Katerina Winchowska
Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2020
- Messages
- 6
I'm having a really miserable day today. I live with constant discomfort. I won't call it pain because that word must be for something really important and life threatening. A year after my op, I had what my GP diagnosed as costochondritis. It wasn't too bad, but it has got worse, soreness and aches with occasional flare-ups. I have constant tenderness around my ribcage, soreness in the sternotomy area and often swollen glands. The left side of my ribcage is raised at the sternum compared to the right. Around 18 months post-op I noticed a hard lump in my right breast and that the breast itself was smaller compared to the left. I have had three mammograms and a scan, was told by the breast clinic that the lump was "just a bit of gristle", they could find nothing wrong and I was discharged. The discrepancy in size of my breasts has increased, they are often tender; this, and the discomfort around my ribcage means I find it painful to wear a bra and even some types of clothing. I raise all this at a cardiology clinic appointments, but am told it is nothing to do with my heart. I'm not complaining. I know if I hadn't had an AVR nearly 10 years ago I probably wouldn't be here now. I certainly wouldn't be walking the dog on the South Downs enjoying the scenery. I'm 71 and looking at AVR in the next two or three years. I'm just feeling really sorry for myself at the moment. I wanted to tell someone, and to ask if any other ladies here have had a similar experience.