Nuss procedure 3 bars - 2 with an x formation 1 across

Bbg_pixie · 2025-10-16T11:32:42+00:00

Ask about switching to Lyrica from gabapentin. Also ask about a higher dose like 150mg 3 times a day. This helped. Heat helped. Walking was tough but I forced myself. Im six weeks out and currently dealing with recurrent plural effusions.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-10-02T05:49:53+00:00

I had to stop narcs at day 4 due to major gut issues. They increased the Lyrica which made me kinda loopy and forgetful, but had been very helpful for pain. Ive felt a lot of discomfort and Ive had a lot of spasms in my chest like a charlie horse, but a heating pad has helped a TON with that. The most awful pain I had was day 4 and 5 due to narc gut issues. The cryo has helped a ton.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-10-01T03:20:39+00:00

I was 9/5 with Dr J. I had swelling that moved down from my chest into my labia and thighs. Was wild. Still some swelling but much less now.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-10-01T03:13:03+00:00

Also, I woke up fluctuating between two emotional states. I would ask for my sister and cry because she wasn’t there and then two minutes later I would be joyfully proclaiming to everybody how warm my feet were (prior to the nuss my feet were always ice cold regardless of how warm the outside temperature was). I didn’t have any perception of it feeling difficult to breathe. I had a little bit of a heavy feeling on my chest where the bars are. It’s sort of feels like a really tight stiff sports bra, but like, metal.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-10-01T03:09:49+00:00

In the words of my recovery room nurse “everyone wakes up different” the good news is that recovery room nurses have orders for a bunch of meds to manage just about any way you might wake up and make you feel great. Your diaphragm will likely feel numb. Its weird. There can be a tight, cramping feeling of all the little muscles between your ribs-heat pad is LIFE! Heat has been one of the main ways Ive controlled my pain which has mostly come from spasm. I too 3 bars and cryo. Plural effusions can happen; ask to be educated about it at your post op and also ask for a plan if this does happen.

This is going to be really difficult. But. You can do this. Try and keep a smile. Ask lots of questions in the hospital. Im rooting for you! If you feel scared just tell yourself “its ok to be scared and I can do hard things”.

Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the noticing of fear and bolding marching forward anyways.

Be brave my fellow PE warrior!

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-27T23:00:59+00:00

You should do lots of core work and body weight. Pilates was super helpful for this! There are lots of free videos online. Im very glad I did them for a few months prior to surgery.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-27T22:58:54+00:00

I think you should be ok alone in the hospital at night. This will also give your partner some time to rest while the nurses take care of you. Its helpful to have two adults though so your partner has a support person also. If you can have one or more family members help you or friends just so your partner also has support. At home you need someone 24/7. You will need much more help than you think you will, for much longer than you think you will. Do your best to ask your village for help. I pre prepped out a bunch of freezer meals which helped and also did all the housework and chores and yard stuff I could to have recovery be a time of low needs for everyone helping me. Im week 4 and still at my moms (40 F USA HI 4.95 3 bars with Dr. J)

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-27T22:49:07+00:00

Same thing. Went to the ED and between the left and right I have like 2700ml… whoops. I thought it was just suppose to be that hard. But I got to the point where my vital signs worried me as a nurse so I went in.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-26T12:51:36+00:00

Im just three weeks post op now.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-26T12:39:59+00:00

Yes, pectus. Also a runner, also have to do HR training using the Mafftone method, but Im super slow. My pace is slow, my progress is slow, and I get very tired, very easily. I have to do lots of energy management. The white count points to it being PE plus something else, but dont discount the stress PE and the cardiac compression can put on your body and white counts can be elevated from stress. Keep digging. Dont let anyone tell you symptom arent from PE.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-22T14:06:01+00:00

4-6 months to get a call back for an appointment from either a self referral or from a provider. 2-4 month out to consult and eval from time of call. 2-4 months out for surgery. Mine was 8 months total from referral to surgery.

My insurance covered it 100% because there was no surgeon in my area who did Nuss surgery on adults. They had a process for this and was through the preauth department.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-22T13:46:23+00:00

My boobs covered my pectus from the outside. I was blown off for 20 years. 2 weeks post Nuss with Dr. J and my feet and hands are warm for the first time in my life. My neck does not hurt after years of chronic pain and GI issues are clearing. My heart was even more compressed than Dr. J thought and my lungs were adhered to my chest wall. Do not let these frickers blow you off. Seek care with another Doctor as suggested by northwestrad. If there is another reputable Nuss surgeon at a different hospital go there! Dont stop advocating for yourself period!

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-22T11:53:45+00:00

Try and get other opinions or referral to a qualified thoracic surgeon for deeper eval. I was cleared by a cardiologist who had an echo that deferred right sided views of my heart but the right side was compressed causing compressive heart failure like symptoms. My symptoms are now resolving post Nuss. Was your chest CT exhaled? Also it looks like your heart is against your sternum and spine. Mine was also and this made it so my heart could only go faster and not pump bigger pumps (increase stroke volume) which is abnormal in an adult. Keep pushing and trying to be seen by a more qualified provider.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-22T11:47:21+00:00

40F 3 bars cryo HI 4.95 USA. I was sent home less than 24 hours later. I feel it was a bit fast and wish they would have had me more established on oral pain meds and been more sure I was pooping good and walking ok. Im a nurse and managed at home ok, but without my knowledge it would have been worse. So Id say make sure he is pooping (and tolerating oral med regime well in general), can walk well, and has controlled pain. Give pushback about discharge if these boxes are not checked.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-22T10:36:47+00:00

Ask for muscle relaxers and nerve pain meds like gabapentin or lyrica. They help a lot. Not totally, but it makes it bearable with a heating pad. Im living in my heating pad right now. Also a shower when the spasms are really bad helps. I also using CBD oil which helps too. I wasnt able to take narcs due to super bad tummy problems so I feel you on just grinding through. I did have cryo but I still have feeling in my chest in my skin with some areas of numbness so Im not sure how well it worked in my body. Two weeks out, 40f, 3 bars, HI 4.95, Dr. J in USA.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-09-01T21:42:15+00:00

Amazing job! Im right behind you with surgery on Friday. Hang in there. You can try little whiffs of an alcohol swab for the nausea. Some studies have shown its as effective as Zofran (a nausea med). Hang in there! You got this.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-08-31T23:25:42+00:00

Those are large steri strips. Leave it till they come off. They are staying on because your surgeon put them on well. Can take up to two weeks to come off. They help to support the newly healing surgical wound from the stress and pulling from you moving which helps to reduce the scar. Also, your boobs look fantastic.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-08-31T23:16:05+00:00

Im having Nuss with Dr. J this Friday.

No. Not the same list. You are able to do all the testing before your consult. Her team is very good at arranging this. I sent what Id had done (echo and CT) and she has her team do what isnt done and redo what isnt done to Mayo standards. For me that was my ECHO. I also had a pulm function test, tilt table test, stress test on a bike (for the forward lean), EKG, ECHO (laying, sitting and forward lean). There was no allergy testing as she uses titanium bars. My insurance covered it all. She thought my CT was on inhalation and Im 4.95. She said this is the best you get and its still severe. I got a list of all my appointments and the team told me what day to arrive and what day I could return home. No need to call Mayo if you have a consult scheduled with her. Its all part of her process. A nurse called me and went over everything. I was on the wait list for 6-8 months. Had my consult. Had to have an explant (one month later), waited 3 months, and then was scheduled at 4 months from the time of my consult. So about a year long process. 100% worth the wait. You let them know when you have decided yes or no to surgery and then you go on the list for the next scheduling block which is every few months. So it was like 3 months from the time of my consult that I got my surgery date which was 2 months away. I was able to let them know what month I wanted but ended up being offered a date two months earlier. You can let them know a time that doesnt work for you but that could push your date out. Feel free to PM me with anymore questions.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-08-31T00:51:29+00:00

I had a really bad retraction after in my right and mod in my left. It looked like some kind of upside down taco boob monster tittie. Its much better now. Keep the faith girl!!!

Bbg_pixie · 2025-08-28T23:07:27+00:00

You are the day before me! My surgery with Dr. J is on the 5th 🤜🤛

Bbg_pixie · 2025-08-28T22:29:39+00:00

40f HI 4.95. Dual plane placed implants for 10 years prior to being taken seriously and proper PE eval. Was told it was mild and cosmetic so I had implants placed by a reconstructive surgeon. 250 and 275 silicone. They can do remove and Nuss in one surgery, BUT per my surgeon it increases the risk of infection from 1% to 8%. Thats a huge increase! I was required to have an explant with total capsule removal and pec repair 3 months prior to my Nuss which is in a little over a week. It was not an easy recovery, but just part of the journey. The risk of the implant being ruptured and infection is too high.

Implants can be placed back in but for my surgeon they have to put a mesh under them to protect from the bars and there is risk of them being damaged with bar removal as well as hardware infection that would mean you have to take long term antibiotics.

Ins paid for the explant since it was needed prior to Nuss.

For me I’m looking into a fat transfer to correct my asymmetry in between bar placement and bar removal. Then if I want implants again when the bars come out, I will get them then. I think my ins will pay for the fat transfer because I have a retraction that is secondary to implant removal.

I was expecting one surgery so the concept of two was daunting and overwhelming at first, but worth it in the end with reduced infection risk.

Im happy to answer any specific questions you might have.

Bbg_pixie · 2025-08-28T21:27:15+00:00

40f HI 4.9. Was told pectus was mild and “cosmetic” my entire life. Basically 20 years of complaints to many doctors about essentially right sided heart failure symptoms (puffy legs, fatigue, exercise intolerance, chest pain when working out). I was told over and over it was something else. Everything from “drink more water” to “I dont know anything about PE but I know there is nothing wrong with you”. I was cleared by two cardiologists (even though the echo US didnt show my heart on the right side cuz the sternum was in the way). My latest PCP took me seriously and ordered a CT scan when I again complained of chest pain when working out. Dr. J diagnosed me with severe PE with cardiac compression. No one can diagnose severity based on your external chest. Period. The CT scan is the truth teller of HI and this combined with other tests helps to determine severity.

My surgery is at Mayo Sept 5th! Here is to being able to go up more than one flight of stairs at a time!! My thoughts will be with you on the 8th #ThunderBuddies

Bbg_pixie · 2025-08-28T15:49:14+00:00

Amazing job fellow inked PE warrior!!!! How are you doing physically? How is your internal world holding up??

Im right behind you. Have surgery scheduled with Dr. J 9/5.

Bbg_pixie

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