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TrophyWife

I am so afraid to call the surgeon's office. Afraid those receptionists will laugh at me.
What's holding my breastbone together? Are they wires? Staples? Duct tape? Can I get on a plane without setting off the TSA machines? I thought I saw an MRI post but can't find it! (Ross please move this if it's in the wrong forum!:confused: )
When is this lump at the base of my throat/top of my chest going to go away?
Why can I "twist" to the left, but the right is a real pain? (No political double entendres intended.) The right side muscles are so much more painful. I wonder if that's from my orangutan use of only my right arm post surg???

Nan
 
they are wire, they kind of look like twist ties on Xray. but are fine for airports, magnets, ect. The wires you might have read people have concerns about for MRIs are probably pacemaker ones,
 
The lump will go away in time. I dont remember how long it took to completly go away for me, but I want to say 8 weeks sounds about right.
 
I've flown several times since surgery, and my wires don't cause any problem. The keys in my pocket and my belt buckle do.
 
It fascinates me that those are wires holding us together. :p :eek: :)

I didn't realize that until months after my OHS, and learned from reading on vr.com. Naive me thought maybe they were dissolvable stitches or something.

Talk about being "wired"! :D :D

I haven't had any trouble with the wiring, and find it kind of neat, for some strange (or twisted?) reason. :D But some people have had problems and have had the wires surgically removed. We have had a few threads on this during the past year. Could probably find with a search.

And hey double entendres are fun sometimes. :p

Cheers,
 
It took me at least 3 months for the swelling at the top of my sternum to go away. I was beginning to think the surgeon had done something wrong and the sternum was kind of sticking out!!:eek:
 
I have flown many times since my surgery & never set off the security devices. A forgoten water bottle has, though. :rolleyes:

It took about 6 months for the "speed bump" to flatten at the top of my incision.
My husband had a port-access or thorocotomy for his mitral valve repair on 5/10. I've teased him that it looks like he had a breast enhancement procedure done instead of heart surgery. :eek: His swelling is gradually going down.
 
doctor's assistant told me the wires look like bread ties.

I can still feel a bump and I'm years out. Bones in sternum are still tender, especially when my cat decides to stand on them.

Member Ben Smith can hang a fridge magnet on his chest. I tried but it doesn't work for me.

No question is silly unless you don't ask it. Never be afraid of asking in VR.
 
Muchas Gracias everyone

Muchas Gracias everyone

First I'm gonna go lookat the previous thread that was found. Thanks Bob!
Second, I'm going to get a magnet and try to hang it. Hey if my husband and son can do spoons and noses.....
Thanks again. Back to icing my leg. Genius stood on her toes again.
 
Wired

Wired

I'm eight weeks post-op and the lump at the top of my sternum is just about gone. Like you, I initially wondered if it was permanent.

I noticed, like most of us probably do, the post-surgery sternum pains associated with twisting. Right side movement caused me more pain than left side movement because I'm right hand dominant and rely more my right side (lifting, reaching, etc?).

The pain does subside. I noticed a significant difference after four weeks. At eight weeks, I still notice some soreness after riding my bike and playing golf, but a couple of Advil usually settle it down.

I haven't tried the airport thing yet, but hope to soon.

-Philip
 
I have had wires in my chest since 1959, I have never had a problem setting off a metal detector, but a refrigeratro magnet WILL stick to my chest lol. (someone broght that up a while back and I tried it lol) I could always feel those wires, even at 47 years after the fact.

As for an MRI I am not sure how that would work, but I sure as heck would tell someone before they stuck me in there.
 
My sternum wires set off the airport metal detector about 1/4 of the time that I go through it. Then they use the wand which starts beeping as they wave it over my chest. Then I show them the scar and they are very contrite. Kind of a pain, but whatever. I haven't ever tried the magnet trick, will do that tomorrow.

Brad
 
I do not have wires. My surgeon used polyester thread to "wire" me back together. You could call the surgeon's office and find out which they used on you. Some here have gotten to see their x-rays, too!!! I don't believe anyone else here has the thread but me. I'm always curious to see if they are going to show up in another valver...... :confused:

The difference in side pain (twisting one way or the other) may have to do with whichever side the surgeon was leaning in on to get to you. They splay you out on the table pretty good! One side usually gets it worse than the other.

:) Marguerite
 
when we go back to surgeon on the first visit after surgery, they take an xray of the chest. that's when we can find out how many wires we have in there. I didn't even know I had wires, so I didn't know to ask.
 
I don't know about the duct tape but...

I don't know about the duct tape but...

I set the airport security thing off once while traveling internationally and when I didn't have any metal on me and I wondered if it was my wires and/or if they had their machine set for a different strength; but many other times I've gone through security and not set the machines off. The security was particularly tight at the airport where I set the thing off.

Anyway, my wires are at least a bit magnetic and I tried the magnet thing when I read about it here a few years ago and it did stick. Sometimes my fifteen pound cat will do a tapdance on my chest to wake me up and it is rather unpleasant. Overall, I don't like to think about the wires so I don't touch or bother them and they don't bother me.

I have a poofy thing that never went away at the base of my 8" scar but it is some kind of hernia I guess. The bump at the top went away quickly for me.
 
Andrew is on his third open heart and unless they wired him shut this time still does not have wires. They did use staples for the first time on him this time though. I was told it was incase they needed to get back in there quickly this time and also it is often used on adult patients. I will ask if they wired his sternum shut this time but I kind of doubt it. They removed all unessesary hardware in there as well due to his BE.
 
Wired 2

Wired 2

Hey, that magnet thing really works. I tried it today during lunch. The teachers in the lounge were totally shocked.

-Philip
 
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