removal of wires

[kurli]

Hello
i had my surgury just over 2 years ago & im finding that my chest wires are giving me some discomfort.
I injured myself a few months ago moving & lifting boxes that were to heavy, (my own stupid fault.) and ever since then i wake up every morning with pain in my chest area where the scar is.
The Dr took an x-ray and said that i had just strained myself no major damage was done. What i'm trying to find out, is it a big deal to have the wires removed? I think that if i had them removed then maybe i wouldnt be in so much discomfort. I am only small so there isnt alot of padding between the wires and my flesh, so this cant be helping me any either.
If anyone has had their wires removed i'd love to know how you went & if i should consider this option when i see my cardiologist in January.
Thanks
Amy

 

[Phyllis]

Amy,
Under search, put in "removal of sternum wires" and you will come up with quite a few threads by members who have had this procedure.

 

[hensylee]

Amy - there have been quite a few who have had one or more wires removed. ILoveNY comes to mind (Nicole). Like you, she is very small. She was in the hospital for a couple of days to have hers removed, but she has a number of other problems and maybe this is why she was hospitalized. But she made out fine. Look her up in members list and you can find those posts. Others were not that major and it seemed to help all who had the removal. Some others might come in to relate their experiences. Anyone? Come on now, Amy wants some answers.

 

[Bryan B]

Amy,

I had all of my sternum wires removed in October. It was done as an outpatient procedure (note I'm not on Coumdadin). My surgeon cut right down the original scar, removed the wires, then glued the incision back. I was sore for a few days, but overall the procedure was a piece of cake for me. In my case removing the wires reduced some of the constant dull aches and pains I was having, but unfortunately it did not help with the pain I was having in my upper chest area. Apparently this pain is caused by cartilage and/or nerve damage sustained during my OHS. It seems to be S L O W L Y getting better. I used to have flareups regularly that would last for a week or longer...now I have a flareup maybe twice a month and it only lasts for 2-3 days.

In my case there was no definite proof that the wires were causing my pain...I decided to have them removed to eliminate the wires as a possible cause. Since I'm an avid golfer I figured it was worth getting them out to eliminate any possible problems in the future when I get back to playing regularly.

Hope this helps!

 

[kurli]

Thanks for your suggestions guys. I will deffinately look up previous post's on this topic.
I will be sure to let you know if i have them removed and how i go.