Hi Sheri, thanks for sharing. That does make me feel better. I think this experience is just much more than anyone can prepare you for. Was there. Need for you to have a second surgery or was that discussed? Thanks again

QUOTE=Sheri_TOS;867703]Laura -

I know four people locally who have had their 1st rib removed due to a blood clot forming in their vein. One person had a 9 inch blood clot. They all were back to work in the 2 to 4 week time frame depending on the type of jobs they had and still have no long term problems. Just because they were back to work doesn't mean they were pain free. I think they all had monitoring (repeat angiograms??) for awhile and were on blood thinners for 3 to 6 months post surgery. I think the post-op treatment varied by surgeon. So, to make a long story short, it sounds like you are on a similar track. Hang in there!

Everyone's recovery is different! I, too, was expecting a longer recovery after surgery after reading the posts. I went back to work at 5 weeks as I had used up my vacation time.[/QUOTE]