Hi everyone
I'm a 62 years young male, 18 months post-op and a clicking sternum is still my biggest inconvenience.
I say inconvenience, because I know it's not life-threatening and I know it's doing me no harm whatsoever, but it's still weird.
I'm an active strong sort of guy and I know I kept pushing the boundaries of what I could do in the first few months (weeks even) after my op - and now I reckon I'm paying the price.
I broke one of the wires holding my sternum together quite early on doing some competitive swimming/diving with my young daughter whilst on holiday- I also went into the hotel gym to see what equipment I could use.
For a few months I had a "plate of ribs" about the size of the palm of my hand, which moved distinctly when I breathed, coughed, laughed or turned my head over each shoulder- I worried about it and went to see my surgeon, who talked me through all the options and reassured me - no I do not want it opening up again to re-clip - I think I'll just live with it, thank you !
I keep giving myself rest time to let it heal and it keeps right on popping again when I reach up to screw a wall-plug in or mow the lawn or trim the hedge or even ,dammit, make love; however, one thing I do notice is that my recovery time is getting shorter.
All in all a small price to pay for life.
Yes, I get pain in the night if I lie awkwardly, yes, I often wake up with a painful chest, but at least I wake up - the alternative, as they say, is worse!
So, guys and gals with a clicking sternum, give yourselves a break - it's been a major bit of surgery equivalent to being hit in the chest by a small truck. Be grateful you're alive to feel the discomfort and see it for that - discomfort, that's all it is.
Best wishes
John
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Clicking Sternum
- By jabberwock
- Posted November 2, 2009 at 4:56 am · 3 replies
- In Life after heart bypass surgery
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- By celeritas
- Posted November 2, 2009 at 10:37 am
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Hello John, thanks for the info. I have similar problems with my ribs, at the joining to the sternum. I think I did this to myself by swimming too early in my recovery. I'm about 7 mo's post-op now, and for the last 4 mo's I've been dealing with the moving ribs and associated pain. Most of what little pain remains I take care of with ibuprofin. Do you expect your's to completely heal, eventually? Or, where you said you'd "live with it" do you expect this to be permanent? "Clipping" does not sound like something I would opt-in for. Thanks, again, John.
- By jabberwock
- Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:20 am
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I'm honestly reaching the point where I expect it will be permanent and I'm going to have to adjust my activities a bit to suit - no more sea-fishing casting heavy weights etc. I am continually surprised at just how many activities put a lateral stress on the sternum - I guess that's why it's such a big strong plate of bone; I still get cross though when I have to ask younger men in the family to do things which I would have had no trouble with two years ago - "just being sensible and protecting my chest" is my watchword.
Rgds
John
- By blkrino
- Posted November 3, 2009 at 9:44 am
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John, I am also a sometime young 62 and sometime an old 62.
Five days after my original operation June 08, I ripped all my wires out and they opened me up again. When they put the chest bone together is was misaligned and now I have a loose bone connecting my sternum to my shoulder and it makes popping or grinding sounds when I use my shoulder. I don't have any pain thought. I understand what you mean when you feel funny asking younger guys for help now since you used to do it yourself before.
The only thing I can say is WE EARNED IT.
Reinhard
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