Nerve damage from ohs?

[Bruce67]

I have seen one of the Surgical team today about ongoing " muscular chest pains" which started about 7 weeks after surgery and now in week 6....been told probably nerve damage and can take 6 months to heal.Anyone else had nerve damage post op, able to let me know their experiences, good or bad?

[Rhinos67]

Hi, I think maybe that some degree of nerve damage is inevitable due to the fact that your sternum has being cut open. I had some pain, but it was manageable and I was told that it was the nerves healing.

Joanne

😊

[BeKind28-]

Hello

Imagine they cut us open and all those nerves get upset and disturbed

I had some discomfort and quite bad at times and it lasted a good year but my Surgeon as well as Doctor told me it was normal

It did settle down but even after over 2 years some days I can still feel a bit nothing to bother me as such but I am now able to ignore it

This is early days for you and give it time and it should settle down x

[MikeThePike in reply to BeKind28-]

So are you saying it never really healed?

[BeKind28- in reply to MikeThePike]

Hello

I am not sure if you would call it that it has not healed because I am sure it has but I can still get some sensitivity in the area but not enough that it bothers me any more but some of us are maybe more sensitive than others and maybe I am just one that is x

[080311]

afternoon Bruce67,

I had my surgery back in 2016, aortic valve replaced and bypass. The artery graft was taken from my mammary artery, I was getting pain from the left side of my breast like someone was ripping off an Elastoplast plaster. When I saw my surgeon asked the question about this pain. Was told when they harvest the artery they rip it out ( best way of doing it!) so after surgery the nerve endings are trying to join back up and the pain is when they get it a bit wrong! He said it would take up to 18 months for them to sort themselves out, and he was right on the money.

Take good care. Welcome to the mended heart club.

Pauline

[davebal67 in reply to 080311]

Great reply, My chest is still sore on the left hand side. My scars are also sore. The dual platelet therapy also doesn't promote good healing. Can't wait to come off the clopidigrol.

[Prada47]

I still have nerve damage related discomfort in my chest from OHS and that has been 9 years since surgery !! The nerve damage from the vein removal in my leg still gives me problems mostly at the end near my ankle. A couple of weeks ago the HF Nurse squeezed my ankle and I told her that hurt she just said nerve damage from the op.

ps She was checking my ankle for water retention not giving me a squeeze

When I shower the whole of my left leg goes red again just told it's from the vein removal so I just get on with it, assuming nothing can be done about it.

Regards

[Survivor1952]

I’m at 10 months, I still get occasional twinges on the right side of my chest, GP and local cardiac unit consider it normal and nothing to be concerned about.

[Denistennis]

👋 Hi Bruce, you don't say just how bad your symptoms are? They must be pretty awful for you to be going back to see a member of your surgical team. I can well understand your concern 😟 as having to deal with the aftermath of open heart surgery plus the effects of the medications 💊 having one more problem weeks after surgery can just be too much!However, in my case 18mths post op the feeling has returned to the left-hand side of my chest. I can't remember just how long after surgery this occurred but it took at least a year and I never thought it would happen.

If my experience is anything to go by its just a matter of time but it's never going to be perfect we all get the odd twinge.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery,

Denis

[DWizza]

Hi Bruce , like most others have posted , yes to nerve damage. Inevitable really after such a procedure. My surgeon said he knew I did weight training as there was a lot of strong sternum and chest muscle for him to cut through , he added that it would take that bit longer for the nerves to calm down , about. 8 months post quadruple CABG and my chest area can still give a bit of grief after challenging yoga classes . My left leg where they harvested is the most tender , firm by the ankle and my left arm near the base is still tender and tight. I’m sure by 18 months it’ll have gone. The most painful ailment I have at the moment is my left shoulder , it really hurts and I’ve had aphydio check it and diagnosed as internal rotation deficit. Probably caused an injury from where it was pinned back during surgery. Something else for me to work on 🤦🏼..

[Max1019]

4 years post CABG I still have had pain which has been put down to nerve damage, have recently been prescribed Pregabalin, which has helped a bit, at least we’re still here 😍

[Traveldreams]

9 weeks post ohs and surgeon advised 12 months before nerve and muscular pain settles.

[CyclingTime]

I didn't have it in my chest. But I have nerve damage in my wrist/thumb pad from where they took a vein in my arm.Over two years now, and that area gives me a small amount of pain very occasionally but the main issue is it's quite numb there with little feeling. Consultant said there is nothing they would do about it, so I am stuck with it.

Could be worse though and other than that I am super fit and healthy now so a happy chappy

[july2020]

Nearly 4 years after my triple bypass and still get occasion pains and pins and needles, both in left side of my chest and the ankle where the vein was harvested.

Nothing like the initial pain and something i've learnt to live with.

[Nelson71]

the good news, the nerves had “gone to sleep” as explained by my cardiac rehab nurse so virtually zero pain during the first couple of months. In hospital I was asked if I needed pain relief and apart from my chest felt numb everything was fine. After week 9 these nerves were “waking up” After my first rehab session my chest and under arms were very sore and tender to the touch. At almost 4 months my chest is still tender to the touch but definitely muscle and nerve pain. The Doc told me if you can touch the area and it hurts then it’s nothing wrong with your heart. It is unnerving as any new pain in that region scares the bejesus out of you. Regular paracetamol controls any aches but I was told it could last up to a year. It’s very bearable and a low rating on a scale of 1-10, maybe a two.

[Bruce67 in reply to Nelson71]

Your reply is interesting and that does sound much like my pain, so maybe my nerves woke up again, initiating the pains. I can certainly touch the are and it hurts, so some relief by what you were told.

I would put my pains at a 2 mostly, but it does peak higher at a 5 sometimes...so maybe those are different pains? 🤔

[Billett]

Mine is terrible just on the left side of my chest when i wear a shirt its like having barbed wire down there at one time i couldnt have bed clothes on it its where they take the artery out of your chest to use as a by pass