[SunSeeker]

#1060683

I feel a bit foolish asking about this as I am very very familiar with the other side of the coin with thyroid disease. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, had TT in 2010 and now of course am feeling very educated on hypothyroid. However, my son, who is now 27, was diagnosed with Graves Disease at the age of 16. This was 5 years before my diagnosis and we knew nothing about thyroid issues. He was on medication for GD for about a year, we tapered him off and he was fine. He has not since had any of the symptoms he had at 16 that caused us to bring him to the doctor in the first place. He could be having other symptoms and we don’t attribute them to GD. He is the kind of guy that can’t shut his brain off and never sleeps, but his weight and appetite are good. He eats healthy and works out almost daily.

So, my question is this, is it possible he no longer has GD? Can a teenager “grow out of it”? Is it simply in remission? Should he be getting labs done to check his status and if so, do you have a list of labs? Are they different from what we in the hypo community get?

Thank you in advance for any responses. I have found the forums in the hypo community to be beyond helpful and an grateful I found this forum to reach out to for GD.

[Kimberly]

#1184118

Hello – Yes, Graves’ disease can go into remission after a period of time on anti-thyroid medications.

Hopefully, your son’s current doctor is aware of his past history and is checking thyroid function during his annual checkups. Since you mentioned your son isn’t sleeping, it might be worth it to get in sooner for a set of labs.

For patients who are experiencing a relapse of hyperthyroidism, TSH is likely the first benchmark that will show abnormal results. (Although TSH is *not* good for monitoring patients early in the treatment process). Some labs offer a “reflex” test where if TSH is out of range, they will automatically do a T3/T4 test, which is helpful. The test is quick and inexpensive, so if there are any concerns about a relapse, it would be worth getting this test done to keep everyone’s mind at ease!

[SunSeeker]

#1184119

Thank you Kimberly. His regular physician has moved on to another clinic and I don’t think he has seen a doctor in a 2-3 years. I will push him to go in for a check up and get his blood work done.

Could he go into “remission” for life or will it inevitably become an issue for him again at some point?

[Kimberly]

#1184120

Hello – I saw a recent study put the relapse rate at around 42%. The fact that your son made it past the first year is promising, as that is when the majority of relapses occur. Still, it will be important for your son to stay on top of his annual checkups and to get in to the doctor ASAP if he notices any recurrence of his old hyper symptoms.

[SunSeeker]

#1184121

Thank you again, I will have him schedule an appointment.

[Author]

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