Hi Deek
I had a mitral valve repair done by a mini thoracotomy four weeks ago. My recovery has been very good, albeit with a few small ?bumps? I hadn?t foreseen.
As Lisa points out, the potential pain of the mini thoracotomy was discussed in a fairly recent thread. Although I can?t compare the thoracotomy with the sternotomy, I can say that I didn?t experience too much pain. The only time I really was very uncomfortable was during the echocardiogram the day after the operation, and that was mainly due to the uncaring idiot performing the test. I was released from hospital after five days (a fever kept me there an extra day) and was able to cope quite well with just paracetamol/codeine until about a week ago, when I was able to stop that as well. I still feel some discomfort, particularly in the morning, and I can only lie on my side for short periods at this stage. Apart from that, in most ways I?m back to normal, albeit being careful about lifting heaving things with my right arm: I?ve been driving and going to the gym and rehab for two weeks now, and started cycling again recently. However, I think it will be a couple more weeks before I could swim without worrying about internally irritating the chest wound.
I?d also be a bit wary of swimming due to the appearance of my chest: I?m slim and don?t have much in the way of man-boobs, but my right breast is still swollen and numb, and I?m sure people at the pool would stare. It?s hard to describe, but the swelling is very prominent near the armpit, and the nipple seems to point down instead of ahead (this has started improving over the past week or so). As you are different to me in this respect, it's hard to say what the visual impact would be!
On the positive side, I?m sure the swelling will subside soon and I?d guess that the 4cm horizontal incision will barely be visible in a month or so (it will be largely hidden by the shape of the chest, while the drainage tube scars and a few other small incisions are completely hidden in the armpit). There?s also a 4cm incision in the groin from the life support machine, and mine?s quite swollen at present (but not painful).
Two nurses told me the thoracotomy pain is usually worse in well-built men due to the extra muscle that has to be negotiated to get to the heart. I was treated at one of the major heart surgery hospitals in Australia but I seemed to be the only person on the floor who had a mini-thoracotomy. Another advantage (I think) is that only one lung needs to be collapsed during the operation to access the heart: I certainly didn?t have the same problems others in my room did with getting lung function back (the coughing and hacking required to do this would seem to be a large part of the post-operative pain factor). That said, coughing and sneezing still hurts quite a bit even now!
Hope this helps,
Andy
