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Old 01-13-2008, 02:41 PM
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bobcatsrule bobcatsrule is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Athens, GA
Posts: 77
15 yr Member
bobcatsrule bobcatsrule is offline
Junior Member
bobcatsrule's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Athens, GA
Posts: 77
15 yr Member
Question thymectomy - how much down time?

HI Everyone,

i have had LOTS of time to think lately and to try and figure out how to handle the illness of MG. My neuro is strongly encouraging me to have a thymectomy.

i'm wondering how long are people with MG are usually down for after this? How long does it take to get back on your feet as the disease is going into remission? How many people out there have expirenced the disease actually going into remission? How many have found that the disease actually gets worse when the thymus is removed?

I am just starting to build my life on my own and i don't want to go through this surgery but at the same time i hate not being able to have energy and the severe doubble vision and other forms of severe weakness.

I am also wondering if age has a factor in the success of the surgery? what is the oldest anyone has had this surgery done and what is the youngest age? I am currently 24 years old.

honestly i'm just plain out scared of the surgery and i need some reassurance that things will be ok if i were to have it, or the honest truth if things aren't typically ok. I want to be able to continue on with my life afterwords and I need to have hope that things will get better with such a dramatic treatment. my thymus is hyperplasic (enlarged) but there are no visable tumors on the cat scans.

I just got out of the hospital a few weeks ago from breathing difficulties and i am also wondering how many people have had to be reintubated after the thymectomy b/c of a myasthenic crisis? Did you have a history of myasthenic crises prior to the surgery?

So many questions and hopefully a few answers will be roaming around out there on the intenet from people who know what it is like to live with the debilitating weakness day in and day out.

Do the benifits actually out weigh the cons???
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