Review Detail

My pectus developed while I was going through my teenage years. I started having other physical issues like shortness of breath, fainting spells, and what my family doctor diagnosed as exercise induced asthma. I didn't realize that all of these symptoms I was having were related to the pectus until I read a thread on reddit about "things that are weird about your body" and some people were talking about having 'holes' in their chests and someone replied that you could have surgery for that and so I started following the links and reading more about pectus and the physiological symptoms it can cause and the Nuss procedure. Well that started my journey toward surgery. The challenge was finding a surgeon who was experienced in the nuss procedure on adults. Long story short, after meeting with two other surgeons in Texas, I found Dr J's videos and info online and put in a request through Mayo's website to have her office contact me. It wasn't long before Kelly Myers, the pectus coordinator, called and was so helpful in walking us through all of the steps that we needed to take, what to expect, etc. I felt so relieved when Dr J accepted my case. Both she and Mayo have great reputations. I mean, she helps train other surgeons in this procedure! My mom and I flew out to Phoenix for the surgery in December. Since my chest was asymmetrical and my Haller Index was 6.25 Dr J said she probably wouldn't be able to get it perfect, that one side would probably be a little lower than the other, but she was actually able to to get it almost perfect. I do have some rib flare still on the left side (the side the dent was on) that I guess she couldn't do anything about but, overall, I'm very pleased. My surgery was on a Friday and I got out on Sunday, so a relatively short hospital stay. I don't think the pain while I was in the hospital ever got above a 2. The nurses were great and all familiar with the procedure so they were able to give explanations and tips. My mom and I stayed in the Residence Inn there in the hospital campus and I had a couple of issues while there that caused my pain level to shoot up fairly high briefly but, for the most part, it was manageable. If yiu get the hiccups or have to cough or sneeze it hurts like crazy, though! Six days post op were were able to fly back to Texas. Dr J was really easy to talk to, listened to your questions and concerns, and explained everything in an easy to understand way. I felt very comfortable with her and confident in her ability. Kelly was also very helpful. Dr. J's whole team was very friendly and helpful. Oh, and she's from Texas! I'm 5 weeks post op now and off of all Meds except occasional Ibuprofen. There is still some pain, but nothing too bad. Mostly just trying to get used to the bars. Overall I'm really pleased with my overall experience and am looking forward to feeling better than ever!