Sternotomy concern or am I just crazy????

[Gail in Ca]

I think all of us had that reaction, I know I did when told I needed OHS. I have always asked my surgeons to give me a good scar! My latest visit to a GP for not heart stuff gave me a positive attitude about my scar. She said to me "That's a beautiful scar!"
Now that I've had 3 surgeries, and with each one my sternal scar a longer one, I am okay with the scar and will wear v neck tops, bikinis, what ever. Of course, when you are just recovering you may think it will never look better, but it usually does, unless you make alot of keloid tissue and then it will spread. I guess we don't know until we have the surgery. I am impressed with the newer surgery ladies scars, they are all very short compared to mine. I'm a bit envious of those short scars!
I would recommend the heart hugger for after surgery. It helps so much more than any heart shaped soft pillow that's for sure. I think it's worth the money for it.

 

[Luana]

I've heard very different things about minimally invasive valve replacement. Cleveland Clinic says it's now standard for aortic valve replacement, they only use a full sternotomy for more difficult cases.

Keep in mind, "minimally invasive" does not always mean no sternotomy, as at CC I believe what it means is a smaller sternotomy. If you do not want a sternotomy of any kind, you'll need to make that clear to your surgeon, and, hopefully, you can be a candidate for one.

 

[ElectLive]

Luana - Thanks for clarifying...I was not really specific to that point. My understanding of the CC minimally invasive aortic valve replacement is that it's a 6 cm (~ 2 1/2 inches) incision in the upper sternum. Minimally invasive also will mean different things for different procedures. And full sternotomy ranges in size too, as others mentioned above. I think I ended up pretty close to the low end, right at 6 inches.

 

[carolinemc]

No one heals the same way. I was leaning over the keyboard at work after surgery and would have to slowly straighten out to get better. It was like that for about a year. You may get lucky and no pain or problems at all, please do not worry about it now. You have enough to worry about for now. Take care and you will be alright.

 

[WandaW]

Yes thr scar was a worry, the sternal incision was a worry as was everything. I met a younger on-call co-worker about a year before I recieved the news about my heart issue and need for a new AV. She wore V-necked shirts and said her scar was her badge of courage and it didn't bother her if people saw it or asked. Sooooo when I ended up in the same boat this past March I decided to not worry either. I make and sell jewelry on the side so I wear what is comfortable on my incision when I feel like it. I am just glad to be here, coumadin and all.