# I've lost 17 pounds in two months and the doctors don't know why **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 12, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965 "2009-01-12T20:01:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/21 "2009-01-13T03:16:47Z")
Something that I will mention about thyroid - the range of ‘normal’ is huge (0.2 - 7.0). ‘Normal’ may not necessarily be normal _for you_. Don’t panic yet though - a very similar thing happened to my SIL. Turned out she was stressed out at work and wasn’t eating as much, and didn’t even realize. Not saying this is your problem, but hopefully it will turn out to be something just as trivial. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/22 "2009-01-13T03:41:35Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I will second this with the addition that I think you _always_ have to be your own advocate. Even with something as common as diabetes, I’ve found that the docs are very quick to assume the easy answer is the right one and are loath to look any deeper than necessary. If you don’t feel good about the answers you get, read everything you can, and ask a lot of questions. My experience with doctors has been that if an answer applies to a simple majority of people, then it _clearly_ applies to you, and no further questions or investigating is necessary, nice to see you today, take this paper to the front desk - - EH! - EH! - Goodbye. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/23 "2009-01-13T04:30:58Z")
Maybe its lupus. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/24 "2009-01-13T14:35:00Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Maybe its lupus. It’s never lupus. Now how do I get to be a patient of Dr. House? He can examine me anytime! ---
**Author:** ![drgnrdr07](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71e660/32.png) [@drgnrdr07](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drgnrdr07)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/25 "2009-01-13T16:38:54Z")
I also don’t mean to worry you, but my dad had some pretty dramatic weight loss late last year. He went to the doctor because he was worried about cancer. The doctor assured him that it was because he was bicycling. He told my dad that people with cancer don’t eat normally and they don’t have energy. On top of that, all of my dad’s blood work came back normal. A few months later, around Easter, they found out he had cancer (either pancreatic or liver, still not sure because it had progressed to the point that it didn’t make a difference). He had had the cancer since July of the year prior. He passed away a few months after that. Up until a few weeks before he had passed they still saw normal blood work. The doctor said that if he only had to go by the tests they had done, he would still have given my father a clean bill of health. If you feel that something is wrong, don’t just take their word for it. Get multiple opinions if it is possible. I wish you the best of luck and hope that it is something else much less serious. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/26 "2009-01-13T17:50:22Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > It’s never lupus. Now how do I get to be a patient of Dr. House? He can examine me anytime! Just don’t let him stick you in the MRI machine. 😃 Good luck on finding out what it is. I swear, between you and **olives** , we’ve had enough of these medical mysteries to film a whole series of \*Mystery Diagnosis \*shows! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/27 "2009-01-13T18:45:56Z")
dont worry, i found it stuck to my ass and thighs … you can have it back, i _really_ dont need it … good luck, but from what i understand getting good regular sleep can actually improve your metabolism, so maybe that is what happened? [trying to put a positive spin on it here…] ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/28 "2009-01-13T19:02:50Z")
I am not a doctor but it seems to my non-medically trained brain that losing 17lbs in a month just by getting more sleep and nothing else is borderline out of the question, at best. I think the main reasons getting more sleep is recommended for weight loss are peripheral; it leaves you with more energy to work out, and it’s thought to ease stress and depression, which are thought to contribute to excess bodyweight. I don’t think sleep itself is a calorie-roaster of the 17lbs in a month variety. Now that’s not to say they’re unrelated. Whatever is making you shed the pounds could also be making you tired. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/29 "2009-01-13T20:44:03Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > The thyroid and blood work came back normal. I’ve walked every day of my life, missing only a few, for the past twenty years, so exercising isn’t it. > > The only other change I’ve noticed is my lifelong insomnia seems to have vanished. I’ve gotton so use to falling asleep, waking up for one or two hours in the early morning, then falling asleep for another three or four hours that it seemed perfectly normal for me. But lately I’ve noticed I sleep the night through. > > Can regular sleep cause weight loss? > > And thanks for all the well wishes. I’m seeing the metabolic doctor in two weeks, and I hope it’s nothing like other people have said. I’m guessing they checked for anemia, right? Because that could make you more tired than previously. One cause of anemia can be hidden internal bleeding which can again come from a variety of causes, including cancer. I hope it is none of those things, and that you rapidly become healthy again! ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/30 "2009-01-13T21:06:25Z")
It happened two times to me, both times no medical reason could be found, both times I gained weight again after 1-2 months. Both times it was a very unhappy period in my life (failed love affairs) which may have affected eating and sleeping patterns without me even noticing. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/31 "2009-01-13T21:11:57Z")
I once lost a little over eighteen pounds overnight. It was the damnedest thing. I wasn’t sick, there’s no history of diabetes in my family. Just, I went to bed weighing X, and I woke up weighing X minus 18. Everybody was as mystified as I was. Finally we realized that the tiger had got my leg in the night. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/32 "2009-01-13T23:40:19Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > I’m guessing they checked for anemia, right? Because that could make you more tired than previously. One cause of anemia can be hidden internal bleeding which can again come from a variety of causes, including cancer. I hope it is none of those things, and that you rapidly become healthy again! If they didn’t check for anemia, that is a sign of a completely incompetent doctor. The cause of anemia can be more tricky, there being over 300. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/33 "2009-01-14T00:57:04Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I am not a doctor but it seems to my non-medically trained brain that losing 17lbs in a month just by getting more sleep and nothing else is borderline out of the question, at best. Especially since **Annie** was _quite_ slender to begin with. 17 lbs is probably a significant percentage of her body weight. My dad was another one who had unexplained weight loss which turned out to be caused by cancer. (Though if it makes ya feel any better, **Annie** , at the same time as he lost the weight, he _got_ insomnia instead of losing it!) That kind of weight loss may be nothing, but it also may be a symptom of something serious. Please please continue to pursue an answer to this. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/34 "2009-01-14T01:26:53Z")
Perhaps a silly question - when was the last time you checked your scale? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/35 "2009-01-14T02:08:33Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Perhaps a silly question - when was the last time you checked your scale? This morning, silly! That’s how she knows she’s lost 17 pounds! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/36 "2009-01-14T04:55:01Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Perhaps a silly question - when was the last time you checked your scale? > > Regards, > Shodan A very good point. Periodically I have to put a known weight on mine and adjust it, as it somehow manages to drift out of calibration over time. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/37 "2009-01-16T22:45:28Z")
hey **Annie-Xmas** , any news? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/38 "2009-01-17T00:07:16Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Especially since Annie[ **was** _quite_ slender to begin with. 17 lbs is probably a significant percentage of her body weight. was? Was! She’s past tense now! What a shame. Lovely plummage! We need news!!11!!! ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/39 "2009-01-17T00:23:28Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > A very good point. Periodically I have to put a known weight on mine and adjust it, as it somehow manages to drift out of calibration over time. An out of calibration scale won’t make your clothes too big though. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965/40 "2009-01-17T12:16:09Z")
You been under stress, **Annie-Xmas**? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-lost-17-pounds-in-two-months-and-the-doctors-dont-know-why/480965.md?page=3)