the weather and my sternum

[malibu82]

well never has my sternum really hurt yet. all day today it has been "achy". then i realized it is overcast and wants to rain but isn't. then i remembered someone once telling me this type of weather will forever affect my sternum even when healed. is this true? anyone else experience it?

 

[Mentu]

Malibu, at three weeks post op, your sternum has just begun to heal so it may very well be more sensitive to your environment but it could also be the result of lifting something in the past day or two. In my Cardiac Rehab group, the physiologist said we all need to plan on 12 weeks for the sternum to heal before beginning to stress it. I can say that at 8 months mine does not seem to react to weather. This could be masked, however, because I'm one of those who has developed some inflammation of the cartilage were the ribs attach to the sternum. For you it is very early yet.

Larry

 

[malibu82]

ok thanks for the information! im still wondering today its still feeling strange and its a rainy/overcast type day. plus i haven't been taking the vicodin, just trying to take only motrin now so maybe that could be way i am more sensitive too!

 

[Jkm7]

My sternum ached badly with weather change be it rain or snow or even high humidity. There were times it was quite sore for four years post op. It wasn't wires and all healed perfectly but it was 'weather sensitive'. When I said it was going to rain, I was always right.

Four years later, it was determined my leaky valve finally was bad enough to require surgery so a second OHS was scheduled. During my consult with surgeon (same surgeon as my first surgery), I discussed my discomfort with him and he paid close attention. He told me he would try everything he could to try and elinimate whatever might be causing it. He told me after my second surgery, he thought perhaps he had cleaned out whatever the issue was and, indeed, I am very much more comfortable this time. I still have some ache and weather sensitivity but very much less than last time. You're still early post op so it may get better for you. Be very careful about weight lifting, twisting your torso and raising your arms over your head. They all can impact your sternum healing in negative way.

Best wishes.

 

[ARGreenMN]

Malibu, I had some weird pains in my sternum yesterday too, and a storm front was just passing through. So I was wondering the same thing - was it the weather? Had I been lifting too much? Or did I sleep on it wrong? So I brought it up at a routine visit with my doc yesterday. He was not concerned in the least. He said I'm still just healing, and will be for several more weeks. And as things heal, there'll be good days and bad days as far as aches and pains like that. They'll come and go. And he said as long as I don't do something stupid (like some of his other patients have done - i.e. throw around 40 lb bags of stuff at this point) it should heal up fine and not cause problems later. It's when you do too much before it's healed that you can cause long-term problems. Some of those guys who didn't listen to him ARE having problems years later. Not sure if that helps at all, but thought I'd pass it along. And for now, I'm just gonna try to chill and not worry to much about the aches.

 

[Cris N]

I don't notice any effects from change in weather... other than I get crabby if I can't get out on the golf course.

 

[Ross]

Until it fully heals, it will ache when certain fronts move through. Mine stopped when it was completely healed. My hip, on the other hand................

 

[Greg a]

Since my sternectomy, the area where my sternum WAS is very sensitive to storm fronts but when a high is stuck in the area it drives me nuts (wife says its a short drive as I am already around the bend lol) this is due to the fact that I have only muscle (both pectoral flaps and some abdominal) filling in the area.

 

[Philip B]

Air Pressure Changes

Air Pressure Changes

Interesting thread...

I never noticed any sternum sensitivity to storm fronts or air pressure changes. One of my knees that was broken in a climbing accident years ago tends to ache when major weather systems move through.

-Philip

 

[Kathy McCain]

Hi Malibu,

My sternum ached on and off for a long time. At two yrs and four mos I don't seem to have that feeling, even in damp, chilly, rainy weather. However, I have heard that some people experience an achy feeling with the frigid cold. Just try and be patient, it hasn't been very long at all since your surgery. It will get better with time.

 

[malibu82]

thank you all for your comments. its reassuring to know that this is probably what is going on. the weather these past three days is really crappy. overcast, very humid with rain here and there. im trying not to get over paranoid but i am going to go back to sleeping upright too! just in case!

 

[Jkm7]

It is probably very hard for you to not lift your beautiful babies but you need to resist for a bit longer. That could really impact how well your sternum heals.
Sounds like you are doing fine and are having a good recovery. Best wishes.

 

[malibu82]

It is probably very hard for you to not lift your beautiful babies but you need to resist for a bit longer. That could really impact how well your sternum heals.
Sounds like you are doing fine and are having a good recovery. Best wishes.

you've got that right! my husband put the kids to bed an hour ago and went to go work on his race car since he is racing tomorrow. and as i type this, they are both screaming crying (one woke up, then woke up the other one).......i called him to come home but it kills me to not be able to lift them up. i feel like they think i am a bad mom by leaving them in bed until he gets here

but knowing that i will just be going through this for a few months for a lifetime of being back to 100% makes me feel better about it! i have to do it to get better for them and get back to normal!

 

[ARGreenMN]

Yea, they'll be fine for a few more weeks, and NO, the do NOT think you're a bad mom. If I had a dime for every time my ex said that (for totally different reasons of course) I'd have twenty or thirty bucks. I know it's got to be really tough to not pick them up when they're crying and all, but that's very temporary - your sternum is forever. I know you're being smart and not doing it, but just KEEP remembering that until given the ok, because it's definitely not worth the risk of trying to pick them up. You wanna be strong and pain-free for years to come, and my doc has warned me over and over ('cause he's seen it happen, and knows I'd be one to do something stupid if he doesn't keep reminding me) that if you do to much lifting too early, you can end up with long-term problems. So keep fighting that temptation!!!