Anyone wearing a thoracic jacket post surgery?

[Sammycat]

I was made to wear this torturous contraption immediately after surgery and told not to take it off (apart from showers etc) for 6 weeks.

It was obviously designed to be worn by skinny flat-chested male and not an overweight amply-endowed female and I find it hell to wear. Not only does it squeeze and flatten your boobs and distort everything unrecognisably but it squeezes and compresses the scar - which I am sure is the purpose- but it is absolute agony and has me in tears with the pain.

I am told by surgeon and nursing staff I have to keep it on so just wondered if anyone has any tips??

[Alison1960]

Hi - no, I was told to buy a special post surgery bra but to be honest I swapped it for a front fastening M&S bra with eyelets which is better and more supportive - have to sleep in it as well. I find it very comfortable and supportive and like you am pretty well endowed! How are you getting on apart from the jacket?

It’s 3 weeks today since my op and have felt SO much better the last 2 or 3 days.

Alison x

[Sammycat in reply to Alison1960]

Hello Alison- I am so happy to hear that you are feeling much better.i can’t wait till I reach that point and hope I’m only a few days behind you.

I have been told to wear my bra 24 hours a day under the jacket- no mention of any special ones for me.

Generally I’m a bit low. Still in huge amounts of pain and really struggle to take anything stronger than paracetamol which doesn’t help with the jacket situation. Seeing gp tomorrow so hopefully will get some of my issues sorted. I would be much happier wearing the jacket if I could control the pain.

I’m sure it will get better.

Long may you continue to improve xxx

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Sammycat]

I have claims of people taking no pain killers after 4 - 5 days but am sceptical. Both my friends and I suffered considerable pain in the weeks following surgery. I still needed one tramadol before bed on week 4 so I could get to sleep. The younger cat seemed to sense it tended to snuggle up. I found paracetamol as useful as blue smarties and am intolerant of ibrufen and the painkillers spelt co****ol'!

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Sorry, although myself and two friends (one male, one female) have had OHS none of us were issued with this. My friend's wife did wear a supportive bra 24x7 for many weeks. She also slept in a chair because of breastbone discomfort.

Can we assume your surgery went well? Did you go for the mechanical or tissue valve, and did they do a bypass in the end?

[Sammycat in reply to MichaelJH]

Hello Michael- thank you for your reply. Yes the surgery went well thank you. I had the tissue valve in the end- the new one which hopefully may last longer. And yes I had the bypass too.

I think the jacket is a fairly new thing - and seems to be very much in favour by the cardiac surgeons at the hospital I used. I do see the logic of it especially for those of us with larger chests (male & female) but question as to whether it should be used carte Blanche.

[Emily_BHF]

Hi Sammycat,

I am sorry to hear that you have had this experience. I would strongly advice for you to go back to the surgical nursing team to assess this to make sure it is fitted properly and check on your wound healing. It would also be advisable to clarify if this is offering the right level of sternal support for you.

Thanks,

Emily

[Sammycat in reply to Emily_BHF]

Thank you Emily. I will discuss with my gp tomorrow and then call the hospital.

[Fredders]

Hi Sammycat

I have had two lots of heart surgery and didn’t have one of those jackets either time. I am quite well endowed too and I just got some M&S bras, non-wired and with wide shoulder straps and they were fine. Definitely speak to your gp cos it won’t be helping your recovery if you are constantly in that much pain.

I can’t take ibuprofen and take paracetamol and codeine for a back problem, but after my second AVR I had to have a pacemaker fitted and after that surgery my shoulders and back were agony and even adding morphine to my usual pain relief didn’t touch it. I was having to take painkillers for several weeks in the morning and at bedtime especially. Don’t forget we all have different pain thresholds so some people can come off the painkillers in days and others can take weeks.

Hope you get things sorted and can get your recovery back on track.

Wendy