Sternum Wires

[almost_hectic]

Is it possible for sternum wires to move or shift position? I'm almost six months out from Ministernotomy for AVR and mostly I feel great. Every once in a while though I get pain on the right side of my chest just to the side of my sternum. It's like moving a certain way or something will trigger it once in a while. Or if I found I slep on my side overnight. The pain usually goes away after a couple of days, but until it does I'm very stiff and almost afraid to move for fear of sharp pain. Is this from wires, or just like a cartilage injury, referred nerve pain, I can't figure it out? Over time do the sternum wires get fused to the bone and like grown over, or are they always there right under soft tissue? Can anyone educate me on this?

 

[epstns]

I'm not a medical professional, so I can only speak from my own experience. As I understand it, by about 8-12 weeks, the bone is pretty much healed. The wires may become buried, but they may also remain close to the surface. I am almost 5 years out from surgery, but I can still feel some of my wires under the skin, if I press and shift the skin around.

It is possible the pain you are feeling could be the tip or end of one of your wires, which may poking the soft tissue around it. I doubt that it has anything to do with bone shifting or moving. That said, though, I would want to have it checked out, preferably by the surgeon, as he is more likely to understand the implications of loose wire ends, irritation, etc. I would not want to have you develop an infection around that wire due to the irritation. That could be nasty.

If this pain is frequent, I would ask the surgeon to at least take an X-ray to see where your wires are. If any are suspect, then can probably be trimmed or removed now that the bone is healed. We have other members here who have had wires removed, so maybe one of them will stop by.

 

[almost_hectic]

ist very confusing, part of me wants to believe its nerve related... nothing wrong with my chest but rather referred pain from a trapped nerve because of the way it comes and goes and is not pin pointed every time. Or am I just doing too much too soon and I need to baby myself for a while yet?..

 

[pellicle]

Hi

ist very confusing, part of me wants to believe its nerve related... nothing wrong with my chest but rather referred pain from a trapped nerve because of the way it comes and goes and is not pin pointed every time. Or am I just doing too much too soon and I need to baby myself for a while yet?..

well I don't think "babying yourself" is needed at 6 months, but other factors like your previous health and strength are important (and I don't know them). I'd say "listen to your body" and at the same time "push boundaries gently" so that you don't go downhill.

The sternum is a flexible bone no doubt about it. The wires are normally pushed down point into the sternum and of course are smooth where they wrap around your bones. I would doubt the "trapped nerve" but its possible that they are in a place where the cartilage is healing slowly. I know as we age that so called "soft tissue" injury (like cartilage and ligament, but not bone) takes longer to heal I injured my elbow ligament at work and it took nearly a year (and physio and my own exersize and strengthening regime) to bring it back to "normal". (I was doing supermarket night fill for a while when I came back to Australia from Finland in 2014)

I recall getting some irritation in mine on the 2nd operation (lets not consider the third because we know there was infection then) and I did end up getting the wires out after about 2 years.

So maybe just keep an eye on it and write it down for reference to your memory is not flawed ... mention it to your Dr too. That way you have a baseline when discussions occur with medical folks

 

[almost_hectic]

Hi



well I don't think "babying yourself" is needed at 6 months, but other factors like your previous health and strength are important (and I don't know them). I'd say "listen to your body" and at the same time "push boundaries gently" so that you don't go downhill.

The sternum is a flexible bone no doubt about it. The wires are normally pushed down point into the sternum and of course are smooth where they wrap around your bones. I would doubt the "trapped nerve" but its possible that they are in a place where the cartilage is healing slowly. I know as we age that so called "soft tissue" injury (like cartilage and ligament, but not bone) takes longer to heal I injured my elbow ligament at work and it took nearly a year (and physio and my own exersize and strengthening regime) to bring it back to "normal". (I was doing supermarket night fill for a while when I came back to Australia from Finland in 2014)

I recall getting some irritation in mine on the 2nd operation (lets not consider the third because we know there was infection then) and I did end up getting the wires out after about 2 years.

So maybe just keep an eye on it and write it down for reference to your memory is not flawed ... mention it to your Dr too. That way you have a baseline when discussions occur with medical folks

Prior to surgery all was normal, healthy and strong. I had a great deal of pain localized to one side of my sternum for several weeks after surgery. It very slowly went away, but any time I did something too physical the pain would return, then Id take it easy again and in a couple days the pain would be gone. For days even weeks, until I did something too physical again then the process would repeat. Ive been doing great for the past couple of months, but hadnt had much physical activity, at least not strenuous. Not sure what I may have done over the weekend, but its back and fading slowly but surely.

When I say a trapped nerve, I dont mean trapped by the sternal wires, I mean a thoracic spine pathway possibly thats interpreting pain signals from places there is not pain. I have osteoarthritis and lots of cracks and pops on a regular basis. Ive experienced that in the past but it wasnt as sharp of a pain, but the comes and goes behavior was the same and its ability to not always be exactly in the same spot is the same. Ive also read about costosternal joint pain, which are the connections of the cartilage from rib to the sternum that can become injured and inflamed, which may also make sense if Im being too physical before the area is fully healed, I mean when the sternum is forced open those areas of cartilage must be greatly disrupted by being forced aside.

If by chance it were a wire poking, I would think it would be directly over the sternum, where the ends of the wires are tied together, not inches to one side... right? If it persists much longer I'll check with my GP if he thinks I should make a follow up with the surgeon.

 

[pellicle]

Hi

...Ive also read about costosternal joint pain, which are the connections of the cartilage from rib to the sternum that can become injured and inflamed, which may also make sense if Im being too physical before the area is fully healed, I mean when the sternum is forced open those areas of cartilage must be greatly disrupted by being forced aside.

yeah, that's the sort of thing I'm thinking of ...

If by chance it were a wire poking, I would think it would be directly over the sternum, where the ends of the wires are tied together, not inches to one side... right?

yep, that's my thoughts

If it persists much longer I'll check with my GP if he thinks I should make a follow up with the surgeon.

yep ... that's what I was thinking

Best Wishes

 

[Paleowoman]

The other thing that can cause pain in that area is a touch of costochondritis. That occurs where a rib joins to the sternum and will be a very localised spot. I get that from time to time, especially when I've done weight lifting.It can hurt even to breathe at that spot where one of my ribs joins the sternum on the right. My cardiologist was able to diagnose it by pressing on the area and finding the spot where the pain was most. I don't get it so bad I need any treatment for it though.

 

[almost_hectic]

The other thing that can cause pain in that area is a touch of costochondritis. That occurs where a rib joins to the sternum and will be a very localised spot. I get that from time to time, especially when I've done weight lifting.It can hurt even to breathe at that spot where one of my ribs joins the sternum on the right. My cardiologist was able to diagnose it by pressing on the area and finding the spot where the pain was most. I don't get it so bad I need any treatment for it though.

I've not yet heard of that, does it just go away on its own? Anything you can do for it: ice, heat, therapy of some sort?

 

[Paleowoman]

Here's a link from the Cleveland Clinic about costochondritis following heart surgery with some tips on what you can do, I see it does suggest heat and ice: http://health.clevelandclinic.org/20...stochondritis/

My cardiologist offered to refer me to someone who could give a steroid injection but I didn't feel it was bad enough for that, but I shall get him to put it in my notes as I think I've probably had it on and off since heart surgery two years ago. At the moment I am getting it whenever I inhale - did heavy weight lifting yesterday - it's definitly not muscular, it's just on the sternum where one of my ribs joins.

 

[Amy]

Hey, @almost_hectic -

what ended up happening with your sternum wires? Did you have them pulled? Did the pain go away on its own? I tried looking through some of your old posts but couldn’t find anything about it.

 

[almost_hectic]

Still wired shut

 

[almost_hectic]

Hey, @almost_hectic -

what ended up happening with your sternum wires? Did you have them pulled? Did the pain go away on its own? I tried looking through some of your old posts but couldn’t find anything about it.

No, I still have them. No more issues though. What I decided to do was strengthen my chest. Began slowly doing push-ups against a counter top so it wasn’t my full weight. Gradually built up from there. Told my cardiologist what I did he said that’s definitely not what he would have advised. But I found getting stronger made my sternum more stable and reduced my pain. That was my theory anyway. Now days I’m good. Once in a while if I’m stiff I feel limited movement and eventually I get a joint cracking sound from my chest and I’m free to move around fully again. No pain though. I WOULD NOT SUGGEST THIS FOR ANYONE LESS THAN 8 WEEKS FROM SURGERY! If your sternum hasn’t fully fused/healed this would be a very bad idea. I was well beyond the 8 week window and x-ray confirmed bone had healed before I took matters into my own hands.