Let's talk about PAIN

[khawkk]

I know I'm probably duplicating many threads so please forgive me.
I've read your answers about stamina without finding mention of pain.

My heart is fine (I think). I have an appt with my new cardiologist
in 2 weeks and I've been holding off to ask him but why wait when I have all of
you to ask, my new found friends.

*After exactly 3 months and a day:
It still hurts when I cough or sneeze and sometimes a little grinding at the
bottom of my stitches...or is that my imagination.

Anyway, I was thinking the pain should be gone after 3 months.

Is this another " Be patient, we all have different time lines!" ?

 

[marie]

I can only relate my own experience but I am almost 5 months post op and it still hurts when I cough and I can certainly feel the sneeze. Again we're all different.
Earline

 

[OldManEmu]

Pain

Pain

I can't say I found anything particularly painful post surgery, uncomfortable yes, painful no. Coughing was fine after 3 months; it took about 6 months until I wasn't conscious of sneezing.

 

[Cooker]

I know I'm probably duplicating many threads so please forgive me.
I've read your answers about stamina without finding mention of pain.

My heart is fine (I think). I have an appt with my new cardiologist
in 2 weeks and I've been holding off to ask him but why wait when I have all of
you to ask, my new found friends.

*After exactly 3 months and a day:
It still hurts when I cough or sneeze and sometimes a little grinding at the
bottom of my stitches...or is that my imagination.

Anyway, I was thinking the pain should be gone after 3 months.

Is this another " Be patient, we all have different time lines!" ?

Yes....that is exactly what it is.....it really take time?about a year to be back to your old self?..

 

[Freddie]

Yep, 6 months to a year.
That grinding you hear I'm sure its just the bones trying to jell together again. I heard the same thing
Everyone is different in the healing, relax and give yourself more time.

But in the meantime, you can always see if you can hold magnets to your chest......that is if you were wired.

 

[tobagotwo]

The magnets only work if you get the cheap wires that rust later.

I would suggest you do more gentle stretching and upper body exercises. The ribs contain hundreds of tiny muscles (intercostals) and ligaments. It's not just the bones that need to line up when you're done. While you have to be careful about wieght and sudden stresses with the ribcage, it's not good to restrict movement too much or to protect it too much when it's mostly healed (other than from wieght and sudden stresses).

While the healing does take time, this is one of those move-it-or-lose-it propositions. I suppose you could seek a physical therapist, but there's no secret to it.

Best wishes,

 

[Bina]

BobH, don't you go scaring Freddie....her wires won't be rusting.....silly.
Around 3 months post op I can still remember screaming after a sneeze, and being surprised that I didn't break!

 

[Susan BAV]

...Around 3 months post op I can still remember screaming after a sneeze, and being surprised that I didn't break!

My first sneeze was something like that too, and also a few months after surgery.
!!! WOW, the quick but intense shock of pain!

 

[DeWayne]

Jack if the pain is such that it is bothering you call the cardiologist and ask, that IS what they are there for. They are glad to answer your questions, don't feel like you are bothering them it's their job.
As for the lingering pain I guess I was lucky, after 3 months I started feeling pretty good, although it took me 6 months before I felt good enough to go swing a golf club (which as I recall you already were trying to do).
Now sneezing was a problem for a while, in my family it is normal to sneeze 3-5 times everytime you sneeze. Let me tell ya, it wasn't pleasant.
My wife says I sneeze like that because I am not efficient!

 

[Philip B]

Pain

Pain

Hi Jack,

I think I packed my little Mended Hearts chest pillow for about three months. I even took it with me when I returned to walking the golf course. Coughing and sneezing was uncomfortable.

The pain thing during recovery & rehab is highly individual. I have a fairly high pain tolerance, and was concerned about getting hooked on pain meds. My surgeon was pretty liberal about making pain meds available. The question one has to answer is how much pain can one tolerate without it interferring with the healing process. My surgeon's viewpoint was that I shouldn't have to tolerate any pain. I took myself off pain meds when I knew I could handle discomfort without meds.

-Philip

 

[MikeHeim]

I still had pain taking really deep breaths AT LEAST three months after surgery. As long as new pains don't appear, or don't get much worse, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[hall]

Yep, it hurt to cough and sneeze for the longest time. You wouldn't think it would, but it does. It will not hurt or be uncomfortable in a few months.

Deb

 

[mrwjd]

There's pain and there's pain. Today, after three months: incision pain--was soon gone; sternum--discomfort, not really pain, when exerting excessive or angled force; pain originating in chest cavity--pretty sharp but brief episodes for a month or two; pain in or referred to breast tissue--owwwww for three months now and counting; sneezing and coughing--no problem after I learned how to do it without developing so much explosive pressure in my chest (also works well to hold very firm pillow or rolled bath towel against incision); pain referred to left shoulder from pericardium--only when irritated, intermittent, resolves best with ibuprofen ASAP and not waiting until it's bad and needs a longer course of anti-inflammatories. All different, I'm sure, if incisions or sternum haven't healed completely or something.

As to pain medication: In hospital, they didn't want pain to develop, and medicated freely. When you go home, you may find that taking pain meds only as necessary drops the amount very quickly to a small fraction of the amount prescribed. It is still important for healing, they tell me, not to "tough it out" with pain, but much of the time you may find that you are comfortable without it.

 

[aussigal]

Its very usual to have a few left over aches from having been opened-up in such a way. At 2yrs post-op I still have a very tight feeling around my scar when I breathe deeply so it may be that some of our aches don't go away altogether. If this is your only concern you are doing just fine.

 

[ruthienc1]

pain on right side- front and back!

pain on right side- front and back!

I'm almost 4 weeks post-op and not on any pain meds except 1/2 tsp. Tussionex at night for cough, but I'm having a fair amount of pain along my right shoulder blade and in (or maybe I should say "on") the right side of my chest. The left side is fine. I'm thinking it's just muscular-skeletal, but wonder if anyone has suggestions for what would relieve it. I'm right handed and wonder if, unknowingly, I'm doing more than I should with my right arm........ Everything else has been fine!

Ruthie

 

[Jkm7]

I'm about 3 1/2 months post op and still have pain in my four drain tube incisions. I had my cardio check them at my last appointment but they are no better now than a month ago. I'm paying attention as one of our members here (a retired surgeon) suggested infection is possible even months after surgery. Everyone is different.

 

[hensylee]

OMG! we forgot to remind you not to sneeze. Janie named it 'the evil sneeze' years ago. first time I sneezed thought I would pass out, the pain was so bad. It kept on for about six months every time I sneezed. It WILL go away - promise.

We used to warn folks to stop a sneeze if possible and went through our own remedies for doing so.

I am sorry we didn't let you know. When you feel one coming on, press just under your nose to stop it if you have time.

So sorry, so sorry......... Blessins........

 

[khawkk]

ahhhhh-choooo


Now you tell me !~!~!!!

 

[Marguerite53]

At 5 months out, I was experiencing the same kind of nagging feelings and started a thread. Ozmercy responded with a great suggestion. I started "doing" these little stretches every day and called them my "Ozzies". They worked wonderfully. Be gentle though!!! go very slowly and see how they feel for a few days.

From Ozmercy.... " I would try and do simple stretching exercises a little at a time to see if it relieves the tension. Shoulder shrugs and moving your arms like you are doing push-ups but with no weight, just the motion. Try to build some muscle to take the tension off the scar and to re-stretch those pec muscles back to normal strength. I may be way off base here but that is where I would start."

I'm 2 years out and except for the scar (mine unfortunately hypertropied/keloided some) I'd wake up and move around never knowing I had my chest cracked open. Time heals!!

Best wishes.

Marguerite