Brian is right on! You will not be able to lift anything for a good long while!

THe pain is awful, but it does go away in time.......right after my surgery, I was going through 6-7 pain pills a DAY - a DAY - for a few weeks and even asked to have another x ray to make sure I was OK. My surgeon was great, but he did set my chest a little "off" so it does hurt a little sometimes.

You will really need that pillow! I slept in an upright position for 3 months after my surgery and still do from time to time. Hold that little pillow to your chest all the time and you will feel better very soon............

You will really need to rest and the hospital will want you to cough to make sure you are able to get any phlegm up (to avoid pneumonia) and they will amke you do breathing exercises 4-5 times a day, plus you will get shots in your tummy to insure you don;t get any blood clots. Any shortness of breath needs to be reported immediately!!!!!!

The chest tubes do "sting" a bit when they are removed and you may be intubated just to make sure you can breathe and you may have IV IG b/4 your surgery - kind of a make ready.................

Hang in there! People have gone into remission after they have their thymuses removed. I pray you are one of them!

Erin

Take care!
Erin