Hello everyone, I enjoyed reading many of your posts. I don't know why I didn't think sooner to find a place like this.
It's been about 3 1/2 months since my multi-X bypass. I "think" I'm doing pretty good ... good days, bad days and everything in between, still. Above ground is a good thing though, right?
I told my cardios (2) about a sensation I've been experiencing. Located behind my sternum, when I cough, sneeze or sometimes just move in certain ways, it feels like something (in there) is being squeezed tight, then released and then it "thunks" back into place. My Dr's give me a funny look and reply that I'll have a lot of different feelings going on inside my chest for 6-12 months.
Has anyone else experienced this kind of "thunking"? And if so, do you know its cause? Should I be concerned? Should I light a fire under my Dr's feet?
Any and all feedback is much appreciated!!
Ed
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3 months out and still thunking
- By celeritas
- Posted July 20, 2009 at 1:13 am · 3 replies
- In Life after heart bypass surgery
- Shared with the public
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- By manderskat
- Posted July 20, 2009 at 12:57 pm
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Is it a fairly regular occurrence whenever you cough or sneeze? I don't have any "thunking", but there was one time when moved a little one way and felt like my sternum moved out of place a little before settling back in. I have since had an X-ray and everything was normal, and I have not had a recurrence, so I think in my case it was nothing.
I think that if you are concerned about it that you should continue to pester your doctor about it; it can't hurt to let them know it bothers you, and if they continue to dismiss it as nothing without any other checks, I would keep insisting they check it out a little further. Have they done any X-rays lately?
Other than that it sounds like you are doing OK with your recovery, so keep it up and keep us informed!
- By celeritas
- Posted July 20, 2009 at 6:17 pm
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Yes, it's going on all the time. And you're right, other than that I'm doing OK. My last X-ray was about 6 weeks ago ... no apparent problems. I'm scheduled for an echo 8/11. I was explaining all this to a friend just a little while ago at Starbucks when a gentleman came over to our table. He said he is an M.D. He suspects it's the wiring holding my sternum together hooking scar tissue or maybe muscle that’s putting the squeeze on my esophagus … maybe. He said that wiring is cause for a lot of the pain we feel too. Made sense to me. What timing huh!? Sooooo, I'm gunna not sweat it for now.
Thank you so much for the feedback and encouragement. How's it going for you?
- By manderskat
- Posted July 20, 2009 at 11:47 pm
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I am doing better than I ever expected. I am up to 1.5 miles on my daily walk and it takes about 27-28 minutes. It feels great to be able to do that and only experience the heavy breathing that comes from exercise and not from merely getting up from the couch! Thanks for asking!
Let us know how the echo goes.
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