Scars on back from childhood surgery - question

[Allisoninoz]

Hi all. I'm in the waiting room for AVR surgery. All ok at the moment. My nocturnal cough resolved after changing from Renitec to Avapro (but I think the latter gives me a rash) so I'm not seeing cardio now until October. In the meantime, I've been reading about people's scars and i'm curious if anybody has scars on their backs from earlier surgery. I have two beauties for a patent ductus and coarctation repair in 72 and 79. The latter goes around to the side and slightly under my left breast which can be quite uncomfortable, all these years later. Over the years I've never noticed ANYBODY at pools/beaches/gyms etc with the same scars as me - but they MUST be out there! Surely I'm not the ONLY one! I'm really interested if you're out there...
I posted this on post-surgery forum as well, but thought some here might be interested to answer ...

 

[Maryka]

I have no back or side scars so far. (Never say never!) I found a US website called "swimsuitsforall.com" or something like that where I ordered a suit last year to hide my very long front scar. This year (1.5 years postop) the upper part of my scar is very light, so I am starting to let it "hang out". But, I can really relate to the pain of old scars, especially those at the bra-line or ones that are rubbed by clothing! I think others on this site have talked about ways to take scars away. Most people have some success with cortisone treatments. Someone gave me a tube of (a "homeopathic" ointment) AquaFlora, after my OHS, and said it could "help scars" beyond the use on the label. I tried it on a big old scar on my arm, and it actually did slowly take away the scar. I am using it on some keloids from my OHS (long story--home nurse did not remove the stitches as she was supposed to so I got three keloids from delayed stitch removal). I do not remember to use it all the time, but when I remember I see it is slowly flattening and lightening my 3 keloids. That is good, because these scars are at the bra-line and hurt in our very hot summer here in Washington, DC.

 

[Gnusgal]

My scar from my bt shunt surgery (when I was 5) goes under my left arm and around to my back, then there's a drainage tube scar just under it (looks like a dimple). It's very faded and mostly no one notices it. I forget it is even there for the most part. Sorry yours is still uncomfortable.

 

[Lynlw]

Like Niki, Justin has it, from his BT shunt also.He had his at 10 days and he's now 22 and it is still HUGE. He had problems with his internal stitches not disolving so they had to lance the whole length of it to let the pus out, then we had to pack it with wet to dry dressings, pour salt water in it and stuff it with gauze then every 12 hours rip the guaze out (that really hurt, he screamed) and start over. Since we lived 10 min from the hospital and we had just finnally gotten home when he was 5 weeks old, we had the option of him being readmitted or taking him home and doing it ourselves (I had fired the home health nurse because the day before I said I didn't like how his incision looked, she told me I was just a nervous first time Mom)

 

[barb]

I have a 2 inch long scar on my arm from a cardiac cath done in 1973 and of course nowadays those are done with a catheter in the groin leaving no scar. My son also had a patent ductus repair 4 years ago that was repaired through a catheter through the groin just like a cardiac cath leaving no scar. I had hip surgery as a child as well as again just a few years ago and the difference in scar from my first surgery in the 70's compared to my recent surgery is astounding. Surgeons have come a long way in their ability to limit the amount of cutting they need to do in certain cases. I know my early hip surgery scar is still quite numb and sensitive and uncomfortable if I bump it. Sorry it's uncomfortable for you too.

 

[Karen]

I had coarctation surgery in 1967 and have a scar like you describe. There is still a kind of "numbness" about it that can be especially uncomfortable at times - kind of a prickly sensation. After some 43 years, I don't expect that to change...
Another consequence that has manifest itself for me in only the past 7 years or so is costochondritis. I've had 3 physicians and 2 physical therapists tell me that there is very likely a correlation between that surgery and the chest pains I have had in my 50's.
On the other hand, these surgeries were very new back then, and our prognoses are much better because of them. I'm glad I get to deal with these "irritants." I was told when I had my surgery that not many years earlier most patients with coarctations lived only to their mid-30's...

 

[Lily]

Thanks for posting that info, Karen.

Allison, I have a 12 inch long coarctation repair scar. I don't have any pain from it, haven't really since it healed originally, nearly 31 years ago.

It is like Karen's, numb in places, but sometimes it still just itches like crazy. But the itch is across my back, on that end, not the end under my arm. Right now even, itch, itch, itch!

And, it's puckered like a quilt and the muscles across my shoulder blade and back never grew back smoothly -- of course they couldn't with a deep cut through the muscles like that.

Coarctations apparently aren't very common. And they're especially not very common in women.

I once read, in an older cardio book, that the average life expectancy for a person with an unrepaired coarctation was 15.

Meanwhile, with the AVR, if you have the conventional entry through the sternum, you will end up with two or three or even four drain holes, not just the one large one (like I have too) from the coarctation repair.

Best wishes. You're not alone. Without measuring drain holes or cath entry incisions and holes, I so far have 20 inches of heart surgery scars. A "plus" with bicuspid people, however, is that we usually have clean arteries. So, we're not as likely to end up with a huge artery removal scar down one of our legs for a bypass. Happy thought

 

[Allisoninoz]

Very interesting. So you are out there! It's interesting you say they're unusual because I've had plenty of doctors over the years express curiousity when they see them.
And when I say the scars are uncomfortable, I suppose I do mean 'numb' and 'odd feeling'. But doesn't stop me LOVING back rubs. And yes, mine are DEFINITELY itchy, but not itchy under my arm either, but in the middle of my back where my two scars almost meet. And yes, the scars are puckered. I don't hate them these days. I used to when I was a teenager and in my 20s. But now I'm 42 and proud of them. I just don't like the numbness. It was uncomfortable nursing my daughter from my left breast as there is altered sensation there as well - of course, that was her preferred side ... : )
My least favourite is the drainage hole. A real B**** of a nurse wrenched it out when I was 11. I can still feel the pain today.
That's great they do them through the groin these days.
Thanks for your responses ... keep them coming ...

 

[StephR]

Hi. I have a scar on my back from a coarc repair in '84. It was originally supposed to run across my side but my surgeon ended up slicing me just under along my shoulder blade and it healed perfectly and can hardly be seen. I have only met one other person who has this same scar -- now two! I was 12 when I had that surgery and the worst part was that darn drainage tube! OUCH!

 

[fischje]

I had a coarc in 1976 and I have the same type of scar ..

 

[arlene]

I'm new to this site....like five minutes ago, new. I'm 32 yo without kids and have a AC Scar on my left side going from my shoulder to the beginning of my breast. And on the other side a zig zag scar about 6"+ in length. which is super sensitive (I tell my husband to not even look at it as it is that sensitive). My AC scar isn't so bad but the "zz" one drives me crazy. I've purchased cami's and the Bra-lleluiah from Spanx and normally that works fairly well. But today I had to take my bra off at work and nothing soothes it. Any suggestions on what I can wear to help with this?

My second question is what the heck is the "zz?" and when you were all born were you premature?

Third, when you gain or lose weight does your scar start bothering you all?

Has anyone had healthy pregnancies/children?

Does anyone have any health issues that may be linked to this? Personally, I've been fairly healthy until the past few years. I've been having chronic stomach pain, along with constant fatigue that just won't go away.

Ooo! I almost forgot! Do you think I should see a cardiologist as some point? I don't remember ever going to one, just plastic surgeons.
Thank You Kindly, Arlene

 

[haines75]

Hi Arline I am also very new to this site and I also have one of these scars from my coarc repair in 77 mine starts at my shoulder and goes around to the beginning of my breast. I fortunately haven't had any problems with that scar but the one from my drainage tube itches from time to time. I don't know what the zz scar is from sorry. I also was a full term baby and was diagnosed with coarc of the aorta and a bicuspid aortic valve. I had to have my valve repaired once and in 99 it was replaced with a homograph after I had endocarditis. I have had two healthy girls I am now going next month to have a mechanical valve put in do to my homograph failing which is normal after 15 years. Coarc is a congenital heart defect it happens more often in boys than girls.

As for if you should be seen by a cardiologist i would say yes i am surprised you where never told by any doctor to see one considering your history and fatigue

Hope this helps Kelly

 

[clay_from_nj]

It's amazing how advancements in heart surgery come along. I saw Allison's mention of patent ductus and was reminded of my daughter's pda repair, at CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) in the early 2000's, using a catheter. I had OHS in the 70's for my ASD and have been recently told by surgeons that now they do those by catheter as well. Now of course, we're all talking about TAVI. Before you know it, old-fashioned rib-cracking OHS will be a thing of the past.