Hi all, I am wondering just what Lyme does to the body/metabolism that causes some people to lose weight and some people to gain weight since both are signs of this disease.
I am one of the unfortunates that have gained weight in recent years that I have not been able to take off. I am on thyroid medication but my "T's" are tested every year and they are in the upper third of normal.
I am guessing there are problems at the deepest cellular level. I have gained a lot of belly fat and I weigh more now than I ever have in my life.
I was anorexic in the early '90s and weighed 100 pounds but that is when my thyroid went totally south and I gained very quickly. I have lost some and gained some over the years since but mostly gained.
Does anyone know the science involved in this? And maybe the cure? I am really tired of this weight.
Thanks in advance!
Posted by mjo (Member # 7876) on :
sick. I could have written the exact same things you did though I never weighed as little as 100 pounds. Also on thyroid. Heaviest ever. Hate it! And I've been chastized for not eating enough by a LLMD! Some metabolic tests made him think I'd been dieting. When I told him I hadn't been dieting, he told me to eat more protein. What would he have seen?
Do you think the body stops digesting and absorbing the energy from food, because of Lyme, and just starts packing on the belly fat because the body thinks it's starving and senses trouble?
High cortisol levels from stress pack on belly fat. Show me a person with chronic Lyme who isn't stressed!
Strage sort of related question: Have you ever felt like your legs built up fluid after walking and exercising? Maybe lactic acid builds up and makes you feel worse--fatter--after exercising than before?
Posted by sickandtiredofbeingsandt (Member # 10189) on :
mjo, I have trouble with fluid retention like you mention, especially in the hot months. My fingers will swell when I walk so I know my legs do too.
I recently had a blood test that one of the items (can't remember which) was a bit high and in looking it up it said something about a high value meaning starvation as one of the reasons.
The doc said all the values that were either too high or too low on my test were Lyme related. He had no other explaination.
So maybe Lyme messes with metabolism in a way that makes the body think it's starving??? Don't know.