One Month Post-Operative for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome - Left Side

I am now 4 weeks or one month post-operative from surgery for left-sided Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. My scar has been a little itchy in recent days, but I am still regularly applying scar oil on to it and doing stretches in the area and massaging the scar to ensure that it heals underneath ideally without adhesions.

I still have some chest pain although the area affected is smaller than it was 2 weeks ago and again I massage that in all directions and combined with pain relief, that seems to help. It would be interesting to find out more about the healing involved in the chest pain - e.g. what is going on - new nerves remapping etc.

I was given my first exercise just over a week ago involving a rotator cuff exercise. lying down doing ten reps and 3 sets of ten per day. I haven't quite got control of the movement on descent, but that is partly because of my hypermobility and it will take me time to build up to strengthen the whole range. I am seeing my physio tomorrow, so he might give me a new exercise to build on that, or something entirely different but to work on strengthening my very weak shoulder girdle.

I have been able to play the recorder a few times - sometimes for an hour at a time and this has gone very well and really become my breathing exercise, rather than using the balls anymore, although I should check whether I should still be continuing with that.

I made contact with the surgical administrator this week and she has pencilled me in on 22nd November, pending agreement from my surgeon. I asked her to pass on to my surgeon that I was/am doing really well and that hopefully I will be ready for the second surgery by that time. I would just love to get all this finished by the end of the year!!!

This week I saw my pain doctor who had always believed my pain was physical and structural and that I needed surgery and she was utterly thrilled about how this surgery had gone and I offered to create her a presentation as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is not well known about and she can use it in her lectures for junior doctors!