Thread: Thymus removal
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Old 01-12-2010, 11:25 AM
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KathyV KathyV is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 102
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KathyV KathyV is offline
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KathyV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 102
10 yr Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newmg View Post
[Hello,

I m a new member (i ve joined this great community this month) as well and I ve been sharing the same worries as you regarding the thymectomy . I have an elarged thymus (but they didnt give me enough details about the size they said 4 gr which must be wrong ) and doctors cant say if it is or not thymoma, but they want me to have the surgery.

I asked for a copy of the scan as advised on this site and i m waiting for the copy to come, not sure how long it will take, but than I should be able to see more.

I m scared of the surgery, not sure if it is going to work for me or not.
However, I was recommended the least invasive operation (transcervical approach) but it does have its limitations and the doctor wants to revert to a full strenotomy in the event of a big problem identified down there !

I was thinking that if I go for the surgery I will go for the transcervical approach and than if problems appaer to go for the robotical one Da Vinci (the second invasive in the list?!) but that s just an idea, not sure if I can choose what i want .

That is my last idea, but i m still reluctant to the thought of having my thymus removed.

hope that the appointment with your doc went well
I see you are in the UK, so not sure how things work there. Not all cardio-thoracic surgeons are trained to do the surgery robotically (DaVinci is a brand of robotic equipment). Also, not all hospitals have the equipment. I just had my thymectomy in December 2009 and it was done robotically. I specifically chose a surgeon & hospital that could do it this way. I did have a thymoma -- 4cm in size, so surgery was not an option for me. I just have 3 small incisions (less than 1 inch each) over and to the side of my right breast. No stitches, just tape over them for about a week or so. No pain at all after the drainage tube was removed the day after surgery.

I don't believe my thymus was enlarged, but the pathology report showed that it weighed 60 grams and measured 11 x 7 x 1.0 cm thick.

Good luck with your decision.
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