Jeanette's Posts

A lot of people have used silicone tape with great success, so you may want to start there. I reacted to the adhesive in the tape and had to abandon it and have been using silicone gel without the tape. The gel has to dry before I can put any clothes on, but it works. Just be aware, though, that speed is measured in months here… I had my annual checkup with my dermatologist about 6 months after my surgery, and she essentially told me it takes at least a year to heal, so to speak. I forgot the exact term she used. Check with your surgeon to make sure it's ok to apply whatever you choose to use. Some surgeons tell you to apply antibiotic ointments, while others, like mine, tell you to leave it alone for a certain amount of time. You definitely don't want to apply anything that is not sterile until the wound is closed.

For the first few weeks I wore sweatshirts with tank tops underneath. Sweatpants or jeans were fine. I later graduated to tees with the same tanks underneath. I got front closing bras but didn't like them. I think I went to regular bras and other clothes,at about two months. Now 10 months the post surgery ( full sternomoty) and besides the scar it is like I never had it. Good luck.

Hi, I had severe stenosis w/calcification and heart failure. I had no idea, thinking it was due to something else. I had a valve replacement in another country. Immediately was diagnosed with endomitreal cancer. So I followed OHS with hysterectomy and chemo/immunotherapy. My heart valve recalcified within a couple of months. The cardiologists at that hospital didn't want to deal--they gave me a ton of meds and said they could try repairing it but that it probably wouldn't work. After a few worsening months, very sypmtomatic, I went to Mt Sinai and Dr David Adams office. They took it a lot more seriously--the valve was a real mess and apparently the entire area was a disaster. I don't know why. I got a peak at the diagnosis but didn't get a copy yet. Severe Mitral stenosis, Milder mitral regurgitation, some issue with the tricuspid, not sure what, but they fixed it. I also had AFIB that was worse than I realized and the cardiologists at the first hospital didn't seem to pay attention, but it wasn't a surprise about the afib. I can only assume that the first surgery was somehow incomplete. Surgeries were 2023 and 2024. First was porcine, second was bovine. Both were sternotomies.