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Originally Posted by cherie1955
Good Morning, I just had a Left rib resection two and a half weeks ago for thoracic outlet syndrome. I have had some improvement but am experiencing alot of pain under my shoulder blade that radiates clear thru my chest wall and makes it very hard to breathe. I have had an x-ray to make sure my lung didn't collapse. It hasn't, thank God. What could be causing this excrutiating pain? I am currently taking Neurontin (nerve pain), Lor-tab (pain), and Robaxin (Muscle spasms).
Cherie1955
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i had pain that felt like i had something stuck through me between the shoulder and the center of my chest...i know what you are describing. there are two places where your rib was attached...one in front and one in back. They will both hurt for a while. I had very tender areas around my breastbone and in that area of the shoulder where the rhomboid is.
It took me 4-6 weeks for the pain from the rib resection to get back to where is was pre-surgery, and it started getting better a little at a time from there. (but it was three months and a cortisone shot before i felt really very significantly better on my worst side)
Remember someone cut you open, went in and yanked out a bone that was connected in two places (front and back), then wrestled with your nerves to get them freed from surrounding structures, and sewed you back up again! It is a big deal and it does not heal over night, that's for sure.
Is the pain you are having now new since surgery? Is it getting better or worse with time? If it is getting worse, was it possibly brought on by increased activity?
If the pain is increasing with time and not brought on by activity, bug your doctor a LOT until he/she figures out what is going on. If your pain is similar and decreasing (even very slowly) over time, it may just be part of the slow natural healing process.
