Told they probably remove my spleen

Hi Stephen I’m in a similar situation, waiting for my spleen to be removed (mine has a large mass that they cannot say is benign until it’s out) and my date with the knife is next Friday. I work in a hospital (midwife on labour ward) so like you, come into contact with all sorts of bugs. I’ve also questioned if I’m in the right place of employment but love what I do.   I guess there are no guarantees for us.  I wonder if as your spleen has half died it’s function may have declined also with or without the op. You’ll get the immunisations which will help reduce the risks. What age do you teach? Older children might be more hygienic I guess and your story  could be a good biology topic for them with an emphasis on the importance of hand washing and the catch it, bin it, kill it campaign. Maybe you could get a hand gel at the classroom entrance for each child to use on entry as we have in hospitals? I wonder if there are any other teachers hospital staff on here that could give us some tips about  how they cope? 

He’s probably right, better out than in. I’m taking lots of pain killers too at the mo, trying to keep them to the minimum  of course.  Good luck with the CT.  Hopefully they’ll have more answers for you following that.

I've been asplenic for 20 years - through trauma which meant I could not get immunisations in advance. After the initial surgery and recovery I would describe it as impacting on my life, rather than life changing. I don't get sick more often but when I do it takes a bit longer to shift. It is always there as an issue but in reality you are more likely to die in a car crash driving to work than you are from something you pick up in the classroom. My advice:

- take antibiotics daily and always have a stronger antibiotic available if you get sick and struggle to shift the infection

- keep your immunizations up-to-date and stay aware of new ones - at least 3 have come out since I had my splenectomy

- stay physically fit and take multivitamins

- use a hand sanitizer (not excessively)

Best of Luck with your next steps

David

 

Hi Steph, 

I had my spleen removed in May 2017 and after the recovery I was terrified but have been absolutely fine and feel great. I had my vaccinations. I take good care of myself with diet, exercise and sleep. I do not take antibiotics unless needed for an infection (and haven't needed them yet). The only things I do differently are: I do not touch my eyes/nose/mouth (good practice for anyone really), I wash my hands frequently and use disinfecting wipes a bit more frequently than I used to, I keep up the recommended vaccinations and I won't travel anywhere where there is malaria/zika or poor sanitation and I'm careful of ticks when hiking. That is it. It's been easier than I anticipated.

I have a friend who lost her spleen also and she works at an elementary school. She has no problems. She does not take antibiotics and just gets the recommended vaccinations. I think it takes a couple years for your immune system to recover. I think I would skip one cold/flu season with the kids but your doctors can tell you what the risks would be-- maybe very, very, low. 

If you have the option try to get robotic surgery. There is less scar tissue afterward which means less pain in the future and a shorter recovery. Most people do not get this though because it requires special training. 

 

Well I was seen again by the consultant today, and although over 50% of my spleen had died, he showed me the old and the new CT scan my spleen is reaping and one large portion is now alive again. So he thinks in 3 months my spleen will be 100% again . No more worries about it being removed.

That’s great news Stephen, well done. They attempted my op last week but the mass that was once confined to my spleen has spread to my stomach, pancreas and got tangled around arteries and beyond so I was closed up, spleen intact. Got to wait the outcome of a biopsy and a new ct to see extent of the spread. I’ll probably loose my spleen in time along with bits of stomach and pancreas and have chemo etc to shrink the nasty.  All depends on which type of nasty it is before they make any decisions. I have a good baseline fitness thanks to all the running I used to do, a positive mental attitude and a husband and two daughters to live for so will fight to win this latest challenge