Pain and Sore

[Babydoll]

Hi ALL,
I have a question about sterum pain. When does it go away? :mad: My right side still hurts everyday and I am 4wks post-op. Am I crazy to think the pain and it being so sore should be gone. I do tend to give in to this arm because it does hurt even with simple things like opening a med. bottle. Other than that am doing great. Am taking 7wks to recover before going back to work which my Dr. is not to happy about that but am going to start enjoying my time off. Thanks for all tha help you give me.
Stacey

[Ross]

Your going to hurt for about 12 to 18 weeks. At least that's how long I felt it. Your still fresh out of surgery and I think yuns expecting too much. ;)

[ALCapshaw2]

Are you sure it is sternum (bone) pain and not MUSCLE pain?

For muscle pain, MASSAGE and STRETCHES do wonders.

If your insurance will cover it, look into Cardiac Rehab. That will help you regain your mobility and endurance in addition to 'loosening up' those over stretched muscles. You will need an Rx from one of your doctors to get in.

'AL'

[bvdr]

It takes time, Stacey. I had a bit of increased right sided chest pain a few weeks post-op and it turned out to be a pleural effusion. Even though my surgery was not through my sternum, my sternum and entire chest wall was tender to the touch. Enjoy your time off of work....you are not dogging it. You NEED adequate time to do the required healing.

[hensylee]

Stacey, you have had MAJOR SURGERY. The pain isn't going to subside just yet. Your body has been knocked around, sewed and sawed into. The degree of pain is what you might need to pay attention to. It should not be as severe as in the early days/weeks after surgery. It lessens with time. You will keep an eye (feeling) for it and if it is severe, you might want to get some reassurance from your doctor. My doctor told me that if I had ANY questions, to call his office. You can do the same - that's what they are there for. Blessins

[catwoman]

Stacey:

I could not open a child-proof Rx bottle for at least 6-8 weeks post-op. My sister, an RN, showed me a way to do it, when you turn the bottle upside down on a table, but I still didn't have enough muscle strength to accomplish it. I got regular snap-off lids instead.

[tobagotwo]

Stacey,

It is still early for you. I can remember a full-fledged rib clamp attack about seven weeks out that came from nowhere, and which wouldn't let me even take a full breath for about an hour. It dissipated over the afternoon and never came back, but it sure let me know who was boss.

The areas in between the ribs include small muscles (intercostals) and a ton of nerve endings (consider that the ribs are where we go to tickle people). The structure itself is intended to be flexible and stretchable as well as protective. It is very easy for "crowbarred" or otherwise disturbed ribs to take umbrage at the physical insult and complain loudly. All those nerve endings are there to cause us to move our vulnerable chests away from anything that seeks to touch them unexpectedly.

In extreme cases, rib pain can continue for years, and is termed costochondritis (see soon-to-be-replaced picture of Bryan over that word in Webster's :D ).

The best thing I know of to get past the sternum and rib pain is gentle movement and stretching of the area. Of course, it won't feel good when you start doing it. Over time, though, the area gets more flexible and the sudden pains slow down for most people.

Best wishes,

[Bryan B]

In extreme cases, rib pain can continue for years, and is termed costochondritis (see soon-to-be-replaced picture of Bryan over that word in Webster's ).

Costochondritis:

See:

http://www.hyperdictionary.com/medical/costochondritis

Also See:

http://valvereplacement.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1723

:D

[Kyla]

Hi Stacey, Kyla says that she is still sore sometimes when she coughs or exercises. Of course that doesnt stop her from attempting the monkey bars at least once a week...just to see if it still hurts. ArRrrr!! Take it easy and give your body time to heal up right. She did say that swimming has helped loosen up her muscles, so when you get the go ahead for that...consider it. Hope you keep getting better :)

[danielgilboa]

I experienced all kinds of pains for at least 3 months. They might be coming from various sources including previous injuries if you had any.

I treated myself to Shiatzu which was great in general and helped in relieving pain. I begun 5-6 weeks post. It is a japanese contact massage. I think walking also helped me (walking helps just about everything).

Don't worry about the pain too much, it is OK, just try to get rid of it because it affects the way you stand and move. At one point I decided to take pain killers every time I felt pain so it would affect my life less.

[Debrinha GT]

Hi there Stacey! It's nice to see that apart from the pain you're feeling fine. I don't really remember how long it took for me to feel ok about that after my first 2 surgeries, but what I can tell you for sure is that it took practically 6 months before I felt 100% ok last time. I didn't have any really bad pains as such, but there was a lot of discomfort. If it gets too unbereable to the point that it gets in the way even of the simplest tasks, talk to your doctor about it. Good luck and take care.

Débora

[HarryG]

I can't tell you much more than this, but post-op 3 months, 2 weeks and a day, I am still having a pretty good amount of what I call muscle pain left and right sides of my sternum say at the upper level of my chest, massage and the hot tub helps, most of all the massage.

I like yourself am wondering when I can excpect this to end or at least suside.

If you find the answers let me know, but in the meantime take care of yourself..........!