My wife has to go for a scan on friday to see what the state of her spleen is , due to having gladular fever

The doctor indicated that depending on the outcome of the scan, she might need to have it removed.

We know that removal can reduce the bodies defence system etc etc.

Has anyone had this done?
How long for recovery, lasting side effects etc?

Thanks in advance.

 

I've treated a few people with face / mouth injuries who have had splenectomies due to trauma. They have all looked pretty healthy to me and are usually on long term low dose antibiotics.

Not really my area of expertise though..........

Shaun

 

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/002944.htm

 

My dad had his spleen removed and had no health issues at all, and no medication of any type. It didn't effect his life at all that he could tell, and continued to work damn hard as a brick layer. It was Lung cancer that got him 15years after his spleen removal op.

 

As far as I can remember you need a pneumococcal vaccine and are on penicillin for life. Other than that shouldn't really cause her any problems

 

Thanks for then info so far.

Much appreciated, getting first hand info.

Jamie

 

Can't help here but good luck anyway

 

My father had his spleen removed
Basically the hospital told me that he would be unable to fight infections unaided

 

My dad had his spleen removed about 26 years ago. He wasn't on any daily medication as a result but it just meant that if he was unwell, he was more likely to get antibiotics.

 

I had my spleen removed after a motorcycle accident when I was 20. (17 years ago!)
I had the pneumococcal vaccine at the start, and I get the yearly flu jab yearly now, but that's it.
For the first 6-12 months, my immune system seemed lower, as I was prone to throat infections.
It's also recommend you avoid visiting countries with malaria.
You can still go, but you require more injections and are in a higher risk group.

I think that's it.

 

Thanks for the information. All you need to know really.

Les

 

Good luck to Mrs HI SOOB!