First off, laughter really is great medicine — and it sounds like you've done an incredible job advocating for yourself through a really tough journey. That deserves genuine recognition.
Regarding IVIG before your thymectomy — given your severe medication allergies, this is an especially important conversation to have Show Full Answer
First off, laughter really is great medicine — and it sounds like you've done an incredible job advocating for yourself through a really tough journey. That deserves genuine recognition.
Regarding IVIG before your thymectomy — given your severe medication allergies, this is an especially important conversation to have directly with your surgical and neurology team before proceeding. Here's what's generally known about pre-surgical IVIG:
- It's sometimes recommended before thymectomy to help strengthen muscles and reduce the risk of complications, particularly breathing problems during surgery
- It works by delivering antibodies into the bloodstream to help regulate the immune system
- Not everyone requires it — it depends on how stable your MG is going into surgery
Given your allergy history, your surgical team needs to carefully weigh whether IVIG is necessary for you specifically, and whether any allergy precautions need to be in place. Your instinct to be informed and involved in your care is completely valid. A good approach might be to bring a written list of your allergies and medication reactions to your pre-surgical appointments, so the conversation stays focused on what's actually safe for you.
Your surgical team needs to feel confident your MG is stable enough for surgery — so keeping that open dialogue, even when it feels frustrating, is really important going in.
2 days ago