1. < Autoimmune Diseases

Thymectomy and autoimmune diseases

Posted by shellyleon_dd @shellyleon_dd, Nov 7, 2018

I had a thymectomy in 1985 when I was 17 years old to treat myasthenia Gravis. I went into remission about 4 years later. After the birth of my first child in 1996 I was diagnosed with Sjogrens Syndrome and since then Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus. Has anyone else who has had a thymectomy for myasthenia Gravis been diagnosed with autoimmune diseases?

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Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Nov 8, 2018

Hello @shellyleon_dd, welcome to Connect. While we are waiting to see if other members who have had a Thymectomy respond to your post, I thought you might find the following Mayo Clinic Newsfeed helpful.

Pages > Chest Surgery > Newsfeed > Body Builder Regains Energy After Surgery for Myasthenia Gravis
-- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/chest-surgery/newsfeed/body-builder-regains-energy-after-surgery-for-myasthenia-gravis-1/

@shellyleon_dd I too have several autoimmune diseases as many others so you are not alone. Mine are different than yours though. Are you looking to set a specific question answered? Can you share any suggestions for treatments that have helped with your autoimmune diseases?

John

REPLY
1 reply
shellyleon_dd | @shellyleon_dd | Nov 8, 2018
In reply to @johnbishop "Hello @shellyleon_dd, welcome to Connect. While we are waiting to see if other members who have..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Hello @shellyleon_dd, welcome to Connect. While we are waiting to see if other members who have had a Thymectomy respond to your post, I thought you might find the following Mayo Clinic Newsfeed helpful.

Pages > Chest Surgery > Newsfeed > Body Builder Regains Energy After Surgery for Myasthenia Gravis
-- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/chest-surgery/newsfeed/body-builder-regains-energy-after-surgery-for-myasthenia-gravis-1/

@shellyleon_dd I too have several autoimmune diseases as many others so you are not alone. Mine are different than yours though. Are you looking to set a specific question answered? Can you share any suggestions for treatments that have helped with your autoimmune diseases?

John

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Hi John, thank you for your reply. I'm wondering if having a thymus gland removed causes autoimmune diseases. I'm wanting to know if there are others who have had their thymus gland removed and then later been diagnosed with autoimmune diseases. I'd love to hear what diseases they have been diagnosed with and how they are doing. I was diagnosed with Sjogrens.Syndrome first, although I mostly had joint pain that would come and go with flare ups. Just recently the Sjogrens attacked my kidneys and The nephrologist said that if I had waited much longer I would have been on dialysis. It's been a tough year but the meds have kicked in and am stabilized and doing good.

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Nov 9, 2018
In reply to @shellyleon_dd "Hi John, thank you for your reply. I'm wondering if having a thymus gland removed causes..." + (show)
@shellyleon_dd

Hi John, thank you for your reply. I'm wondering if having a thymus gland removed causes autoimmune diseases. I'm wanting to know if there are others who have had their thymus gland removed and then later been diagnosed with autoimmune diseases. I'd love to hear what diseases they have been diagnosed with and how they are doing. I was diagnosed with Sjogrens.Syndrome first, although I mostly had joint pain that would come and go with flare ups. Just recently the Sjogrens attacked my kidneys and The nephrologist said that if I had waited much longer I would have been on dialysis. It's been a tough year but the meds have kicked in and am stabilized and doing good.

Jump to this post

Hi @shellyleon_dd, From what I've read, surgery to remove the thymus gland does not have any negative effect on autoimmune diseases. Here are a few references I've found.

Surgery Effective Against Immune Disorder That Weakens Muscles
-- https://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/myasthenia-gravis-490/surgery-effective-against-immune-disorder-that-weakens-muscles-713774.html

Northwestern Medicine - Thymectomy
-- https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/treatments/thymectomy

Surgery to remove the thymus gland improves weakness for people with myasthenia gravis
-- https://discover.dc.nihr.ac.uk/content/signal-000310/surgery-to-remove-the-thymus-gland-improves-weakness-for-people-with-myasthenia-gravis

John

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