Review Detail

I had the Nuss at age 56 (the oldest in the world at the time) after all other surgeons told me I was too old, too complicated or they had no understanding of the condition at all. My heart was compressed and not functioning at its optimum. It was slowly wearing out. My chest had a long deep dent and always been the source of image issues. Dr. J was my last option and the only one that had the real facts. Everything she told me has proven to be 100% correct. I now have a beautiful chest and excellent heart function. I was able to put on 20 pounds of muscle and have a new life. For me the experience was so life changing for the better, I would do it again tomorrow if I had to. Dr. J is really the only really good option for adults. She has done around 700 Nuss procedures. She is also a highly skilled heart surgeon and has done many heart transplants. She is who you want to be at the table especially if there should be any complications. The Nuss has a long learning curve, takes a lot of skill to master (more so than a heart transplant) and like golf, it must be done regularly to maintain proficiency. The Mayo Clinic was like no other hospital I have ever been to. The level of care was excellent and there is a whole team all very experienced with Nuss patients to help. They were able to get my insurance approval much easier than I thought. I feel incredibly fortunate to have found her and often feel badly when I see my fellow pectus suffers opting for a bad or inexperienced surgeon. You only want to do this once. After its done you can't un-ring the bell. The surgeon will move on but the patient can be left with nerve damage, constant pain, a poor result and worse. I've counseled many people considering the Nuss either for themselves or a family member. IMO, here are some important "Dos" and "Don'ts" to consider:
Dos:
-Do; Your homework. There is a lot of misinformation out there. Don't just accept what your doctor or surgeon may tell you. They often don’t have the facts, don’t want to learn the latest or are just plain wrong. Most however, would be glad to practice on you.
-Do; Ask the tough questions. Find out exactly how many Nuss procedures a surgeon has done (they may try to confuse you with non-Nuss stats) If they haven't done 150+ actual Nuss procedures move on.
- Do; If you've seen a surgeon, take the short flight to Phoenix for a second opinion. Not much to lose and a lot to gain.
- Do; Ask to talk to their patients. If they are unwilling to ask a patient or patients to talk to you, that should tell you something.
-Do; Take responsibility for your own recovery. The surgeon can only do so much, the rest is up to you. Follow the post-surgery protocol to the letter. Do your breathing exercises, take walks.
-Do; Be prepared ahead of time. Do plenty of yoga and get yourself as flexible as possible and in the best shape you can.
Don'ts:
-Don’t; Pick a surgeon because they are close or seem like a nice guy/gal.
- Don’t; Let anyone tell you you are too old for the Nuss and the Ravith is the only option.
- Don’t; Get stabilizers with the Nuss. They can cause a lot of pain and there are better options.
-Don’t; Get the Ravitch procedure if you are a typical pectus sufferer. It is a brutal outdated procedure with higher regression rates, problems and a huge scar. Go with the percentages, take the best option. Many surgeons have switched from Ravitch to Nuss because they have found it to be better in most cases. I know of none that have switched from Nuss to Ravitch. That should tell you something.
- Don’t, Go ahead with an inexperienced surgeon just because insurance covers it. Your health and the risk of permanent complications is worth more. Consider waiting or changing plans if at all possible.

I hope this helps. Best to all my fellow pectus sufferers and their families!