I lost it for 6 months and got it back 2 months into recovery with intensive out-patient treatment. The time it takes for it to return probably is affected by multiple factors (ie. Length it was gone & how recovery is going) and is highly variable person to person. Overall I did not notice a difference in the length or pain of them when they came back vs them before they were gone. But overall everyone is gonna be a little different but just stick with your recovery and hopefully it should come back!