harleygirl528
Well-known member
I haven't posted in a while because it seems I have been dealing with a multitude of post-operative issues, not the least of which is some ?depression? over not feeling better by now!
I have been experiencing what I would call an inordinate amount of sternum pain, back, neck and shoulder pain, especially considering I am 9 weeks post op today! I really did expect to feel so much better by now (my magic number was week 8 as I have read on here that many felt almost normal at this point).I had a really positive experience in the hospital, my surgery went without a hitch, I had no memory of the ventilator and overall no issues in the hospital. Even felt surprisingly well the first week post-op. After the first couple weeks, however, I did have some issues, most of which were minor but bothersome nonetheless.
I am thankful for a very successful outcome, a repaired valve that is functioning almost perfectly and no more aneurysm to worry about....however, I have sternum pain that is at times almost enough to take me to my knees. I have probably been overdoing it with some yardwork, planting flowers, weeding, etc. but at times I wonder if I have actually damaged something. I am not kidding when I say the pain in the sternum area is by far the worst it has ever been and I am 9 weeks out! I am still having a lot of trouble sleeping and I wake up with these painful spasms in the sternum area and it still feels like I have a broken rib on the left side. I am able to sleep on my side a little now and I don?t have to elevate my upper body so much but I probably wake up 4-5 times a night.
I also have this little wire poking up near the bottom of my incision and you can feel it through my skin. In fact, you can actually see the wire and I think it is very close to puncturing the skin. Cardiologist didn't have much to say about it.....unfortunately, I think if it persists I will have to see a local surgeon for evaluation. I am wondering if it could be a stitch that didn't dissolve (since I had that problem at the top of my incision) or could it be a sternal wire? I thought only bone thin people had the problem with sternal wires poking out (and God knows I am not even close to bone thin!).
That brings up another of my "issues"....I thought all of us post-op OHS patients LOST weight.....why didn't that happen for me? Oh sure, I lost the proverbial 5 pounds or so the first couple weeks when everything tasted like cardboard but that didn't last nearly long enough. My appetite and taste for food returned with a vengeance and now I am struggling to lose the weight I gained before surgery....since I knew about the aneurysm and was scared to do anything I was quite sedentary during the 3 months from discovery of aneurysm and surgery. On a positive note, I did join weight watchers last week so hopefully that will help!
Anyway, I am young and I thought fairly healthy so just feeling bad about the fact that I am not feeling more ?normal? by now?guess I need to keep it in perspective though. I am driving, exercising regularly, doing light housework, yardwork, and preparing all meals again soooo?.with that said, guess I am more back to normal than I thought. Just wish the pain would go away?..any suggestions or is this just normal?
I have been experiencing what I would call an inordinate amount of sternum pain, back, neck and shoulder pain, especially considering I am 9 weeks post op today! I really did expect to feel so much better by now (my magic number was week 8 as I have read on here that many felt almost normal at this point).I had a really positive experience in the hospital, my surgery went without a hitch, I had no memory of the ventilator and overall no issues in the hospital. Even felt surprisingly well the first week post-op. After the first couple weeks, however, I did have some issues, most of which were minor but bothersome nonetheless.
I am thankful for a very successful outcome, a repaired valve that is functioning almost perfectly and no more aneurysm to worry about....however, I have sternum pain that is at times almost enough to take me to my knees. I have probably been overdoing it with some yardwork, planting flowers, weeding, etc. but at times I wonder if I have actually damaged something. I am not kidding when I say the pain in the sternum area is by far the worst it has ever been and I am 9 weeks out! I am still having a lot of trouble sleeping and I wake up with these painful spasms in the sternum area and it still feels like I have a broken rib on the left side. I am able to sleep on my side a little now and I don?t have to elevate my upper body so much but I probably wake up 4-5 times a night.
I also have this little wire poking up near the bottom of my incision and you can feel it through my skin. In fact, you can actually see the wire and I think it is very close to puncturing the skin. Cardiologist didn't have much to say about it.....unfortunately, I think if it persists I will have to see a local surgeon for evaluation. I am wondering if it could be a stitch that didn't dissolve (since I had that problem at the top of my incision) or could it be a sternal wire? I thought only bone thin people had the problem with sternal wires poking out (and God knows I am not even close to bone thin!).
That brings up another of my "issues"....I thought all of us post-op OHS patients LOST weight.....why didn't that happen for me? Oh sure, I lost the proverbial 5 pounds or so the first couple weeks when everything tasted like cardboard but that didn't last nearly long enough. My appetite and taste for food returned with a vengeance and now I am struggling to lose the weight I gained before surgery....since I knew about the aneurysm and was scared to do anything I was quite sedentary during the 3 months from discovery of aneurysm and surgery. On a positive note, I did join weight watchers last week so hopefully that will help!
Anyway, I am young and I thought fairly healthy so just feeling bad about the fact that I am not feeling more ?normal? by now?guess I need to keep it in perspective though. I am driving, exercising regularly, doing light housework, yardwork, and preparing all meals again soooo?.with that said, guess I am more back to normal than I thought. Just wish the pain would go away?..any suggestions or is this just normal?