mohammad's Guestbook

Mohammad you are not alone. I had the Ross procedure done on 9/23 of this year and was honestly not prepared for the amount of pain I would be in. I had some complications and continue to struggle with pain but not nearly what it was a month ago. I’m finally down to just taking Advil during the day and a muscle relaxer to sleep. I tried sleeping in my bed but at nearly 8 weeks I’m still sleeping in recliner. I continue to flood both my surgeon and cardiologist with questions and both, thankfully, answer me still. Try to remember that everyone is different and you are the only one that knows your pain. You have to be your own advocate. Unfortunately no one can tell when full recovery will complete. I just suggest to focus on today and if it’s even just a little better than yesterday than it’s good. This group here that Adam created has been a godsend. I hope you find comfort here as well. God bless you. You can do this!!

I think sometimes the doctors are a little too optimistic in saying you will be pain free in 6-8 weeks. I think recovery from such a big surgery is different for everyone, and can take longer in some people. Have you consulted with a neurologist or pain doctor to see if they have some idea why you are having so much pain? There may be medications to help you through this prolonged recovery if you are dealing with nerve pain or nerve injury, possibly due to the surgery. I hope you get some answers soon. And I think your English is very good!

Mohammad - Welcome to the site! I am sorry to read you're experiencing so much pain since your procedure. What you may be feeling is the regeneration of nerves. I specifically had an entry that involved freezing the nerves near my heart, so I didn't initially have pain, but for more than a year, I had numbness, soreness, pins and needles, and occasionally quick stabbing pain on my right side and back. Even if you had a traditional sternotomy or mini-sternotomy, nerves can be disrupted and they take a long time to settle down. I hope you get at the source of your pain or that it resolves on its own, but keep searching for answers - you're too young not to enjoy life to the fullest. Please keep us posted on your progress!