my wife wanted to leave me 3 weeks ago and was today told she has hyperthyroidism

[spencerz26]

my wife has slowly become completely emotionally distanced from me for the last couple months and it the last 3 weeks told me first that she didnt love me any more, then she wanted to work on it, then she just said she just said that so i didnt feel bad and she didnt want to be with me anymore and had no desire to work on it then we had a couple good days that we got along ok but then i noticed she wasnt wearing her wedding ring so i questioned her about it and it came out that she likes someone else she has now been texting back and forth with this guy for a week(she just said likes and that she didnt tell him how she felt).  i insisted that she go see a doctor because i thought there had to be some kind of hormone problem or something because we have a 9mo. old baby and she is still breastfeeding,  they did a blood test and found that she has an overactive thyroid today.  i am prepared to do whatever it takes to make this work i love her more than life its self. ( aside form my children of course).  the thing that concerns me is that she only seems to be detatching from me is that normal for this disease i NEED to know if its the disease or if she really doesnt love me if she is supposed to be emotionally unavailable shouldnt it be with everyone or not this thing about this other guy is killing me and i need to know if this is characteristic of the disease or not.  just at a total loss and dont know what to do or what steps to take to deal with this. please help???    :-(

[goolarra]

All your wife's labs show that she is hyperthyroid.  

TRab and TPOab are two thyroid antibodies.  Since they're both are elevated, it indicates that your wife has Graves' disease.

FT4 is very high...as you can see, the "normal" range is 0.7-1.8, and your wife's is way up at 3.4.  

Unfortunately, they didn't test FT3 (unless you didn't post it).  T3 is the most biologically active of the thyroid hormones and correlates best with symptoms.  

Uptake is also high.  What this means is that her thyroid is overactive (hyper).

TSH is low, which also indicates hyper.  TSH is counterintuitive...when it's above range, it indicates hypo, and when it's below range it can indicate hyper.

Your wife's labs are pretty far off.  I'm sure she feels terrible.  

It's impossible to tell you if the dose is correct.  We all react differently to meds, which is why they put us on a starting dose, then retest and reevaluate symptoms and make adjustments.  Sometimes, they have to change dose at that point.  Treating thyroid disease is a process.

When is she due for more labs?

[spencerz26]

ok here's the results...
  uptake test:  normal-4 hrs. 10-15% hers- 28%    normal 24hrs. 20-30% her was 45.5%
  TRAB:      11 IU/L         limit 1.75 IU/L
  TPO:        182 UI/mL            <9
  FT4R:       3.4 ng/dL             0.7-1.8
  TSHRF:    0.01 uIU/mL         0.4-5.00
  
10mg Methimazole twice a day.

im not really sure what all that means but maybe someone can explain and tell me whether the dosage is correct or not.

[goolarra]

Give her some time...she probably still feels miserable.  Methimazole works pretty quickly, but it still takes time for everything to settle back down.  Also, her initial dose may have to be adjusted once she has labs again.  Be supportive...

[spencerz26]

ok so i have test results and will post them later but she went to see an endo in fargo after being referred there and had some more testing done and was diagnosed with graves and put on 10 mg twice a day of methimazole as of last thurs.  how long will it take for the meds to take effect? we were getting along pretty good for a week or so before the app. but in her eyes we are still not together i guess.  hoping the meds make her a little more emotionally open, right now she seems like theres not much heart or emotion there.

[caetlin_h]

I think you've been given some really good advice so far, and I agree that actual test results with reference ranges are so important at this point.  You'rein a difficult spot because she doesn't actually want your help, and is probably blowing off half of what you tell her -so it's going to be hard for you to actually get your hands on any results.  What about just printing off some information and leaving it for her on the table or in her car?  Print off the tests she should have, symptoms, specifics on post-partum thyroiditis, etc.  Perhaps through that avenue she'll get on the right track?  I also have to say, something from the perspective of someone who just had a baby, your hormones are so out of whack during the first yr, it can make you nuts!  She could easily be suffering from post-partum depression as well, which is no joke. Combining post-partum hormones and being hyperthyroid will make anyone nutso -I can relate. How is she with the baby?  Does she care for him/her and how is she with her friends and at work?  Would she be willing to see a therapist to get some of her "stored frustrations" out in the open?

[goolarra]

I realize there are privacy issues involved here, and you're in a tough spot.  "Irregular" isn't much to go on...  You will probably get more detail from the endo when you see him.

Do you think she'd allow you to go to her endo appointment with her?  My husband and I no longer go to ANY doctor's appointment alone...I can't tell you how many times it's been invaluable to have a second pair of ears listening to the doctor.  With her current symptoms, your wife is probably not thinking very clearly. Does she ask you for your advice?  If so, you might mention that you really can't give her much help if you're not informed first hand.

Good luck...