Still tender at six weeks !?

[Woodbutcher]

I've been doing ok with my recovery I think. BUT to the left of my scar on my chest, what feels to be just under my skin it's really tender still, uncomfortable when I move or walk around and a cross between numb and bruised to touch (but it's not visably bruised), also a bit like I've been stung by nettles under my skin ? I've taken some pain killers this afternoon, the first in a while but dosn't seem to help anyway?
Also each side of my scar is kind of numb but not sore.

How do you feel if you're about the same time out of surgery or if you remember the healing process ?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[Cooker]

I've been doing ok with my recovery I think. BUT to the left of my scar on my chest, what feels to be just under my skin it's really tender still, uncomfortable when I move or walk around and a cross between numb and bruised to touch (but it's not visably bruised), also a bit like I've been stung by nettles under my skin ? I've taken some pain killers this afternoon, the first in a while but dosn't seem to help anyway?
Also each side of my scar is kind of numb but not sore.

How do you feel if you're about the same time out of surgery or if you remember the healing process ?

Thanks,
Justin

It takes time ...12 weeks for the bone to heal and the nerves take even longer ..... three years out I still have a numb stop next to where they cut me .... it take time, don't worry, don't stress or obsess about the little aches and pains .... especially this early in the process.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

10 1/2 year out, I still have numb spots. I also sometimes have itching that seems very deep and can't be scratched. This is one of the potential complications that you acknowledged when you signed your life away.

As for the stinging, soreness, it could be that it's still very early in the healing process. It could be that it's nerves healing. It could also be that you have a wire that has shifted. Give it time, but if it continues or really bothers you, ask for an x-ray.

 

[Marguerite53]

You have a great way of describing things (and you did in a different post, too)! Stinging nettles....exactly! I'm afraid you will have that nettle-like feeling for a long time. At least I did. The notion of pain slowly diminishes and it just becomes annoying, like a snapping itch. I decided that it was nerve endings doing their thing trying to mend.

As far as bruising, have you ever had a contusion, where the bruise could be felt but not seen until it "surfaced" and then seemed an off color, as if the end of the healing bruise? Well, that may be what is going on with your tender spot. Imagine someone in there leaning on one spot for abit too long while working. Or a stubborn piece of stitching that needed some extra tugging. My guess is that is what is slow to heal.... a deep down kind of bruise.

NEVER hesitate to run these questions by a Physician's Assistant, or someone in the surgeon's office who is paid to sit on the phone and answer questions like yours. You never know if it could be an infection brewing or, as mentioned, a wire out of place.

Best wishes!

Marguerite

 

[Eva]

Justin,

Four months for me and I still feel the itching but no numbness beither before nor now. As said before, we heal differently.

Glad to hear you are doing well overall. Good wishes are sent that you continue improving and enjoying your healthier you!

 

[Bina]

The deep itch and numbness are the spots where the nerves are trying to heal.
Skip the pills and find a good distraction....I remember that I went nuts on Sudoku puzzles.

 

[Woodbutcher]

The VR.com rapid response team are here for me again! Thank you so much ! It's looking like it's all to be expected then ?
I dont think it's a wire out of place because I was X rayed before i left hospital, also it's further over... Wish I could do a sketch on here. Sort of midway between my left nipple and the scar and a vertical patch of about 3-4 inches?

 

[Bina]

Dr. Bina will need a photo for sure....

 

[Eva]

Have you been feeling this since surgery, Justin, or when?!

 

[Woodbutcher]

Eva.. I'm not really sure? I think maybe the whole area was tender before ? It's hard to say ?

 

[Eva]

Justin, it can be you are still healing, as long as it is not getting worse! Keep your senses aware for any changes.

 

[Woodbutcher]

Thanks Eva, will do. I think maybe it's more tender than it was a week ago but maybe it heals with ups and downs of sensitivity anyway ? Sounds like you think it might be something to be looked at anyway ?
Lisa... 10 and a half years ! I'd have hoped it would be mended by then !?

 

[Eva]

I like to be optimistic, Justin, but it is smart and wise, I think, to be cautious!

 

[netmiff]

Justin, keep your eye on it, in case it is infection; if you get fever, or if it gets tender or swollen, get thee to a doctor/emergency dept. ASAP ! Don't mean to scare you, but infections scare me, and the best place to get them these days is in hospital (one of the reasons they throw you out as soon as they can).

Dr. Bina will need a photo for sure....

Bina got a promotion - last I heard, it was NURSE Bina that was going to operate on Aaron - congratulations !

 

[Woodbutcher]

Thanks Netmiff .... Blimey, got me worried now! Well, I dont have a temperature at all and no swelling but it is tender ? I have to go to the health center thurs for another blood test so I'll have a chat with the nurse then ?

 

[Bina]

Bina got a promotion - last I heard, it was NURSE Bina that was going to operate on Aaron - congratulations !

Yep, I bin studyin reel hard on line 'n ah gots me a dokter deeploma

 

[Curtsmum]

I'm not even a patient but would imagine it would still be tender after a short time. Hope it doesn't turn out to be serious. Let us know how you get on, all the best.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Justin, it has healed, it's just that sometimes cut nerves are permanently damaged. It's really not a problem and I hardly notice it.

 

[hall]

Hi Justin, I had my AVR a year and a half ago. I still feel like bruising on my breastbone. You can't see it but to the touch, or when I lay down, I can feel it. I told the cardio (just saw him Jan. 8th) and he said all from nerves trying to heal. Hope you feel a little better.

 

[tobagotwo]

It can take a year for nerve ends (nerves do regrow) to reach out to each other fully. You would likely feel a particular hot spot if there's a localized infection. Heat, swelling, and pain are key symptoms, but pain is often deceiving.

In the meantime, make sure you're doing some gentle movement and even stretching of your chest and arms, so you don't get adhesions. There's a fair amount you can do without ripping yourself back open or reseparating your sternum. It's good for the chest to remember what it's supposed to move like. Just keep it slow and gentle, no pressure, no wild swings, no heavy stretching.

As said above, contact your PA, if you're at all concerned.

Best wishes,