We’re glad that things are going well and that you are improving. I would suggest asking the doctor about the pain. We’ll leave the door open a crack for Copia. 

In response to concerns, my surgeon is quite aware of this problem, and they seem to think it is probably nerve pain from the cervical area.  On the other hand, I had a physical therapist here a couple days ago and he thinks one of my ribs is out of place.  He tried to fix that, but I am not sure it "took".

all of my doctors and nurses know of this issue; I have been complaining regularly.  If it isn't better next week we may make another trip to Ann Arbor to see what they say.

Old Salt wrote on Feb 8^th, 2020 at 11:22pm:


Well, I squeaked. In order to get more pain pills we had to drive to Ann Arbor for a clinic appointment, but I did get a few more and that should help me to be more active.  I guess cervical spine irritation is common with this surgery, and hopefully it will work its way out, but we shall see.  At least if I have a pain pill during the day I can more easily do the walking they insist I should do more of.   

Also got taken off the lasix and the potassium.  If you have ever taken potassium pills, they are awful.  Huge and don't go down easily as no coating.  Ugly medication.

They say I am doing really well.  Glad to have people be pleased with my progress, but sure would like my left arm back!!  (I am left-handed.). 

After they split your sternum down the middle, I am finding that your ribcage is tender and a lot of things seem sort of "out of place."  Not sure if it is a rib or my spine that is causing my painful arm, but I will say that the physical therapist made it feel a bit better today with massage.  Probably just need more time for everything to grow back in place.  They told me that the sternum is "wired" back together until the bone fuses again.  That is why i need to be very careful about lifting, pushing with my arms, etc.  It would be fairly easy to displace that tender area.

I am getting stronger, walking a lot more.  They want me to walk, walk, walk.  Getting tired of the loop around our house, so today I went down and made a loop in the basement.

  My Dad had the type of heart surgery where they split your sternum as they did you.

   He was sore for months afterward and he was in good shape other than his heart problem. When they split you and open you up like that a lot of cartilage and soft tissue are being moved in ways it was never meant to move.
 
It goes away in time as yours will. People would ask him what the worst part of the surgery was and he said it wasn't in the chest area it was where you're having the pain.

  I know a guy that sells replacement artificial joints to surgical centers. Part of his job is watching them put them in IF he wants too? He isn't squeamish so he watched them put in a hip socket. He told me at one point the picked up a hammer and was beating the old one to get it out, like replacing a ball joint on a motor vehicle. He asked the DR wasn't that going to hurt the patient? Dr said "that's why we dope them up good, they're always sore as hell for a while"