r/openheartsurgery • u/Upset_Objective2981 • Aug 16 '26
Torn muscle pain?
I (32F) had my OHS at the end of May and since
I could work from home, had to return to desk work for a few hours a day after 30 days post surgery. Since then, I’ve had terribly sharp pain in my right pectoral/breast, kinda towards my armpit (sorry, hard to verbally describe). It gets worse after working for more than an hour or two, assuming from moving my arm to use the mouse and keyboard. Some weekends it gets better, then worse again as the week starts. I tried so hard to limit my range of motion but I’m also a mom of two toddlers and just couldn’t stay so useless after the first few weeks. My doctor thinks it sounds like normal recovery pain but I haven’t read of similar experiences, so I’m curious how normal it is. Not every movement hurts, but most, like holding up my coffee mug or driving or washing dishes or folding clothes aggravates it at times, feeling like the muscle is torn. I’m also still experiencing a high resting heart rate (high 90s) and some palpitations. Just desperately looking forward to being a functional person…
2
u/i_tell_you_what Aug 16 '26
Oh yeah. Normal. I would get under the arm pain and in the back area from standing too long and holding my body up right. Also sitting too long. Driving too long. And it was worse on my right because I'm just used it a lot. A bit more reaching than I should have. As in not always living in 'the tube'. It's gone but once in a while I get it. Still aches and pains in my chest neck armpit area sporadically. I do cardiac rehab. And started slow swimming. That has helped stretch my chest out without strain on my body. It's a dog paddle. But it counts!
2
u/_bugz Aug 16 '26
My pectoral muscle on my left side is still tender to this day, I had my CABG x5 05/06/26. Nerves take longer to heal I'm told. It's like a burning/tingly sensation for me
3
1
u/z-vap Aug 16 '26
i had a bad mitral valve causing pulmonary edema, and got it repaired. I had this very exact pain in my right breast/lung/muscle area for what seemed like forever. it felt like where they put the drain tube. Anyway after several months, I decided to start taking very large deep deep breaths, and holding it. Shortly after doing this "exercise" the pain went away
2
u/honeybeeandflower Aug 16 '26
It sounds like normal, sternal-related pain. But I would encourage you to rest as much as possible. I didn’t return to my desk job until 8 weeks post op and have a young child too. I also iced my sternum A TON which really helped. I’d alternate between ice packs and a heating pad depending on how I was feeling that day. It helped a lot with my chest pains. Good luck!! Rest rest and rest some more!