Thymectomy experiences and complications with MG

[MG Community Member]

In 2000 I got the thymectomy I advocated for. After much research back then I knew what I wanted, a transternal thymectomy. My surgeon said he would try using a scope and go under my breastbone and if necessary he would open me up sigh, OK. I went under anesthesia not knowing if they would open me up or not. When I woke up I was grinning ear to ear with considerable pain. I knew they did the transternal. An adult thymus should be the size of your little finger. I had a hotdog bun in there. Iwas all over my upper chest. Transternal meant they got all the thymus tissue out. It was a painful but bearable surgery and recovery. After surgery, I was in the General Surgery ward of the hospital where staff was trained on mostly abdominal surgery recovery. I would have been better off in cardiac because those people knew how to care for patients with a chest that had been opened up. I went home after 3 or 4 days after insisting I get a hospital bed so that I could get up. The releasing nurse sai oh look you’re getting 15 percocets for pain that’s alot. My mental calculation the 4 a day in the hospital said yeah right. I ended up having 2 tablets left over, they were right! Like all major surgery full recovery took time. Prior to the surgery I was taking low dose prednisone, 360mg mestinon every immigrants, and immuran. Within a few months I stopped taking pred and cut my massive mestinon dose in half. Within a year I stopped immigrants. After 3 years I was in a drug free partial remission with only my stubborn double vision continuing. I could still get fatigued with a lot of exertion so I did keep a supply of mestinon around for those days. I had a very good but not perfect life until 2020 when Covid was unleashed on the world. That was a disaster for my MG. I owe my thymectomy for so many good years.