Caitlin's Journal

George Gardopee  Hi Caitlin. Being nervous is normal. This is a lot to take in, especially for someone so young. I was terrified for a year and a half waiting for my surgery. The actual surgery and recovery (for myself anyway) was not nearly as bad as I anticipated. 

Regarding sternotomy vs. thoractomy (or robotic) - people here have had a very wide range of experiences. It appears to me that those with less-invasive surgeries are back to normal activities quicker than those with full sternotomies, but I have the sense that there is often longer-term discomfort with the smaller entries. This may be due to the fact that the location of the smaller incisions interrupts more nerves that take time to recover. The sternum has almost nothing in the way of nerves that need to be cut, so relatively little pain after. In my case I was hoping for robotic repair but I ended up with a sternotomy. I may have just been lucky, but I needed nothing but Tylenol starting the third day after surgery. But, with a full sternotomy you won’t be allowed drive for 6-10 weeks due to the risk of damage if you were to hit the steering wheel or air bag in an accident. But, no long term pain. I was even able to sleep in my side in the step-down room. But I should mention that I was 68 at the time of my surgery; some of my wiring might have already failed before my sternotomy. Good luck Friday. It will be an enormous relief when it is over.

Caitlin Roman  Thank you George, that's really helpful to hear! I am leaning toward the sternotomy as well but need to discuss with my surgeon tomorrow. I'm glad you had a straightforward recovery! 

J Alexander Lassally  Hi there!  Completely understandable to feel the anxiety and all of the compounded stress of this moment. I was 50 when I had the surgery! 
As for the choice, tough one. I elected sternotomy after a ton of research. Most people here favor thoracotomy, so I was in the minority.  There are definite tradeoffs for both - it depends a lot on the outcomes history of who is doing it... So a great doc of either stripe is probably good. 
What you don't want is a "newbie surgeon" selling their latest trick or treat at a smaller hospital. Happy to answer questions. 

Pamela Gregory  Waiting is without question one of the hardest parts! I was 55 and had a mini sternotomy. My scar starts lower than a lot of others I have seen which I didn't really care about at the time but now that all is said and done its kind of nice. Soon you will be recovering and starting your journey to feeling way better

Ann T  Hi! My situation was a little different. I ended up with 2 emergency heart surgeries. First one was when I was 29 and the second was at 37 years old! I know it's a shock thinking about it. It has made me surprised at what our bodies can go through. The first one was a Thoracotomy and second was sternotomy. To be honest I really didn't notice much difference in the recovery regarding the site.  I would just recommend making sure to keep up with the incentive spirometry exercises after to keep the lungs clear. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for tomorrow!