Possible Hyperthyroidism with Normal TSH/Labs but Not Nodule

[crrazybeats40]

I recently had a humongous hot nodule removed via lobectomy (almost 8 cm large, went down beneath my collar bone), and am wondering if this might have caused symptoms of hyperthyroidism even though my lab values were normal.  

When the surgeon saw the uptake scan pre-op, he said, due to the size of the nodule, and how "hot" it was, there was no way I could have had normal labs, no matter what the numbers said. I have had pretty severe hyperthyroid-type symptoms for years, but was always told it was "anxiety" because my bloodwork was normal.

Therefore, I am wondering (1) whether it's possible to have hyperthyroidism symptoms and normal bloodwork, with a large hot nodule; and (2) now that the nodule is gone, how long will it take for me to feel better?

I am 4 days post-op and still feel really bad, with lots of hyperthyroid symptoms, even worse ones/more intense.

Thanks in advance.

[goolarra]

Yes, it's possible to have either hypo or hyper symptoms with "normal" blood work.  The reference ranges for thyroid blood tests are very broad, and all of us are not comfortable anywhere in the ranges.  Some of us like to be low and will feel hyper with results in the upper part of the range.  Others like to be high and feel hypo in the low part of the range.

Surgery can cause some "dumping" of thyroid hormones into the blood, which could explain your worsening symptoms.  Also, it takes a while for the levels to adjust.  T4, especially, has a very long half life.  Surgery is trauma, so give yourself some time.  Call your doctor if you are concerned.

Is your doctor testing FT3, FT4 and TSH every time you have blood drawn?

[AJWS6]

Hi friend, anything is possible in health.  My thyroid grew to a massive size, half size of softball, for 5 years my hormone labs were normal, during this phase, I was experiencing hypo/hyper symptoms.  

No definite time line for recovery, every individual is different.  Do your best to follow up with appts, take meds as instructed.  

Will take meds/body approx 4-6 weeks to adjust, afterwards depending upon your blood labs/med dosing, will determine how long to full recovery.

Wishing you well on your journey.