broken sternal wires

[luanne]

hi, i have an 11 year old son who has had 3 open heart surgeries. he's also had 2 surgeries to remove broken sternal wires that were causing him pain. now he's getting pain again and he had an x-ray that showed a small piece of wire exactly where he's feeling the stabbing pain.

i just got a call from the surgeon's office and they said they wanted to have nick go through pain management instead of surgery. i think it's ridiculous to try to manage this pain. it's intermittent stabbing pain. if they remove the wire, the pain will be gone. he did well after the last 2 surgeries and i'm confused about this.

i should be getting a call back from the surgeon or his nurse soon. the first call was from his office, someone just relaying the message.

any thoughts? anyone know of a reason not to do the surgery?

 

[Karlynn]

Welcome! We have other members here who's children are the heart patients, so maybe they'll be along to chime in. We also have people here who have had their wires removed due to pain. I'm not exatly sure what pain management involves, but it would seem to me that if they know the source of the pain and that source can be removed that would be preferable to any drug management. I don't know your son's particular circumstances, but it seems practical to question the doctor's suggestion on this.

best wishes

 

[luanne]

hi karlynn,

i am going to ask. nick already on so many meds, i can't imagine giving him another. it also seems silly to medicate for pain when you can stop it. i guess i'll have to wait and see what his point is.

thanks for the welcome!

 

[geebee]

Hello and welcome.
I agree with Karlynn and I think you should question the surgeon very strongly. Pain management is usually for pain that has no clear source which is obviously not the case with your son. Could there be another reason the surgeon does not want to operate? Anyway - obviously some questions to ask. It sounds like a quick surgery to "pluck" out that piece of wire would be the smartest route.
Good luck and smiles,
Gina

 

[bvdr]

If someone gave me the message you were given I would have exactly the same questions you have. Unless there is some overwhelming reason not to then why on earth not remove the known source of pain?

 

[Harpoon]

Ummm... has anyone checked to see if a wire's loose again?

If it is, it's GOTTA be fixed!!! Especially if it's in an 11 year old boy!!!!!!!


Come to think of it, suggesting pain management instead of trying to correct the loose wires sounds like grounds for malpractice... Thought it's probably too early to go that way.

Get another opinion from another surgeon.

I guess it's possible that the suggestion was made to spare your son more time under anesthesia. A lot of that over a short period isn't very good for anyone, more so if they have a heart condition.

The other thought that comes to mind is asking WHY these wires keep coming loose. Is it something your son is doing athletically? The only thing I can think of that he might do to loosen wires on his own might be hard contact football or wrestling and even then I'm not sure wires would just break loose under that kind of contact. The other possibility is there's something wrong either with the surgeon's technique for wiring the sternum back together or possibly a flaw in either the structure of the sternum (that would need medical intervention in and of itself!) or the materials used to bring the sternum back together.


There are a few important questions you should be asking a qualified professional, if not the surgeon who put those wires in there.

 

[luanne]

thanks everyone. the reason the wires have broken is because his last open heart was at 3 1/2. as he grew, the wires broke. many were removed 2 years ago, then in february, a few more were removed that were causing him pain. now there is one in the that's poking him and causing pain when he moves in a certain way or laughs.

i think he is being a little careful because it's partially imbedded in the bone. but the pain isn't going to go away with pain management. it's only going to go away by removing it. i hope he calls back tomorrow so i can discuss it with him.

i appreciate all your input. i was afraid there was something i was missing.

 

[Harpoon]

thanks everyone. the reason the wires have broken is because his last open heart was at 3 1/2. as he grew, the wires broke. many were removed 2 years ago, then in february, a few more were removed that were causing him pain. now there is one in the that's poking him and causing pain when he moves in a certain way or laughs.

i think he is being a little careful because it's partially imbedded in the bone. but the pain isn't going to go away with pain management. it's only going to go away by removing it. i hope he calls back tomorrow so i can discuss it with him.

i appreciate all your input. i was afraid there was something i was missing.

Ok now... You probably should talk to an attorney after finding another surgeon to look into the problem.

I'm serious.

My first open heart surgery was shortly after I was born, about two months after... I've NEVER had that. Whatever my doctors did your son's doctors did NOT and if he's had repeated operations just to fix those sutures (that's the "technical term") by the same surgeon something's DEFINITELY AMISS...


You used to be able to see my old sutures in any chest x-ray that I had, they were clearly visible "x" marks, about five, running the length of my sternum. Now I've got different ones from my last OHS and they're "shinier" The old ones were removed during surgery.

 

[luanne]

well, it looks like we're going to have to wait. the nurse is off today and the surgeon is out of town til next week. i asked if another surgeon could look at the x-rays and call me and she said it wouldn't do any good because they'd have to consult with the other surgeon first.

the nurse will call me back tomorrow and if things don't look good, i'm going to talk to the cardiologist and see if she can recommend someone else.

it's ridiculous to make an 11 year old go through this pain and also have to wait. he's been crawling into bed with us in the middle of the night. i know he's anxious.