Originally Posted by 184jones

Well done! having read some bits on this website, it seemss the the post operative recovery can beinfluenced by what sort of TOS and rib resection you had and by the level of fitness before the op

I am 7 weeks post op for a rib resection and scalenectomy and its a bit of a roller coaster. I only had 10 days from initial symptom & diagnosis to the actual operation as mine was arterial and had already had a blood clot in my hand.
It was a whirlwind of tests, specialists and second opinions and almost wish I had more time before the operation to prepare mentally. I went from being quite fit (still need to shed a few kilos!)with a cold, numb finger to the operation and completely imoble and that was the real shock.

The operation was abouto 4.5 hours and the first few days after the op were agony with shoulder pain and breathing problems. My diaphram had come right up my chest due to nerve paralysis adn was extremely uncomfortable. I take my hat off to all those people who were discharged after one or two nights, I was in hospital for over a week and had physio twice a day from day 2. I was on morphine for 3 days which gave me migraines and for the first 2 weeks after the operation i was unable to sleep for longer than 2 hours at a stretch.

Things do improve, I have been lucky with complete home help ( we live in Singapore) and so I think my recovery has speeded up as I have been able to rest as much as I want.

7 weeks down the track, still having pain in my elbow and this last week periodic coldness of my middle finger (this is not painful just irritating). It seems that the pec muscle may be pinching as this is very tight and painful. I have been back to my surgeon who has put me on muscle relaxants to see if it is truly the cause ( I think this is why, Singaporean surgeons are great but not at explaining things).

I have begun to exercise again, managed 20 mins on the runner today and am feeling very chuffed with myself.

My scar has healed really well, if anyone is contemplating the surgery its worth asking if a plastic surgeon can close up. Its not much cost in the relative scheme of things and because of the location of the surgery lots of insurance companies will pay for it.

I have been shocked by the total cost of the whole procedure and thank god that we had great medical over. So far my bill has come to approx SGD $60,000 ($48,000USD aprrox) and that is without any of the physio which they estimate for another $5000SGD.

I had Arterial TOS so there was no option to not have surgery but I have realised I will rpobably take the full 3-6 months to fully recover

Originally Posted by kyoun1e

Folks,

Very interesting and valuable read.

While it seems like recovery depends on the individual and their specific circumstances, I'm wondering what guidelines most of you were given in terms of recovery and timing for the following:

1. Rest -- I would imagine your doctor's ordered you to do absolutely nothing for some period of time. Couple weeks?

2. Stretching / Manual Therapy -- At what point did you start doing range of motion movements? Have somebody execute manual therapy?

3. Strengthening -- At what point was it "safe" to start doing strengthening work to start rehabing the injury? After a month? Six weeks? Two months?

4. Back To Activities As Normal -- This would mean, whatever you were doing prior to the condition (i.e. riding your bike, playing tennis, etc.) you can now do safely. Three months post op? Six months?

Trying to get a general gauge in the case I have to have surgery myself. I need to fit this into my life so it has the least impact on my personal and professional situations.

Thanks in advance.

KY

Originally Posted by BexUK

Hi there
I can let you know what my doctor told me to do, although I'm sure doctors and guidelines vary from place to place...

1) I didn't get told specifically to rest, although I was told that I would probably feel quite out of it for a couple of weeks. They said that it really varies from person to person how much the op impacts on you - I was lucky and recovered quickly but I've read about a lot of people who have had taken a while to get back on their feet.

2) I saw the physiotherapist just before I was discharged from hospital (around 36h after the op) and she gave me exercises for my shoulder to do as often and soon as possible, to prevent it 'freezing'. It mostly consisted of lifting my arm and stretching my neck to improve the range of motion as it was very stiff to start with.

3) After a few weeks I was sent to a physiotherapist who carried on with getting my shoulder strength back and helping me with my range of motion. I saw her once a week for around 6 weeks I think, and she advised me that I could go to the gym and do light exercises as soon as I felt ready.

4) This again, I think, must vary a lot depending on exactly what op you have/any complications and prior health etc, I got back to uni after about 2.5 weeks (walking the 3-4 miles there and back!) and the gym a couple of weeks after this. I built up slowly as I didn't want to overdo it. I would say it took at least 3-4 months before I could do pretty much everything again, although I got some problems with muscle cramping after prolonged standing for 6 months or so.

Hope this is helpful

Bex