Post Op Experiences: 1st Rib Removal

[nidia74]

I am asking for those who have had 1st rib removal to relate post op experiences!!
I am finally authorized for surgery with Dr. Avery October 4th. I am trying to plan what to expect and get what I can in place to make it through this experience in one piece! I am a single mom with an 8 yr. old daughter. Thankfully I have a few family members around who are planning on helping as well as some friends. I am terrified and at the same time excited to have a chance at getting my life "back" or at least to reduce the amount of pain I'm in. Life will never be the same and I realize that, but to be able to experience a little more of it would be something truly exciting.

Some of my questions:
1.How was it right after surgery? Day of? The first couple days?

2.What was it was like when you left the hospital?

3.What was it like getting around?

4.What did you need help with? ie. how steady were you, how well could you take care of yourself? Help going to the bathroom? Showering/bathing?

5.Did you need help with the incision at all? Anyone just have incisions above and below the collarbone?

6.How did you manage pain? Did you need ice a lot?

7.What was it like the first couple of days?

8.The first week?

9.The second week?

10.a month post op?

11.two months post op? etc.?

12.How did you deal with meals, dishes, laundry, shopping? Did you use public transportation?

13.How active were you, ie. walking around?

14.What kind of tools did you use to make it easier for yourself? Any tips/suggestions?

Thanks so much for any input. I really appreciate it.
Nidia
--
Injured July,2002: 2 door size boxes weighing 120 pounds fell against my back. Concentra, then Dr. Weddington for Thoracic strain, lumbar strain, did PT and acupuncture, R arm began to hurt 1/03, switched Dr's, Dr. Swartz, MRI April, 2003 showed tendonitis in R shoulder/rotator cuff, slight bulgein neck, changed Dr.'s again after Dr couldn't offer any treatment but meds,off work May/03, Dr. Handleman, good relief from osteopathic manipulations &prolo injections. Continued with acupuncture & PT. I was feeling about the best that I had since the injury until Dr. got a crush on me and had to seek new Dr., worker's comp took 4 months to authorize new Dr., got increasingly worse, Dr. McClure diagnosed TOS, had MRI/MRA Nov/04, cervical epidural Nov/04,Began seeing Dr. Hines for pain management, s/x on R shoulder 1/05 w/Dr. Greenwald, cervical epidural 3/05 for neck which helps, began seeing Dr. Rosales/psychologist for cognitive therapy. Had QME psyche eval w/ Dr. Schnneider. Had AME psy
che eval w/ Dr. Kipperman. Had eval w/Dr. Ansel. Cervical epidurals 01/06, 03/06 and facet block injections 8/06 with dr. Giovanniello. Cognitive therapy w/Dr. Shulimson & Now have Thoracic Outlet surgery approved for 1st rib removal with Dr. Avery in SF.

[gibbrn]

Hi hope I can help with your questions........had first rib removed July 05.....but symptoms are all back with a vengence......here goes.......

Some of my questions:
1.How was it right after surgery? Day of? The first couple days? felt like a train ran over me....trouble climbing stairs out of breath a lot....very tired....had chest tube and only one night in hospital. Was given percocet....lol was on over 150mcg patch of fentanyl so didn't touch my pain very hard to sleep for over two weeks no comfortable positions


2.What was it was like when you left the hospital?

painful.....but I only stayed one night I was at my folks place so Mom helped a lot washed me in tub and did my hair ourside was nice summer so I lay on sunbed and she did it outside

3.What was it like getting around?
Very tired did not leave house for around three weeks..... sucks but no breath and lots of pain couldn't drive had to be taken to doctors etc.......very short of breath I was very slow and cautious all the time

4.What did you need help with? ie. how steady were you, how well could you take care of yourself? Help going to the bathroom? Showering/bathing? I did most of my own care sat in tub and did what I could...leg hair was a non issue pain was main concern and had to deal with that before anything else. No help with going to toilet lots of stretchy sweat pants comfort was key and no bra of course Mom helped in tub for first few days then I was able to figure it out on my own.

5.Did you need help with the incision at all? Anyone just have incisions above and below the collarbone?I had above clavical incision with dressing I changed each day with Mom's help first few times doctor glued...yeah glued my incision shut so no sutures YEAH it healed well but lots of bruising I put a new dressing on each day after bath washed with saline put on polysporin or some abx cream...no name is fine and then no stick pad and gauze then tape

6.How did you manage pain? Did you need ice a lot? Pain meds were key!!!!!!!!!! I had to find right dose and amount but had trouble sleeping till I saw family doctor who is a godsend!!! I did not ice, but did do gentle movements and stretching as I could not too much it was too sore....Ice would be 20 on then 20 off WHATEVER works do it!!!

7.What was it like the first couple of days?
first couple of weeks were hell from poor pain management and then things got better couldn't have a good sleep. hypnosis tapes helped a lot....pm me if you want some for pain control happy to email them to you

8.The first week?[COLOR="darkorange"]see above

9.The second week?see above but got a little stronger breathing easier and could do a little more like wash my hair with help and more stairs and moving around

10.a month post op?was much less pain doing more and felt like less of a train had run me over......rom was much better so could do alittle more

11.two months post op? etc.?better.....no more tos pain gradually coming off all meds doing more....physio started three months after sx so my pain was still there but surgical not Tos pain so each day was better could sleep better and deal with inabilities better that was the most difficult part not being able to do what I wanted to do....type A unfortunatley hope you are not and can relax and not feel guilty like I did

12.How did you deal with meals, dishes, laundry, shopping? Did you use public transportation? Mom helped me with all of this until I could drive agian by october i was on my own driving unloading dishwasher (hope u have one!!!!) bur did need help for sure....used left hand to eat with fork only coulndt use right until at least three weeks post op....

13.How active were you, ie. walking around?tried to walk a lot, but shortness of breath was an issue so limited by that

14.What kind of tools did you use to make it easier for yourself? Any tips/suggestions?Million dollar question!!!! I did only what did not cause pain took it easy and thanked God Ihad my parents to hlep me despite my nature to be independant with all things...I am (was) a nurse to cancer patients. Document all things esp calls to comp or ltd as you may need it .....use voice software if you don't already have it Dragon you can get on ebay for about 20.00 us not a bad deal!!! and sooooo worth investment. As for sleeping lots of pillows to get you in the right positon to sleep it was hard to get comfy.........and you will need help with chores....meals and cleaning for at least a month or more


best of luck....any more questions jsut email me happy to help you out...hope some of this helps rather than hinders...!!!! I used to run too will never do that again....so start grieving now....yoga on the other hand is the only exercise i can do so when you feel up to it do what you can Slowly for sure but it is an amazing stretch.......hope you can get back to it I love it.....mental clarity and all!!!!

hugs and support
Victoria rn;)

[astern]

1.How was it right after surgery? Day of? The first couple days?
Right after was tolerable pain. more uncomfortable from the tubes, IV's and pain pumps insered in me! I was able to go to the bathroom right away, so no cathater! :) You will be D O P E Y. That's a good thing. You'll be weak too. that will slowly come back. But don't try to do things you shouldn't (ie: "oh I feel ok to go lift that book.") you may feel OK from the pain meds, but the tissues aren't ready for that yet.

2.What was it was like when you left the hospital?
Again, very dopey for weeks. Some Dr's don't adequately address pain, I'm sure your's will. But speak up if you hurt. I was on several heavy duty meds all at once, and it didn't kill me. Your body can't heal if it is dealing with pain. I needed help washing my hair and cooking and with all housework. (did I get that? NOOOO. a long story, ending in Divorce.) With my first resection I had lung problems when I left the hospital and had to return for 2 weeks! Pluracy and fever. But the 2nd resection went smoothly and had no adtl issues.

The more time pases after surgery, the more pain there may be, but that's from the muscles/nerves waking up and getting angry. It will subside and is managable with ice or a heating pad, as you see fit.

3.What was it like getting around?
No problem, just moved slowly. I carried nothing heavier than a pillow. You wont be able to drive for a couple months. You may find your center of gravity changed. Just watch that posture in a mirror and practice straight back, shoulders down, etc.

4.What did you need help with? ie. how steady were you, how well could you take care of yourself? Help going to the bathroom? Showering/bathing?
I needed help preparing meals, getting groceries, trips to checkups, laundry and vacuuming. (did I get that? NOOOO.) After maybe 2 weeks you should be able to handle washing your hair, in a modified way. Needed no help in the bathroom. I did need help cutting my meat which I found humiliating.:rolleyes: You may need help dressing/tieing shoes.

5.Did you need help with the incision at all? Anyone just have incisions above and below the collarbone?
My incisions were in my arm pits, I needed no help with them. Couldn't shave there for several weeks tho! :p


6.How did you manage pain? Did you need ice a lot?
LOTS of ice (bags of frozen peas) and LOTS of heat, alternating and sometimes at the same time! This will mess with your bodies' thermostat - drove me nuts! But that too will subside. I took Oxycontin 20mg, Tizatidine 10mg, Valium 5mg and a sleeping pill. Suffice it to say I was trippin' for almost 2 months straight. Then I was able to feel well enough to taper off the meds. Have ample pillows and comfey blankets on hand. I was fortunate enough to have a hot tub too - that really helped.

7,8,9,10... all the same as above. It (time) will blend together.

11.two months post op? etc.?
minimal driving, minimal laundry, food prep, other tasks as you see fit. remember: YOU decide what you are ready to do, not your family.

12.How did you deal with meals, dishes, laundry, shopping? Did you use public transportation?
NO public transport (except cab) - too rough a ride and you cant afford to have someone bump into you!! Meals and dishes: you need help, or use your good arm and only let your bad arm 'assist' the other arm - NO weight bearing. Laundry was manageable, as i could lift a few items at a time and walk them to the machines (walking: good exercise and do-able). Folding: no problem. NO ironing!!! (hear that Victoria?) :D

13.How active were you, ie. walking around?
I walked whenever I could, but mostly around the house/yard. Great stress reliever! After month 2, I walked 1 mile daily. It's not how far you walk, it's how WELL you walk! Posture, posture, posture. Having a hooded jacket with pockets helped, I rested my arms there a lot.

14.What kind of tools did you use to make it easier for yourself? Any tips/suggestions?
Bags of frozen peas; lightweight/paper plates, cups, etc.; small sized containers (no gallons of milk or huge laundry soap jugs); someone to check on you every other day for a while.

Best of luck and keep us posted as the time draws near!
(((((hugs)))))
Anne

[gibbrn]

thanks for the tip...lol :p
I'll keep that in mind....
I have changed meds.....increased lyrica to 150 tid and zanaflex(tizanadine 8mg(i only took 4) tid....wow was I flying high!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! felt stoned as hell....back to high school or what......lol:eek:

Oh.....Nidia one more tip......if it hurts DON'T DO IT!!!!!! and don't EVER be afraid to ask for help you will need it!!!!! Hope you have dragon for after so we can all still help you !!!
Best of luck Victoria

[astern]

Bumping this up for Rachael and trix.

I may add to it when I feel better ;)
Anne

[Rachael]

Thanks Astern....this info is most helpful....any others with this experience want to share?? I'm a bit nervous, never had a big surgery like this......

[astern]

nidia was to have surgery on the 4th. Wonder how she's doing? Hopefully someone will post for her. Wishing her a speedy recovery!!
A.

[bmofield]

Hi, I'm Bernadette & glad to have you'all as company. I will be posting soon due to my neck burning like crazy lately. Must be a front moving thru. I had a 1rst rib removal obove clav.& a pec minor release on 4-14-06 & could share alot, but it seems you have already very good responders that sounds like my story already. Take good care. bmofield

[Jo*mar]

nidia - hope you are resting and healing well.
check in when you are able to.


and Welcome bmofield!!

I'm glad you have found us- hope you can post some more soon.

[annhere]

Hi,

Did anyone out there have a MRA/MRV/MRI...if so what was the narrowing
( MM ) mine 6mm on the right and 7mm on the left. My doc has suggested
surgery...

Thanks

[trix]

Thank you so much for bumping up this thread. Rachael, do you have a date for your surgery yet? I still haven't heard anything about mine. This info is really helpful, and allows me to plan better for the eventual day that I will go through this. I just know this is going to work, and while I may not emerge at the end pain free, I will at the very least be able to return to a lot of the things I have been able to give up. Hopefully I will be able to buy another motorcycle and ride with my family again. I can hardly wait.
Tracy

[Gromlily]

Ohhh! I meant to ad my experience to the list but didn't get to it in time!!
Supose it would help now??? Oh well , I'll add my experience just in case it helps others..


1.How was it right after surgery? Great, I was pain free on that side Day of? still good, medicated The first couple days? some difficulty breathing, hoarse voice, weak, but up and about as per Dr.'s orders

2.What was it was like when you left the hospital? A very painful ride home!! Take a pillow with you to hold against you for the ride!!!!

3.What was it like getting around? Slow and easy

4.What did you need help with? ie. how steady were you, how well could you take care of yourself? Help going to the bathroom? Showering/bathing? I did fine, showered the 1st day without help,etc.

5.Did you need help with the incision at all? Anyone just have incisions above and below the collarbone? Incision was above the collar bone, it was o.k. drain was in chest and had to be drained daily, needed help with that, bandage changed daily, easy stuff.

6.How did you manage pain? Did you need ice a lot? Great pain meds!!! Ice and heat.

7.What was it like the first couple of days? difficulty breathing and constipation were the worst, also had to sleep in a recliner because laying falt on my back made breathing difficult.

8.The first week? Same, began massaging neck and surgical site muscles, had drain taken out

9.The second week? still very weak, massaging muscles in neck and at incision

10.a month post op? still very tender and sore, very weak.

11.two months post op? etc.? same

12.How did you deal with meals, dishes, laundry, shopping? Did you use public transportation? No, under DR.'s orders did none of the above, had to have help.

13.How active were you, ie. walking around? walked to get back strength, that was about it, that and p.t.

14.What kind of tools did you use to make it easier for yourself? Any tips/suggestions? lots of ice packs, so one is always cold, squisshy pillows, Edglow p.t., hot baths, loose fitting clothes, no pullovers.

Thanks so much for any input. I really appreciate it.
Nidia Good Luck and Speed healing !!
G~
--

[nidia74]

hi. i posted this in the get to know you section, but wanted to check in...

2 weeks post-op...Oct 4th.

I'm struggling because of a lot of swelling and still a LOT of pain. I was under retraction longer than expected because Dr. Avery said it was really quite a mess in there. My numbers from mri/mra results that the narrowing was/is oops! 5 mm on right which I had done and 2 mm on left.

I have limited range & control of right arm because of swelling of nerves/ build up of fluid affecting biceps and deltoids. I can move my hand and wrist but that's about it for now. I had full range with my arm day of surgery but overnight the nerves swelled up and I've had a little day to day improvement since. My diaphragm was weak too...failed the sniff test to the extent that it was just very weak...thank goodness not more. i've felt out of breath too, but I've made huge progress strengthening by using the incentive spirometer. I'm very tired and wear out easily but am doing stretching exercises every day. Just going to be very slow!!

I had my first out patient PT appt today(yesterday) which went well. Before surgery, I moved to SLC to have support from family and it's been reassuring to have chosen to do the surgery in SF even though I'm doing recovery/pt in SLC. The therapist said the last surgical case she had was 15 years ago.

She and Dr. Avery have talked at length and I feel very confident with her. She seems very on the ball as far as the right protocols for healing from this surgery and nerve desensitivation. The facility is state of the art at the Univ. of Utah...just very few surgeries are actually performed here.

I have been so impressed with Dr. Avery. I met him a year ago and then again in March. I had to see a neurologist/ Dr. Ansel from w/c and get his go ahead before they would authorize surgery. Dr. Avery was very thorough before and after in his care and responds quickly. His assistant, Ann is really great too. He obviously cares about his patients...and not just those he does surgery on.
i'll give more in depth details/answer my own questions shortly!
thanks for the well wishes...doing my best to heal :rolleyes:
Nidia



Injured July,2002: 2 door size boxes/ 120 lbs. fell against my back. Concentra, then Dr. Weddington for Thoracic/lumbar/cervical strain: PTand acupuncture & went back to "modified" work after a few weeks. R arm began to hurt 1/03, complained to work& Dr without any response, continued getting worse, switched Dr's, Dr. Swartz, MRI 4/03:tendonitis in R shoulder/rotator cuff, bulge in neck. Dr only offers meds & off work May/03. Changed Dr.'s again/Dr. Handleman: osteopathic manipulations &prolo injections,acupuncture & PT. Feeling best since injury until Dr. got a crush on me/had to seek new Dr., wc took 4 mos to authorize, got increasingly worse. Saw Dr. McClure had MRI/MRA Nov/04, d/x Bilateral vascular and neurogenic TOS. Cervical epidural Nov/04. Dr. Hines for pain mgmt. Dr. Rosales for cognitive therapy/psych. S/x on R shoulder 1/05 w/Dr. Greenwald. Cervical epidural 3/05. 12/05. Moved to SLC. Dr. Giovanniello/SLC treating Dr, cervical epidur. 1/06 & 3/06. Pool therapy/PT for TOS. Dr. Shulimson for cognitive therapy/psych. Cervical Facet block injections 8/06, authorized for rib resection/scalenectomy 10/4/06. On Morphine, neurontin, Baclofen, Cymbalta, Relafen, Prevacid, Trazodone, Lidoderm Patches, Imitrex for muscle and nerve pain.
Now: dilaudid, neurontin, ms contin, fentanyl, baclofen, relafen, prevacid, ambien. ativan, cymbalta, lidoderm patches, imitrex, and reglan

[astern]

Thanks for the update nidia, it sounds like you have every bit of care and assistance you need to get through this! Sending healing prayers your way!!!:) I hope the pain and swelling begins to ease very soon. I also did surgery in one city and PT in another. It's so important that your PT and GP all coordinate your care with the surgeon.

Go very very slow for you now!
Anne

[David K.]

How are you now since you've had your surgery? I also use Dr. Avery and I will say he is the best ! I have had a wonderful recovery, both sides done one 5/05 then the other side 5/06. If I could just get therapy out of W.C. I could be even better.

[David K.]

I should of read your update first..... Yes Dr. Avery has wonderful bed side manners. Evryone likes him so you get the best from all the nurses and other doctors. I stayed 5 days in the hospital each time. I had the left side done 5/05 then the right 5/06. I have recovered real good, I'm also having trouble with the breathing. Use the VOLDYNE it really helps. I'm riding my bicycle now so that it helping with the lung power. You can ask Dr. Avery about me I ahve told him and Ann about this web site. I'm his star patient David K.

[annhere]

I'm having surgery with Dr. Avery in Jan. 07. Due to the fact I have 4 children and my husband sometimes works 6 days a week, I'm trying to get my life in order before I have another surgery.....I had a neck fusion
C4-5/ C5-6 in Oct 2005.

I wrote in an earlier post about the size of the norrowing......mine is 6mm on the right and 7mm on the left. It's nice to hear someone else who's problems are so similar.... My condition seems to be getting worse. But I have to wait and get through the holidays....It's so nice to hear from others who have had surgery with Dr. Avery. Please keep me posted...Thanks

Ann
Pinole, CA

[Jo*mar]

bumping also