Chris Simms has spleen removed after loss to Carolina

[BrudLee]

Originally Posted by saden1

Isn't a Spleen an important organ? It's not like getting your tonsils removed is it?

Anywho, we should beat them with or without Simms.

p.s. They should have gotten Ramsey from us when they could...I don't even know who they have as backup.

A splenectomy such as the one Chris Simms (right) underwent involves a major incision, and the recovery time is at least six weeks, according to Dr. Michael Kaplan, ESPNEWS medical analyst.
Kaplan said an athlete can play without a spleen and that it's not unusual for somebody to rupture the organ in a game or in a car accident and continue his normal activity until the pain is too much to bear. Kaplan said people with ruptured spleens will bleed into their bellies and either feel pain or may pass out as a result of blood loss.

Kaplan said under normal circumstances, Simms should be able to resume his football career after he recovers from the surgery. The lack of a spleen puts a person at some higher risk for infection.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Peter Forsberg had his spleen removed May 10, 2001, after it ruptured. He missed the entire 2001-02 regular season but returned for the playoffs.

The spleen is an organ in the upper left side of the abdomen that filters the blood by removing old or damaged blood cells and platelets and helps the immune system by destroying bacteria and other foreign substances. It also holds extra blood that can be released into the circulatory system, if needed.

The spleen is a useful but nonessential organ. It is sometimes removed in people who have blood disorders, such as thalassemia or hemolytic anemia. If the spleen is removed, a person must get certain immunizations to help prevent infections that the spleen normally fights.

Sources: ESPNEWS, WebMD.com

So, yeah.