out of their office.

I have also had thyroid tests several times over the past ten years and they've all come back saying there was no problem, although I continued to gain weight. No doctor, and I have seen several different ones over the past ten years, ever offered to do any other tests. I tried to lose weight many times before (Weight Watchers and other lowfat diets) and was never successful, but no doctor was able to explain why, although I almost cried in some of their offices. However, I have been steadily losing weight on Atkins for the past six months. Given my success with Atkins, and failure with lowfat - high carbohydrate diets, it seems obvious to me that I must have an insulin problem. I think I probably have had a minor insulin problem all my life, but it got aggravated somehow by two pregnancies -- I struggled to control my weight my entire life, but really blew up during and after each pregnancy. What I can't figure out, is why no doctor ever suggested I might have an insulin problem or offered to test me for it. Yes, they tested me for diabetes during both pregnancies, but my understanding is that it is possible to have hyperinsulinemia and not have diabetes.

I would suggest that you stick to Atkins for a month or so and see if you are losing. Judging from your stats, it looks like you are already losing weigrht. If you continue to lose weight steadily, I'd guess that the doctors are right and you don't have a thyroid problem -- you have an insulin problem. If you don't lose weight at a reasonable pace, you may need to keep doctor shopping until someone agrees to treat you seriously. I'm still looking for a doctor who will treat me seriously, but at least I have figured out how to treat my own medical condition.

Good luck to you! I look forward to seeing more (or should I say less?) of you around this forum?

[Hi, Liz: You sure hit the nail on the head when you said that most dr's don't take obese people seriously. I find that every time I walk into my dr's office. He looks almost repulsed to touch me. I need to go to another dr. but they are hard to come by around here. You can't just walk into an office and say will you take me on as a patient . They only will take people who do not have a dr at all and are in dire need. It seems that some dr's are great. But then others won't give you the time of day. I just wish mine was more sympothetic. I read up on thyroid stuff and brought it up to my dr and he was offended and criticized me for doing my own doctoring. I didn't mean to step on his toes, just looking out for my own body. If I don't who will right. I love the support in this forum as most of the people I know do not agree with this woe....oh, well if it works for me Talk to you soon....Celina

Celina, I can so relate. I had a doctor once who wouldn't even touch me. He outright refused to do pap smears, etc. and became embarrassed when I asked him why. He finally had his nurse explain to me that he has a problem with large women - and I only weighed 220 then!

Have you told your doctor that you are on a low-carb diet? You're doing wonderful at it! Maybe it's time to explain some things to him. If he refuses to treat you, then you count as someone without a doctor - and can get another. You're absolutely right that you HAVE to look out for your own health because NOBODY will do it for you. The best doctors in the world are too busy to watch each patient as closely as they need. If yours isn't the best, and he isn't, then you have to take matters into your own hands.

I asked for a thyroid test, too. When asked why, I explained that I was doing the Atkins way of eating and that Dr. Atkins recommended the test for anyone who was having trouble losing. At that point, I was on a two-month stall and figured I qualified. He wasn't happy about it - then - but did give me the test. Now, I think he'd be even more accommodating because, thanks to my results, he is on the diet. This might be your opportunity to teach someone - or to get a better doctor.

Good luck!

You know you are so right when you say that I really don't have a doctor. I never thought of it thay way. I told him last time I was low-carbing and he said well carbs are bad for you, you would benefit from that diet, but take a suppliment. But he said I wouldn't lose weight because it is all in my genes. And said not to get my hopes up because he couldn't just give me a magic pill and make the weight go away. But I usually don't listen to him anyway.. But it is true..I do need a Doc that will listen....considering I'm up to 455lbs. Oh, about the comment I made above about the "magic pill" He treated me like I wanted something to be wrong with me so he could give me a pill to make it go away. If I'm feeling strong emotionally tomorrow I will start to do something about this....TTFN...

I had a doctor tell me the same thing a few years ago and it's not true. Yes, I do have a genetic tendency to gain weight that I inherited from my father. However, now that I have figured out what in my eating causes it, I'm losing with no problem at all.

I have a great gynecologist who takes me seriously. Unfortunately, I haven't yet found a general doctor who does so. I tend to go see the gynecologist for a variety of problems, but that's not really a solution to not having a good general doctor. We just changed health insurance this month (my gynecologist takes the new insurance), so I have a bigger list of doctors to choose from. I am trying to investigate them, but it's hard to call an office and ask what their attitude is toward over-weight people! Does anyone have any ideas what screening questions I should be asking the nurses on the office staff?

I really wish I could help you out when it comes to finding a good doctor.. I know what you mean about...um.. what questions do you ask...Do you have any family members or friends that have a good doctor and know all about that doctor already? That's the only thing I can think of right now..Talk to ya soon Celina

Does your new health plan have an "Ask-A-Nurse" feature? Or, does the city you live in have a "Call-A-Nurse" or a doctor referral program? If you've got one or more of these, try asking the nurses for some referrals. If not, call or go to your local hospital. Find a nurse who will listen and explain the problem to her/him. The best and worst are KNOWN by these nurses. If nothing else, ask them who THEY use. You may have to try a few before you find a good one, but the nurses will at least give you a starting point.