Splenectomy (spleen removal) experiences?

Hey, has anyone here ever had their spleen removed?

I’ve been dealing with thrombocytopenia, and it looks like I have to go under the knife to get my spleen taken out... so I was just wondering if anyone here has gone through it already, or maybe you know someone who’s living life without a spleen now.

I'm mostly just curious about how things feel afterward... like, can you actually live a totally normal life?

Hey 🙂

Really sorry to hear you're feeling under the weather 😘 here is a virtual 🙂

A guy I know had a car accident about fifteen years ago that resulted in his spleen being removed... from what I can tell, he’s living a perfectly normal life.

If you're interested, I can give him a call tomorrow and ask for some specifics.

I know a guy who lost his spleen in a wreck a few years back. Honestly? He’s doing totally fine now—just living his life like nothing even happened.

How long have you been dealing with this low platelet count? What kind of meds were you on that didn't even touch the problem?

So, I actually know a guy who had that exact same surgery after he was in a car accident.

From what I understand (just speaking off the top of my head), you can live a totally normal life, though you might struggle a bit more with intense physical stuff...

And infections, naturally.

Look, Bruno Oresar’s sister had her spleen ripped out right after her car wreck too, and honestly? She’s just out there living her best life, strutting around town like nothing even happened. I don't see a single thing wrong with her, not one bit.😉

Aside from being glad that everyone in the greater New York area is finally dragging their feet on this issue... 😲 😁

I’ve been dealing with thrombocytopenia for three months now... I was on medication and everything seemed fine at first, but then they dropped my dosage way too much and my platelet counts just tanked again. Now, it looks like I’m headed in for a splenectomy.

If all these people out there are living totally normal lives, I guess it’ll be okay for me too... hopefully.

Honestly, I just want to get better... they say there's a 90% success rate after the surgery, so fingers crossed.

don't sweat it, everything's gonna work out. anyway, when are you heading to the US Open?

May 12th... that's when I head in for surgery.

I'm really hoping everything turns out okay too. Honestly, I feel a little better after reading that there are actually tons of people out there living totally normal lives without a spleen...

Elizabeth Howard61, you need to understand that removing the spleen is done solely to manage your underlying condition.

Of course, the spleen serves a purpose in the body—primarily producing white blood cells to defend against bacterial infections—so naturally, you'll be more vulnerable once it's gone.

However, given the symptoms of your specific illness, that's a secondary concern.

About two months post-op, you should be able to get back to your normal routine and daily activities without any issues. Talk to your doctors and ask every question you have. Keep us posted.

Stay strong.👍

Once you’ve had your spleen removed, you really have to watch out for tick bites. You could end up catching piroplasmosis (babesiosis)—that nasty parasitic disease that's usually just a problem for animals...

Seriously 😕

Look, I was already aware of Lyme disease, but I had absolutely no idea about this specific fact.

...you’re going to have to be careful because you’ll be way more vulnerable to infections...

...and just to do a quick refresher on what the spleen actually does...

...during fetal development—basically while the baby is still in the womb—the spleen, then the liver, and then the bone marrow are the main players in producing all those blood cells. Once you're born, the spleen's job shifts; it becomes the place where old blood cells get broken down (people call it the "red blood cell graveyard," though it also clears out platelets and granulocytes). That’s the fundamental reason why doctors remove the spleen when dealing with thrombocytopenia—that condition where your platelet count is too low—which is likely what you're dealing with. There are different types of those disorders, but that's a whole other conversation... the spleen also acts as a defense system against nasty stuff like bacteria and viruses, which is why people are more prone to getting sick after a splenectomy. Plus, it acts as a sort of "blood reservoir" during physiological blood flow redistribution. Sometimes, if you push yourself too hard running or doing heavy exercise, you might feel a sharp pain in the upper left side of your abdomen under the ribs... that’s usually caused by the spleen filling up with blood because your heart is working overtime to compensate for a lack of oxygen. Without a spleen, the way blood is redistributed changes, putting extra strain on the heart, so people without a spleen generally don't handle intense physical exertion quite as well as they used to...

...mostly, the worst part about losing your spleen is being more susceptible to infections—specifically opportunistic ones, the kind that wouldn't bother someone with a normal immune system. On the flip side, the best part is seeing those platelet levels finally stabilize and seeing less bleeding and blood loss...

...there's one more silver lining for patients with thrombocytopenia... there's almost zero chance of suffering a heart attack, whether it's the myocardium or the brain, or any other organ...

...I really hope the splenectomy helps improve your white blood cell count. Just, please, be extremely cautious regarding infections. Your doctor will give you the full rundown after the surgery anyway, but I wanted to mention it...