How long will it take me to be symptom-free?

[NeedSomeHelp123]

I was diagnosed with a temporary subacute thyroiditis that is completely resolved and healed in 80% of those who contract it within 12-18 months. It goes through a hyper, normal, hypo, and then eventual normal phase. QUESTION: If you had to predict, when do you think I will be 100% symptom free? I was diagnosed 17.5 months ago. In the past week, for the first time since this entire situation s...tarted, I actually started to feel better. I think my thyroid lab numbers have some improving to do, but I feel like I can actually start to see the light at the end of this long tunnel.

Here are my latest labs:

12/22/11 TSH 2.25 (Range: 0.40 - 4.50)
...
Free T4 1.0 (Range: 0.8 - 1.8)

Free T3 3.1 (Range: 2.3 - 4.2)

Thyroid Antibodies (ATA, TPO) NONE

So, WHEN, if you had to guess will I feel 100% back to normal? How long will it take my body to heal from this thyroiditis? One month? Three months? Any guess?

[Barb135]

Bruce - note that goolarra said these other conditions can become permanent; therefore, the absence of antibodies is not a guarantee that it will go away.  

In addition, some people who have this can have antibodies.  Check out this site:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001413/

[Brucergoldberg]

ahhh....  thats what i thought.  So a person that has this, will not test positive for the antibodies.   Wouldn't that be nice..  

[goolarra]

Subacute thyroiditis is also called DeQuervain's thyroiditis.  It usually follows an upper respiratory infection.  It's what I thought I had (becuase I had hyper symptoms following a URI)...probably wishful thinking...until I had antibodies checked.

It's characterized by lack of antibodies and also pain (severe) during the initial stages.  It's true that some people with Hashi's only have positive TGab, but it's a very small percentage.  With negative ATA and TPOab, I'm pretty convinced, but I agree with Barb that testing TGab would tie the knot.

In addition to DeQuervain's, there's "silent" thyroiditis and postpartum thyroiditis (thought to be a variant of Hashi's) that are considered "temporary" thyroiditis and usually result in full recovery, although all of them can become "permanent".

[Brucergoldberg]

barb,

how can they diagnose a person with what this person has ?   Seems like they just didn't test far enough to declare it hashis?

[Barb135]

You should also have been tested for TGab (Thyroglobulin Antibodies)  to rule out Hashimoto's, which is an autoimmune disease that sees the thyroid as foreign and produces antibodies to destroy it.  Both TPOab and TGab need to be tested to rule out Hashimoto's...

Are you on any medication?  If so, which one(s)/what dosage(s)?

[Brucergoldberg]

How did they figure out you had this?  

[goolarra]

No guesses...everyone is different, and it's absolutely impossible to say,

Your numbers do have a little improving to do.  FT4 is still quite a bit below midpoint of range, but your FT3 is looking pretty good.  How do these compare to your last labs?  Are they continuing to look better all the time?

It sounds like you're on the road to recovery.  If you're one of the 80%, you ought to feel better very soon!