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im 18 and just recntly had 2 operations for cervical ribs

Posted , 6 users are following.

Lou_18
Lou_18

hi i had the same operation a couple of months ago but im only 18 now.befor everythink starts you have all your check ups it turned out over all we had to drive to lestciter hospital 17 times.

mine was i very bad case of cervical rib syndrome because the ribs were crushig my nerves the doctors said it looks like a sphagetti junstion in side lol and it was also crushing my major archerys that supply blood to my heart so in the end i had no choice i had to have it done. they done my right side first on 17th january 2006, i went in the day before didnt sleep all night they gave me a tablet that calms you down befor your operation so i took that an i was ready to go sad i went to sleep my operation was 9 hours :shock: i woke up in a major fit couse i was so panicking i had a drain in my chest 2 wires in my neck 3 in each arm and 1 in my foot i had all these wire on me i looked like a robot. i had to have a blood tranfusion aswell,i was in intensive care for 3 days then i went on the childrens ward for 2 weeks finally they took the drain out of my chest 2 days befor i was allowed home. i was on so many pain killers it was mad i said to my self i didnt want to go though that agian BUT...then it came to my next operation 6th september 2007 sad this time i was dredding it, i had my operation at 12 in the afternoon i was in the the operating room for 11 hours, it was sooo different this time because what happend when they took the ribs out they puncherd my left lung so when i woke up i had to have 2 drains in another in my chest an 1 near my left lung. over all they removed 4 ribs alltogether because the other 2 ribs were getting in the way.to this day im stil very bad i am now sufferin from anixaty an depression i take alsorts of tablets i dont want to be like this all my life im only 18 i should be out there enjoyin myself but at this piont i cant i my have nerve damage which mines i might not bable to start my first every job sad. we have just found out that my 2nd 3rd an 4th um i think its called a vertibry on my spine are fused altogther so now were gone to c what they are gone to do about that. thanks for readin it would be nice to hear from some 1 who has had the same experiance as me. xx :wink:

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • rio7447
    rio7447

    Posted

    You poor soul, what a nightmare. I now consider myself very lucky after reading your experience. I had a left cervical rib removed 5 weeks ago and am doing really well, just some residual pain in my shoulder and some nerve problems in my chest where we think the clamp was, but hoping that will settle down. I've also got to have the right one removed, but can't imagine doing that if I had been through what you have. I only hope things get better for you and your pain eases, smile.
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    i had no chose i had to have it done becouse it was crushin the archerys to my hart,

    iremeber waking up with all these drains in me and wires in me it was horrible sad

    but i kepp sayin to my self it over a done with i just have to consentrate on getting better

    rio7447 were r u from ?

  • itsme_leigh
    itsme_leigh

    Posted

    I too have just been diagnosed with bi-lateral cervical ribs. My right side is much worst than my left and I am going to see a surgeon in two weeks. I have been in severe pain for 10+ years and have got to have some relief. My question is...to remove the rib where does the surgeon make the incision and how much of an incision will there be?

    Thanx smile

  • rio7447
    rio7447

    Posted

    Hi Lou 18 and itsme_leigh, First Lou 18, I'm from Chesterfield in Derbyshire but I had my operation in the Northern General in Sheffield.

    Right, Leigh, I can't believe my scar, anyone who doesn't know me or knows about my operation never notice my scar. Apparently there are 2 ways to get at them, one more intrusive than the other, but I think it must depend on different things. mine was removed through an incision just above my collar bone on my neck and it isn't very long at all, he had to take it out in pieces because it was quite large. I'm really glad I had it done though because I only get a little discomfort in my shoulder now, which is nothing compared to prior the operation. I think I have a picture somewhere just after my op, I'll try and post it on here. smile

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Dear Lou,

    hang in there - I have been where you are with horrendous complications after removal of my cervical ribs - I rejected the internal stitches which caused the nerves to mend incorrectly leading to periods of temorary paralysis, feeling like a blow torch was being run up and down my arms to describe a few post op symtoms.

    I was 14 when I had my ribs removed (over 27 years ago). The operation was estimated to be about two hours but went for eight because like you when the surgeons opened me up the ribs were intwined through lots of blood vessels and nerves. I can literally say I almost had my head cut off as they only left an inch uncut at the front (to support my ribcage) and an inch at the back over my spine.

    It took a long time for me to get over the operation, how I woke up and the immeadiate impact of the aftercare. I can still see the operating lights now if I think about it. I really feel for you because I think you have had a bad shock and were very,very brave to go back for a second operation. That was the amazing thing that you did. The shame is it is only two hurdles down and by the sounds of it several more to go. There are going to be downtimes but try this. About a year after my operation when the world was very black, because of the pain I was in, I was sat with a friend who had just had hole in heart surgery. We were about 15. He was frustrated because he couldn't be playing football and I was just hurting. Any way we were sat on a wall cross that we couldn't be joining in with the rough and tumble of our friends. He looked up at the sky and asked me 'Have you ever noticed just how blue the sky is ?' We sat for ages looking at the blueness of blue. Talking about what would have happened if we hadn't had our operations. Looking at blue lead to looking at patterns in litchen, walls and just enjoying the fact that we were still here able to enjoy looking at blue sky. It is not that what happened to us was unimportant it was simply refocusing how we looked at things helped. So on down and miserable days - stop and enjoy the blueness of blue. Best of luck to you.

  • Stacey222
    Stacey222

    Posted

    that last message nearly made me cry! That's a wonderful piece of advise smile
  • lisamarie_22
    lisamarie_22

    Posted

    Hi everyone I'm going in on Tuesday to Have operation to remove one of my 2 cervail ribs I am so scared all I'm scared about is waking up I do or not lol I can't wait till Wednesday as it will all be over :-(
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