Carol Pont's Page

hi carol the early days were scary  feeling cold frozen especially in upper part of my body which i later found to be the warfarin effect so even now i keep well wrapped up but to yr comment i have good days and bad days i do suffer with anxiety but take medication i think what i have learned is to maintain a good diet take ur medications on time and not to take any stress no matter what i do a lot of mediation so  a hobby is good tks

Carol,

yes noise, smells, vibration all seem to be amplified after an AD and my theory is the haemoshield graft sorta amplifies the sound of the heart - like a trumpet in a way as its non organic - and then coupled with a metal non organic heart valve (with me) then really stirs things up! I also have another theory in that when your heart is opened up the peracardium - the tough membrane around the heart is cut open to get to the heart. Its not a neat incision either it is sliced from top to bottom especially when seconds count in an emergency. Now the peracardium holds the heart back against the backbone and stops it from being right up against the sternum. In many cases, when you are all put back together after a long ad gruelling op for the surgeons the peracardium is NOT sewn back up - think of sewing up tissue paper - just as hard - and the heart then moves forward against the inside of the breastbone with no peracardium to hold it back. Many people are born without a perarcadium - it is not an essential piece of kit...

My theory is that the heart is then up against the breastbone and no longer insulated inside the body - and it is much more sensitive to vibrations, surface pressure, noise (music) etc. Jusat a theory - but from my research its a good one...

As to dealing with it all.. I just do..mainly by keeping up a really busy business and personal life... try not to have time to sit by myself and wonder at it all.. that sends me into depression so i avoid it at all costs.. busy busy busy.. and laugh// I do love a good laugh!

you take care and hang in there! :-)  

Graeme

Just checking to see how you are doing? 

Carol, have you checked into physical therapy?  Sometimes they have some ideas as to how to strengthen (to the best of your ability) your muscles even in your rib cage.  I had to wait 6 months after my surgery - as they wanted all the inner stitches etc., to heal before I started doing anything more.  The tie swimsuits work great since you can loosen it around your rib cage.  It is hard to find just plain white swim suit tops and ones that don't have that metal embellishment in the center where it puts pressure on your sternum (I'm kind of past the age of wearing the 15 year old styles) but once in a while I come across a solid black one (at this point I'd take a solid any color one).

Do you itch where your ribs are no longer?  It's the kind of itch you can't get to --- I've been told that itching can be a sign of pain (so I'll take the itching over the pain any day) but sometimes it can drive you completely crazy since you can't get to it.

Take care.

Carol --- they removed 2 of my ribs on my left side - one at the bra line and they skipped one and removed the next one down.  It has been one of my biggest struggles even though 6 years out - it doesn't hurt like the stabbing you feel the first year - it does get better.  I still have aching where they aren't, and I don't want anyone touching me there.  My seat belt feels odd and clothing can agitate me -- they think from the nerves that were severed from removing the ribs from the spinal chord. 

They called my surgery a thoracotomy since they had to go in from the side to get to my descending thoracic aorta.

I would love to learn more from you if you find you are up to it.  Just know, you aren't alone - especially in the "ribless" department.