Two weeks Post-Op

This is me at two weeks post-operative for left-sided Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. As you can see, the scar is healing very well, and is hardly visible, although it depends on the light. and it is about 2 inches long. Doing gentle breathing exercises and stretches has enabled the tissue to heal well I think without sticking or causing adhesions.

I saw my physio today who was impressed with how I am doing at this stage. He said that the 'buring' 'hot' chest pain I am experiencing is to with the nerves remapping themselves following all that time of being compressed and that this will pass in a couple of weeks. He suggested that I wear a sling to offload the presssure from my arm for considerable periods of the day to hopefully provide some relief.

So, I have managed to avoid strokes,, blood clots and any other dangerous pathology, infection etc.

My physio did some very gentle work on my chest, local to the scar and to the back of the shoulder, and I will see him again next week.

He said to work on my breathing exercises and not not just be aiming for hitting all the balls to the top. This is further explained  here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6gH4VcqXo0

Buring Pain - Day 11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkeXKrTfe9U&t=7s
The above Youtube shows me at 10 days post-op, but I am now feeling a great day of buring in the whole of my sternum and to the top of where my breast starts on the left.

Last night I had a great deal of difficulty getting off to sleep due to pain. Everything feels hot and so, so sore. I was so glad this area on the sternum had remained numb until very recently. It helped me to get out of hospital. I would have struggled to leave hospital with that pain, as well as the pain that is around my scar and feels like it is pulling all the muscles in this area.

I am having some random pain radiating down my left arm - it could be the subluxing ulnal nerves, and it ends in the little finger, but it is definitely not staying there, as it was permanent pain before the operation.

I still seem to be needing so much sleep and just fall asleep watching the TV.

I had therapy today, but it has taken it out of me, and the journey was really a bit too much.

I am now waiting to hear from my physio about my appointment on Thursday, and whether this should be a 30/60 minute appointment.

Other than that, no temperature or fever, just general post operative soreness and the pain and novelty of having surgery has long since worn off!

Managing Pain and Other Changes

Yesterday I took a short nap at about 5pm. I woke up with my right arm numb and neural pain, the sorts of symptoms I was having so often on my left arm that it was perhaps not so obvious on the right, as the right has never been symptom severe as the left, although in fact it has just about the same level of subclavian artery occlusion and [100% when Rob did testing], it has a slightly wasted lateral aspect of my hand and the scalenes are even closer together than the left side. For me this just makes it all the more definite that I should have surgery on the right side when the time is right. I really hope my surgeon can fit me in before the end of the year, and far enough away from Christmas that I will be able to manage the pain and enjoy it. Mind you, I am already coping so well after one week on the left side, it is amazing.

I am having to see a GP this afternoon because the receptionists couldn't manage to ask one of the GPs verbally if I could briefly increase my Oramorph for a bit longer as to cut it from 120mg a day to 40 is a big cut. I am going to negotiate 60mg per day, so taking 10mg every 4 hours, or something like that. It is a shame I have to waste a GP appointment as this could so easily have been done over the phone. Still, my carer thought I should get this checked as it is Friday, and to make sure all is well before the weekend.

I am still trying to do my stretches and breathing exercises. Having my hair washed in the bath was easier today than on Tuesday, so things are changing all the time. I am also extremely tired so lot of sleep is necessary, but that is OK - I only had major surgery just over a week ago. I also have extreme pain over my sternum that feels like an elephant has stepped on it. That is not so great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93hK6pgu_v4

One week - 7 days Post-op

At this stage coughing is finally becoming less painful, and at the end of day 6 I had some sensation in the previous numb sternum area - this seems to be fading in and out of pain/numbness. I am looking very well indeed, but tired. I slept like a log both nights since I returned home. I am managing my pain well but obviously not on as much oramorph as I was - but this was not well communicated from the hospital to my GP, so now as it turns out I am actually seeing a GP tomorrow, although they could easily of agreed a compromise in raising my usual at home dose just for another 7 days. I am doing well, and in nowhere near the pain I had expected to be in.

I have just managed to go and have my eyes tested. I am being very careful carrying much and have a bun bag as there is no way I can use a rucksack at the moment. I am really impressed with how I am coping. I have bought some scar oil and I have been using Arnica, the homeopathic medication for bruising and all of this I think is helping my recovery. I am also doing some small Bowen Technique moves on and around the scar work. I am going to be resuming physiotherapy from next week. I haven't got half the fear about  having the second side done when it comes to it. I already think I am much better and in less neural pain especially between my elbow and my hand than I was pre-surgery. I tried playing my recorder last night but it is still a bit sore for that just yet. Below is me at one week post op.

Day 5 Post-Op

I got up by 8.30am and had breakfast and was off the ward by 9.30am to go to the station in readiness for the 10.45 train. Everything ran to time. I got all my discharge paperwork and the staff returned my medications to me. I promised to do a letter of thanks and compliments to the ward staff when I got home. I was incredibly impressed with the hospital. My surgeon wants me to attend an outpatient appointment in c8 weeks and then I hope we'll have the next surgery by late November time. I definitely want to go come back to the same ward again. My consultant thought this wouldn't be a problem.

When I got back home it was nice to check my post, but then I had a mountain of washing and my carer came and we went food shopping and she washed my hair - this was painful due to the lack of strength I had in supporting my neck at the front, but we managed, and it was nice to get out of all hospital related clothing and into fresh clothes. I had supper which my carer helped with and a few hours it was all I could do to stay awake and I was in bed by 8.30pm. This is how my surgical staff looked at this stage:

Coughing is still painful and there is a lot of pain on my back on the left side as well as the wound feeling very heavy and pulling hard, hence the importance of ongoing stretches and the breathing exercises.

Here is a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRV1x356Wx0&t=3s

Day 4 Post-Op

By day 4 post-op, all my dressings were removed including steristrips. This made the wound feel easier, although obviously it was still very painful and tight and I couldn't yet sleep on the left side, although I could just about lie on my right side. Coughing remained painful, and so did the numbness on the sternum area. My consultant reassured me over time I would regain feeling in this area. I made a decision not to go home on the afternoon of this day, but decided I wanted one more night in hospital as I was still on a lot of oramorph. My consultant was happy with this, and I arranged to book a train for the following morning so that I could arrive at London at lunch time and then have my carer to come and wash my hair and go food shopping. This was all a good decision and I arranged to have the same help with getting on and off the train at both ends.

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOdROuqLKbQ

The weekend of 14th and 15th September - days 2 and 3 post-op

I had noticed a numb patch around my sternum. The oncall weekend consultant thought it was probably just due to the local anaesthesia and that the nerves were still slightly numb and stretched and that this would go.

Here is a YouTube Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVcMgpu_Pfw

I had a visit on day one post surgery and also on both weekend days from a very lovely lady who I had connected to on Facebook and who gave me a lovely card and spent time with me and gave me a lot of support whilst I was in hospital as I was far too far away from friends and family. This was very kind of  her and I was so grateful to have a visitor. Also the visiting hours are not overly long which makes a huge difference as I was particularly fatigued - particularly on day 3 post-operative and driftd in and out of sleep.

Since day two post op I had also been using a spirometer as a a breathing exercise to inhale and move three different colour balls to the top - red was easiest to move, yellow somewhere in the middle and blue was much harder. I was to do this a few times a day every day. Coughing at this point was still very painful. I also had to do gliding stretches so that too much scar tissue didn't form or fascia stick to my healing wound.

Below are pictures of me at this stage and my spirometer