Aa
Rib Removal?
I have a loose rib, and it's been causing me sooo much pain for over a year now. I am so fusterated, I just want to get it taken out! Has anybody had a rib removed? Was it severely painful? Does it feel different? How long is the recovery time? THANKS!
Hey
I know this is an old post. How are you feeling now??
I had similar problem. I had surgery on my 9th rib and about3 inches was taken out in early 2011. Its end of 2015 and it still hurts. I take Lyrica 75mg when ever i feel painful.
I understand the painful period you been through as am feeling the same. Just wanted to know if it is healed now ?+
Thanks
Nanda
I know this is an old post. How are you feeling now??
I had similar problem. I had surgery on my 9th rib and about3 inches was taken out in early 2011. Its end of 2015 and it still hurts. I take Lyrica 75mg when ever i feel painful.
I understand the painful period you been through as am feeling the same. Just wanted to know if it is healed now ?+
Thanks
Nanda
Hi. I know my problem is different from everyone else's. i am here on this discussion because of my desperation to find help with what i have. A year ago, i had surgery to remove a benign tumor from the head of my pancreas. It was a very difficult surgery, yet the surgeon was skilled and experienced with this rare condition and managed to enucleate the tumor, meaning they didn't have to resect my pancreas, i was discharged after 2 1/2 days, with no drain tube, just ready to heal.
Throughout the healing process, i kept having unusual pain on the left side of my lower chest, more than the other pain from the incision, but it was believed that it was the incision. About 3 months after the surgery, i was feeling the incision and i discovered on the left that one of my ribs was sticking out, it looks abnormal, like a shelf under my breast. I went to my surgeon but he said the rib was not sticking out. i was shocked because my primary doctor had seen it and he gasped when he saw it, he said it was a displaced rib, and i can see it and my daughter can see it.. My surgeon said it just appeared that way from weight loss.
I showed him a small hard lump on the incision on the left and he said it might be a hernia and to return in three months if it was still there. My regular doctor had an ultrasound done soon after that to assess for a hernia (it seemed important to know if it was ok to lift things). The ultrasound report did not find any evidence of hernia, but among the findings they mentioned a 'partial chondrectomy on the left side.' Chondrectomy means removal of cartilage. That would make sense of why my rib is sticking out--if it's no longer attached to the sternum, or whatever role the cartilage played.
Since i do not know what kind of doctor i need to see to find out more about this, i am only guessing but i think this means that during the surgery, some of the rib cartilage was removed so that the surgeon could get to the tumor, which was in a very difficult place. I have the detailed single spaced 4 page surgical report and there is no mention of a chondrectomy so i think my surgeon forgot about it when writing the report. Maybe the assisting doctor cut the cartilage off. He saw me after the surgery and said "You've been through a lot." At the time, i didn't know what he meant, i was very happy the tumor was removed without needing to resect the pancreas, and i healed fast enough to be discharged in 2 1/2 days, but maybe he was talking about the chondrectomy.
My rib cage is now deformed on the left side, but that isn't my main problem. The main problem is the pain. The pain was pretty bad for a few months. I have a new grand daughter who was born 2 months before the surgery, and what seems to worsen or increase the pain is picking her up and carrying her. For a while, i would go most of the day with no pain, but would have pain if i moved in certain ways, like i went swimming in a pool for the first time in decades and when i took a stroke with my arms, i felt a very intense sharp and lasting pain, but it did go away. It was like a healing wound suddenly being ripped open. It usually hurts to get out of bed. I tried some stretching, because when i walk for exercise, it hurts to breathe both in and out, so i forced breathing in and out, hoping to stretch it.
My regular doctor said to go for physical therapy, but due to some bad experience with physical therapy before (neck pain much much worse and extensive, recovered after stopping therapy), i am not wanting to have anyone without knowledge or experience of what is wrong with me do anything, i don't want any trial and error.
The pain has gotten worse, it seems to get worse daily. For the past month or more, i've started noticing very sharp stabbing pain if i sneeze or cough or if i laugh too hard. It's not bad enough to take pain meds and i want to avoid pain meds because they can be harmful to health in other ways.
i want to at least find out real information about what is wrong with me. I do NOT want any unnecessary X-rays or contrast media. If the ultrasound shows that i had a chondrectomy, do i need CT scans or anything like that? What kind of doctor would be familiar with this kind of injury? Googling has been demoralizing, i haven't found one single case of anyone else who has had their rib cartilage removed surgically, or at all. This discussion is the closest i have come. I don't know if there is any treatment that can help this. It feels like something is jabbing me, right under my rib cage. i can elicit the soreness if i press on the area but it seems to move around and not always be in the exact same place, and pushing on it seems to ease it and it will go away, and that is not a bad pain, it's mild. Are there brace type supports that can be worn that would help?
I do not understand what is wrong but i don't want it to keep getting worse. I want to be able to laugh hard and most of all i want and need to be able to pick up and hold my now 16 month old grandchild who is not going to be getting any lighter as time goes on. i babysit for her. i am going to have to pick her up. I really need help. I have posted questions a few other places. I have not gotten any response. That is understandable if i am the only person this has ever happened to before. i will appreciate any comment at all if anyone knows anything that might relate to this, thanks.
Throughout the healing process, i kept having unusual pain on the left side of my lower chest, more than the other pain from the incision, but it was believed that it was the incision. About 3 months after the surgery, i was feeling the incision and i discovered on the left that one of my ribs was sticking out, it looks abnormal, like a shelf under my breast. I went to my surgeon but he said the rib was not sticking out. i was shocked because my primary doctor had seen it and he gasped when he saw it, he said it was a displaced rib, and i can see it and my daughter can see it.. My surgeon said it just appeared that way from weight loss.
I showed him a small hard lump on the incision on the left and he said it might be a hernia and to return in three months if it was still there. My regular doctor had an ultrasound done soon after that to assess for a hernia (it seemed important to know if it was ok to lift things). The ultrasound report did not find any evidence of hernia, but among the findings they mentioned a 'partial chondrectomy on the left side.' Chondrectomy means removal of cartilage. That would make sense of why my rib is sticking out--if it's no longer attached to the sternum, or whatever role the cartilage played.
Since i do not know what kind of doctor i need to see to find out more about this, i am only guessing but i think this means that during the surgery, some of the rib cartilage was removed so that the surgeon could get to the tumor, which was in a very difficult place. I have the detailed single spaced 4 page surgical report and there is no mention of a chondrectomy so i think my surgeon forgot about it when writing the report. Maybe the assisting doctor cut the cartilage off. He saw me after the surgery and said "You've been through a lot." At the time, i didn't know what he meant, i was very happy the tumor was removed without needing to resect the pancreas, and i healed fast enough to be discharged in 2 1/2 days, but maybe he was talking about the chondrectomy.
My rib cage is now deformed on the left side, but that isn't my main problem. The main problem is the pain. The pain was pretty bad for a few months. I have a new grand daughter who was born 2 months before the surgery, and what seems to worsen or increase the pain is picking her up and carrying her. For a while, i would go most of the day with no pain, but would have pain if i moved in certain ways, like i went swimming in a pool for the first time in decades and when i took a stroke with my arms, i felt a very intense sharp and lasting pain, but it did go away. It was like a healing wound suddenly being ripped open. It usually hurts to get out of bed. I tried some stretching, because when i walk for exercise, it hurts to breathe both in and out, so i forced breathing in and out, hoping to stretch it.
My regular doctor said to go for physical therapy, but due to some bad experience with physical therapy before (neck pain much much worse and extensive, recovered after stopping therapy), i am not wanting to have anyone without knowledge or experience of what is wrong with me do anything, i don't want any trial and error.
The pain has gotten worse, it seems to get worse daily. For the past month or more, i've started noticing very sharp stabbing pain if i sneeze or cough or if i laugh too hard. It's not bad enough to take pain meds and i want to avoid pain meds because they can be harmful to health in other ways.
i want to at least find out real information about what is wrong with me. I do NOT want any unnecessary X-rays or contrast media. If the ultrasound shows that i had a chondrectomy, do i need CT scans or anything like that? What kind of doctor would be familiar with this kind of injury? Googling has been demoralizing, i haven't found one single case of anyone else who has had their rib cartilage removed surgically, or at all. This discussion is the closest i have come. I don't know if there is any treatment that can help this. It feels like something is jabbing me, right under my rib cage. i can elicit the soreness if i press on the area but it seems to move around and not always be in the exact same place, and pushing on it seems to ease it and it will go away, and that is not a bad pain, it's mild. Are there brace type supports that can be worn that would help?
I do not understand what is wrong but i don't want it to keep getting worse. I want to be able to laugh hard and most of all i want and need to be able to pick up and hold my now 16 month old grandchild who is not going to be getting any lighter as time goes on. i babysit for her. i am going to have to pick her up. I really need help. I have posted questions a few other places. I have not gotten any response. That is understandable if i am the only person this has ever happened to before. i will appreciate any comment at all if anyone knows anything that might relate to this, thanks.
3 Comments
Hi jaw44, do you have any recent X-ray of your rib cage? That is the bare minimum to begin understanding cause of your pain.
thanks!! i don't think i've had an xraysince the surgery a year ago. i will see about getting a chest X-ray. i hate to have any X-rays because i just want to keep that kind of radiation to a minimum, but if it's necessary to make any progress, i would do it. i would not want to do it if there is no progress possible. thanks again.
How about a sonogram? Muscular skeletal. I think you would have to find a center that has that type of sonogram.
Hi Terry, I have to have 3 ribs removed as well...rib 4, 5 and 6....I'm nervous about the pain....are you still in pain?
I am curiuos to see how your pain is now years later. He had his 7th rib removed 8 monthes ago and is agonizing pain all the time. He has a physical job and is considering permanent disability if they grant it to him.
Thank you
snowflakesride
Thank you
snowflakesride
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