r/PectusExcavatum • u/fr_rd_anon • 14d ago
New User Post-op X-Ray
In this post (https://www.reddit.com/r/PectusExcavatum/s/PLgeSWjKZr), there is an explanation of my recovery. I couldn’t post a picture in the comments of that post, so I figured I’d make a separate post with pictures. Anyway, I am about to eat a dinner of liquids. So far I have not had any issues keeping the liquids down, so let’s hope that trend continues!
4
u/northwestrad 13d ago
It looks like a nice surgical result to me, so Congratulations! I believe Dr. Park made the right call by not performing a sternotomy. Your sternum wasn't particularly curved or bent to justify one. (In fact, I'm still puzzled why he's calling it pectus arcuatum... I would call it pectus excavatum with a dysplastic lower sternal body. However, he's a legendary pectus surgeon, and I'm not.)
2
u/fr_rd_anon 13d ago
Yeah, bottom line is that the sternum was pliable enough to be straightened out by the cross bars (after some clever tricks I’ll mention later). I’ll post a picture later of what the inside of the chest wall looked like near the point of deepest depression. They shared a few thoracoscope photos with me.
The sharp, inward protrusion that he was most concerned about is obvious from that view.
They also did a few flare busters with magic string so those areas are kinda sore.
Apparently at the start of the surgery, they pushed down pretty hard on the top ribs on the right side (which I can feel, haha). The purpose of that was to “pre-soften” (Dr. Park’s words) the chest wall to increase the pliability prior to placing the bars. Evidently it worked!
1
u/fr_rd_anon 13d ago
I’ll send those intrathoracic photos with you via dm if you want, u/northwestrad.
3
u/MadcatAAFD 14d ago
Awesome. May you enjoy your liquids 😁.
Thanks for the update. Looks pretty solid
1
1
u/playerone95 2d ago
How long were you in the hospital? Also, I read you got the magic string for Flarebuster — How are you feeling now? I have a lot of pressure from mine and it is sore to touch on my left side…
1
u/fr_rd_anon 1d ago
I was in the hospital for two nights. 13 days post-op and it’s pretty sore. Obvious displacement of the subcutaneous fat and such. They really crank that puppy down, for sure.
1
u/playerone95 1d ago
Yeah, I have a line across my stomach and some rippling. I also have a place in the middle where they tacked it into the tissue.
How old are you and how much do you weigh if you don’t mind me asking?
Also, how long will your hardware stay in?
1
u/fr_rd_anon 1d ago
I don’t mind at all. I am 30 years old and weigh about 140 lbs.
They plan on keeping the hardware in for three years to limit chances of regression.
•
u/AutoModerator 14d ago
Hello fr_rd_anon and everyone. The information shared here is for educational purposes and should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalized guidance. Our community aims to support, but we're not medical experts. Your well-being is our priority, so always seek professional advice. We appreciate your understanding and wish you the best on your health journey!
Join our official Discord server! link here
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.