Breast bone wiring

Good question @freedancer69,
Of course, we are all different and respond to pain differently as well, so it is a subjective answer I give based on my own experience.
There is pain with any surgery. That's a no-brainer. It is not pleasant to be sure, to have your chest wired back together. I have nine wires in my chest. They no longer cause discomfort of any kind. I had no stiches, except the internal ones that dissolve over time. The wound healed quickly, maybe two weeks or so?
Your pain will be your guide for activity, and your body will tell you when not to do something. You will most likely have weight restrictions and driving restrictions for about 4 weeks. It goes by really fast.
It took several months for me to be able to sleep on my side. I didn't want to, it just didn't feel good. So I used a pillow behind me to give me an ever-so-slight sensation of sleeping side ways and a feeling of security.
There is a hesitation to cough or deep breathe for about four weeks as well...or the surprise sneeze that can catch you off guard. It was hard for me to get in or out of a lot of things...like in/out of bed. In/out of car. In/out of chair. But you will find ways to do so without much discomfort.
It's really amazing how strong we really are and how we learn to cope with discomfort. I never took one pain pill, only Advil the entire time...including the first night in ICU. They gave me Extra Strength Tylenol in the hospital, which did basically nothing. After getting the green light to take Advil it worked so much better.
No sugar coating here. There will be pain. Any surgery has pain associated with it. I just had bilateral meniscectomies in my right knee and the pain was not fun, and I still have pain. My open heart surgery was a much quicker healing process than my knee! But there are obvious differences in surgeries.
Do you have a hobby or something that you can do that brings you joy or peace between now and April 11?

Thank you. Yes, I have two home businesses that I run.

I had my breast bone wired post mitral valve replacement st judes valve, in 1990. It really wasn't " painful " but more of a nuisance, that required planning.
Example, do not wait till last minute to use the restroom or if you are going to sneeze splint with your pillow to aid pain control and healing.
Learning and practice before surgery toget out of bed from a flat position to raised position also helpful. I used tylenol to help before sleep. There are weight restrictions post surgery. The biggest thing is ask for help

Thank you. When you got in and out of bed, did you roll onto one side and push up with your hands to a sitting position?

@freedancer, the nurses help teach you how to do this while you are in the hospital.
I felt like a beetle bug stuck on its back, flailing my arms, trying to get out of bed...but with the helpful tips to roll, get your legs over the side and then sit up, it all came together. I never looked like a graceful gazelle, but it worked and that's all that mattered!

That was some pretty helpful advise @milkmaid, thank you for sharing that information.
You never know who reads these posts, and you may have helped others as well.
By-the-way...welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You are an open heart surgery warrior, besides surviving this surgery and sharing some helpful information, what else brings to you Connect?

I am 62, trying to improve the health i have. Sometimes dealing with chronic health issues you vacillate
Between fear and wellness emotions.
People around you can' t connect or don't want to. I don't want to be one of those people who talk about my illness all the time. I would rather focus on wellness. Unfortunately, my wellness curve has taken a dive. I would like to have a good eval of my heart function and esp tricuspid valve. Interested in a TTVR, trans catheter tricuspid valve replacement. Looking for facility who does them, any info appreciated🙂

Hi, I am a heart transplant Recipient and yes I had my rib cage wired together. I also had pain and one thing they pushed after surgery was regaining my ability to cough. Not a pleasant activity. Luckly at first there were lots of options for pain. One thing they do will Heart Patients at Mayo is give you this small pillow in the shape of a heart. Mine is below. What a great device to press into your chest when ever you needed to cough or any activity that can bring on pain. They were trying a new strap on device with me I found very handy. It was kind of a vest that you could quickly squeeze 2 handles together to apply pressure to the chest(See me wearing it below) That really helped a lot as it seemed finding my Pillow was more time consumming than have the vest right there.

The really painful time only lasted as memory serves about a week maybe 2. We left the Hospital after 2 weeks and stayed in a hotel nearby. I found if I alternated Tylenol with the pain meds I could tolerate the discomfort and by 1 month I was pretty much on Tylenol only. But honestly now 7 years later for me it didn't seem to bad for the benefit I got after the surgery. Good Luck and before you know it, youre be back fully recovered and it will be a memory also.

🙂❤️🎉

Thank you!