Sternum

[Sina-6491]

Hi there my friends.

I have a question fir you. 14 months post opp.

When I turn in bed or if I am on the sofa or floor, especially on my left side. I find my sternum feels like it gets stuck and doesn't want to follow the way my top half wants to go.

It can be quite painful & uncomfortable when this happens. It almost feels like if I had an xray it would show the sternum as being crocked inside the chest wall.

Like when you put a cushion back into a clean cushion cover and you have to pat it against your legs to make sure it falls into the correct place otherwise it looks & feels an odd shape.

Also it feels like the dent that is going all the way down my sternum is deeper the last few months. The wire feels like it is going to puncher something internally.

And it almost feels like they have accidently sewn my skin of the chest wall to my heart too. It is lije a tugging kind of pain. As if when I move slightly wrong, it will rip away from something in the heart area.

My question is, is this normal? 😕

If so, then I will just get on with it, butbin the knowledge that everything is A okay.

If it isn't normal however, I wont feel silly asking my Gp about it & sounding like a hypercondract.

Many thanks in advance, Jo 😊

[skid112 Heart Star]

Hi jo.

No its not normal. I gave similar issues with mine and have protruding wires which I'm seeing a plastic surgeon for the third time in a month or so. I would go to your gp and get a referral

Cheers

Mark

[Sina-6491 in reply to skid112]

Thanks Mark,

I didn't think it was right.

At least I know I wont sound stupid asking her about it now 😊

[skid112 Heart Star in reply to Sina-6491]

It's never stupid to ask, hope it goes well

[Sina-6491 in reply to skid112]

😊

[Prada47]

Hi Sina

Opening the chest is probably one of the biggest operations a person can have, seeing as you have to have a major skeletal structure messed about with. ( and your Heart ) of course.

I am now 30 months post op and I still do get the odd pulling sensation as though it was put back together a little to tight !! I have seen the Wires when I had a Angiogram and they aren't Pretty like say Embroidery, so they may feel a little uncomfortable at times. I think a straight forward Chest X Ray can see if everything is sat back in place. My GP wanted to check my Lungs had inflated properly after the CABG and that was checked on an X Ray.

When i touch my chest I can still feel some discomfort Not Pain and I am aware that it is Skeletal rather than Heart related, but if I did think it was Heart related I would be Off to A & E like a shot.

Regards

Frank W

[Mary_Janet]

Totally agree with your comments Frank. I have seen my xray too and it is quite dramatic with a row of wire bows. I am seven months post surgery and have no pain but I I can feel the knot in the top wire and I am tender on other wires if I press them so I don't ! My scar is fading now and I use a moisturizer one it daily.

[dickielex]

My experience mirrors that of Frank. All of us are more aware of our chests after having undergone such extreme surgery but the occasional twinge outlasts the actual post-operative discomfort and only now, 18 years after my CABG can I say that I am free from the occasional reminder that I underwent some pretty drastic surgery. The important thing is to make sure that your cardiac team know what you are feeling so that you know it's discomfort not dangerous.

[Sina-6491]

Thanks to you all my friends for your comments & advice.

I do feel it is all part of it too, to a point. However like skid112, has said. He has got to see a plastic surgeon as his isn't healing correctly.

So I will just check with my Gp just incase mine also isn't healing correctly.

However, if it is all just normal, then it is nothing I can't handle 😊