I had my thymectomy (full sternotomy) on Feb. 18, 2009. I am very glad that I decided to have the surgery. I did a lot of research and went through a range of emotions before I decided to have the surgery. Before surgery I could not keep my eyelids open, walk up a flight of stairs or carry my little girl. Now I can do all of those things. I had this disease for fifteen months before I was eventually diagnosed in Nov. 2009. During that time I got progressively worse. It started with limb weakness, then onto eyelid drooping, then onto difficulty swallowing and severe shortness of breath. I was glad to have a diagnosis and know that I wasn't just plain crazy. I had a crisis in January 2009 and that really made it clear to me that the surgery was the next step. I KNOW that there are no quarantees with this surgery but really there are no quarantees with anything in life. I wish you all the best with your surgery!