Lump at apex of strnum & clavicle--?

[Sunshine susan]

Hi everyone, I am another who lurks but doesn't write all that much--unless I can truly add value to all the other responses I read. So I have a question. I have a "lump" at the joint where my sternum and clavicle meet. I had AVR 2/99 with St. Judes, so well past recovery and doing great for the most part (although I do believe the tube did a number on my throat as well--another post I ws reading). I noticed it after I think I strained a muscle in that area which caused it to hurt when I put on socks or stockings, etc. Asked my internist to take a look and he had an X-ray. Nothing on the x-ray of any concern. He said it may be residual from when I had the heart surgery but I just didn't notice before until the muscle in that area got strained. Sais he would do MRI if it continued to bother me. Well, it is better now in terms of the pain, but lump still there. Has anyone else come away from the heart surgery with some misshapen bones to contend with later? Just wondering--any kind of lump is a little scary. I am otherwise fine, but it "killed" me for a while there. Anyway, thanks for any information. Susan

 

[Rush20]

Sorry to hear about your lump. I had swelling at the top near my collar bone that has since gone away. I can relate to the breathing tube. My throat was very sore for close to 2 months post surgery. I remember waking up with that thing in and gagging.

 

[terry40]

sunshine susan

sunshine susan

I also had a lump which reduced post-surgery, some here have had trouble with their sterum wires, I can feel mine, but no lumps if you don't count the ugly, lumpy scar.

I think the xray would have reveal problems with the wires, I would wait for others to respond.

good luck,

terry40

 

[mamsram]

lump

lump

Yeah, I noticed a lump right at the bottom of the V at my throat. It doesn't bother me, but I did notice it.

However my scar is the best looking part of the exterior of my bod. It is smooth, shiny, and has a nice color. No blemishes, no hairs, no wrinkles and no large pores. The rest of me looks like a plucked chicken with hairs coming out everywhere. Oh beautiful scar, how I love thee.

As far as the "TUBE" with all the info gathered at this site, I knew what to expect so had imbedded in my mind (subconscious).So, I was mentally prepared to be a slave to the machine and stay in submission to it until it was removed. No sore throat at all.

 

[George DiMundo]

Susan,

My incision is still quite new (3+ weeks) and it is shiny and pink once the "glue" they use to seal it up came off. I have noticed that there seems to be a bump of sorts near the top of my scar but it is too soon to tell if it will remain with me forever. Regarding the breathing tube and my throat, my voice has been weak since the surgery. I notice that it is fairly strong in the morning but gets weaker as the day goes on even if I do not talk a great deal. However, each day it does seem to improve a bit.

 

[medtronic of borg]

lumps

lumps

Both bones and lumps! I have had a rib accually removed (5th on L side) . I also have a bad back related to three things one of which is cardiac arrests. Also use to have a lump at the bottom of one of my zippers...after a number of years it finally went away, along with many scars on my back.

Med

 

[Bryan B]

George,

Did they use glue instead of wires or in addition to wires. My parents were talking to someone in their church who recently had valve surgery by the same surgeon who is going to do mine. He said they used glue and he had little or no post-op pain from his sternum and was able to sleep in bed immediately upon returning home. I guess I'm a little confused concerning the glue.

 

[George DiMundo]

I'm sorry for the confusion, Bryan. No, my sternum was wired together in what I assume is the normal way. The chest incision was closed with internal sutures. The "glue" I referred to was kind of like caulking that was applied to the surface of the incision to seal it. I think there is an OTC product called "liquid skin" which can be applied to cuts to seal them off from water and dirt, though I have never used it. I imagine the material applied to the surface of my chest was something like that or was, in fact, that substance. About one week after the surgery it began to come off about one inch at a time and is now all gone.

Although I haven't had much post-op sternum pain after the first week, I do wish that that my sternum had been glued if possible. I am almost 4 weeks post-op and have been following orders with respect to lifting weight yet I can still feel and hear my sternum popping from time to time. It is something that I suppose I could get used to but I would prefer that it did not do that.

 

[medtronic of borg]

glue

glue

The glue used in or is a little diff. It comes in two parts. First the nurse must raise the temp very precisly by soaking the tubes of "glue in warm water. Then connecting them so the surg can apply them. But timing is also important it sets up very quickly. For the nurse it is a pain in the b#@% . How ever I have been told that they have come out with some newer one that is easy to use.
Med

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I have a bumpy sternum. I assume this is due to calcium deposits around the sternum wires. I'm not sure if that's the same kind of lump you are talking about - mine are very hard, so obviously bone. I do have one wire that hurts occasionally-mainly when the first graders that I teach hug me and put their heads right on it!

 

[tommy]

Wired, sewn, and glued on top.
"Sternum pops" for several months.

I have a bump at the bottom of my sternum that has not changed. One of the bent wires just protrudes a little. Guess I'll have that forever.

I recall a sharp but small muscle pain several inches from the zipper that lasted over a year. It was as if a muscle got knicked in surgery. It went away.

For almost two years, I would have a twinge in the center of mymy breast bone with a golf swing and softball swing. Seems like it only hurt when I hit the ball well (not that often). Also went away.

Has anybody gone to the trouble to have their laces removed?

 

[Birky]

bump

bump

I had a bump after my surgery on the top that finally went away. Took about 6mos. I had 3 wires removed 6 months after the surgery since I had a hairline fracture in the sternum. I am 1 year post op and it feels pretty good unless something touches that area. I was wired togethter then stitched internally and glued on the outside with steristrips. Did this when he took out the wires also. I don't think my chest will ever be the same. I still feel something moving when I turn a certain way and do get some sharp pains in the area of the fracture. They found the fracture when they did a chest Xray. I think this happened when I had the surgery since we talked about it on my 1st post-op visit. I was complaining about the sore area and he mentioned at that time I probably had a hairline fracture.