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Wife thinks she is fine... but i think she has thyroid issues

So my wife has been previously diagnosed with graves disease and has the usual regular thyroid tests etc, docs have said ever since she was diagnosed, after one course of treatment they said all was normal, and all the checkups since they said normal too (she doesnt take any medication whatsoever now).

But over the last 3 years our relationship has been on the downturn and we never considered it could still be the thyroid after the all clear.

The other day i actually typed into google something like "my wife is completely different to the person i married", because i was actually thinking this is it, its just not working any more.

Then i found a husbands blog about hashimotos and it all rang true to our situation. My resolve and hope instantly returned and the more i researched it the more it absolutely made up my mind.

My problem is, she doesnt believe it. She says she doesnt even notice the symptoms that i do and she thinks she has just changed over time.

She puts her tiredness and brain fog down to it just ""running in the family" and not something that warrants treatment. She thinks she cant get back to the lower weight she was before because she only got there due to her "previous" thyroid issue.
She doesnt notice her low libido, she says its not something she even thinks about so it doesnt bother her.

She has agreed to a private blood test through an online company, and im going with her to the docs in a week and ill make sure all the symptoms i noticed are brought up too, but its very difficult when im so sure and she is convinced there is nothing abnormal going on.

I noticed a few of you guys in here have hashimotos or other thyroid related issues and have been through what sounds like the same thing we are going through now.... is it possible she wouldn't know something is wrong? Is it possible a woman can change so completely and not even realise?

Also, i was wondering if anyone could provide me with a good source of info on reading and intepreting the results we get back so we can actually know if there is anything out of the ordinary that the doctor would consider to be still within "normal range" and therefore refuse to treat.

Thanks very much for any help, i really appreciate it!

Warm regards,
Driven husband.
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Avatar universal
Please insert the reference ranges for each of the tests.  usually they appear in parentheses or somewhat nearby.

Granves test is TSI,  which was curiously not taken even though she previously had Graves?

The TgAb and TPOab, are tests for antibodies for Hashimoto's.  I would like to see the ranges. If one or the other or both, are above the top of the range, it is suspect for Hashimoto's.  which ultimately sooner or later results in low (Hypo) thyroid.
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Avatar universal
Following is the latest post that I have copied and pasted to this original thread.  

Test results: can someone help make sense of them?
Gonsan
So my wife has had her test results in, all are apparently within normal ranges except one, which the doc notes said wasnt a cause for concern because my wife has been prevoously diagnosed with graves disease (although she had only 1 course of treatment and has never had any medication since, she is currently NOT taking any medication)

Ft4 - 16.8
Tt4 - 93.9
Tsh - 1.71
Ft3 - 4.72
Tgab - 35.300
Tpoab - 41.6


Thanks for any help/recommendations!

Test results and associated reference ranges vary from lab to lab, so we need for you to post the ranges that go with these results, as shown on the lab report.  
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1756321 tn?1547095325
"Radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy for hyperthyroidism is safe and definitive, although, post-treatment hypothyroidism and the need for life-long thyroxine are to be expected."*

*Banzal S, Singhai A, Asaraf J, Tiwary D C, Sharma P, Jain P. Radioactive iodine therapy for hyperthyroidism: Our experience. Thyroid Res Pract 2013;10:96-9
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Avatar universal
In answer to your questions, yes and yes.  Many people with hypothyroidism, regardless of the cause, will rationalize their symptoms as being due to something else and not even mention them to the doctor.   Even though symptoms are the most important indicator of thyroid status, most doctors will do the minimum testing and if results are within the so-called "normal" range, will say that there is no thyroid problem.  There are many issues with this current standard of care for potential hypothyroidism, starting with over-reliance on TSH as the predominant diagnostic and the use of "Reference Range Endocrinology" to evaluate test results.  These two practices result in the terrible situation that exists currently where even the ATA has recognized that up to 60 % of the population with thyroid problems are unaware.  In addition two surveys have shown that even when diagnosed and treated per current practice, a majority of thyroid patients are not satisfied with their treatment.  So hypothyroidism is an enormous problem.  

There are many sources I could provide you for info on hypothyroidism, but for a comprehensive review I suggest reading at least the first two pages of the following link, and more, if you want to get into the discussion and scientific evidence for all that is recommended.  Note especially Suggestion no. 4 on page 2, for a list of tests that should be done.  As a start I think you should at least test for Free T4 and Free T3 (not the same as Total T4 and Total T3), along with TSH and .  In addition I recommend Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin.  

http://www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/TUK_PDFs/diagnosis_and_treatment_of_hypothyroidism_issue_1.pdf

Once test results are available, please post them, along with reference ranges, and we will be glad to help interpret and advise further, in order to get the max benefit from the doctor appointment.  We can tell you in general what to expect from the doctor, and what you should discuss, to try and get the most help from the doctor.    
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