Chest issues after surgery Eileen

[Guest guest]

Hi Eileen I have also felt the way you are now. It is very

uncomfortable. The way you describe it does not sound like acid

reflux, although it could be. However, what I have expereinced and

seen with my patients post operatively was due to the intubation tube

they put down your throat to breathe for you during surgery. These

tubes come in various sizes from pediatric to the big ole man size.

I am internally petite...LOL and have to have a very small intubation

tube placed.

If a tube is placed that is too large for your trachea, it can cause

irritation and inflammation in that area as well as esophageal and

tracheal spasms (which are excruciating and feel an awful lot like an

angina attack). That is what it sounds like to me that you are

experiencing. Taking some advil, which is an anti-inflammatory, can

help. Also not eating or drinking anything that is too hot or too

cold will also help. You can put a heating pad on your chest at the

medium level of warmth and that will ease some of the swelling. 20

minutes on 20 minutes off. Try not to lay flat. This discomfort can

last up to 2 weeks depending on how big the intubation tube was.

If you ever need surgery again (which I hope you wont), I would

certainly let the anesthesiologist know that you will need a smaller

tube then what he or she may think. I have always told them to give

me the smallest adult size they have and have not had this problem

since and I have had 10 surgeries in the last 3 years.

I hope this helps

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much . I will follow this advice. I don't

think the anesthesiologist was the best to be had. I also told him I

have asmtha and someone told me he should have prepared me

differetly for that, which he did not.

Eileen

> Hi Eileen I have also felt the way you are now. It is very

> uncomfortable. The way you describe it does not sound like acid

> reflux, although it could be. However, what I have expereinced

and

> seen with my patients post operatively was due to the intubation

tube

> they put down your throat to breathe for you during surgery.

These

> tubes come in various sizes from pediatric to the big ole man

size.

> I am internally petite...LOL and have to have a very small

intubation

> tube placed.

>

> If a tube is placed that is too large for your trachea, it can

cause

> irritation and inflammation in that area as well as esophageal and

> tracheal spasms (which are excruciating and feel an awful lot like

an

> angina attack). That is what it sounds like to me that you are

> experiencing. Taking some advil, which is an anti-inflammatory,

can

> help. Also not eating or drinking anything that is too hot or too

> cold will also help. You can put a heating pad on your chest at

the

> medium level of warmth and that will ease some of the swelling.

20

> minutes on 20 minutes off. Try not to lay flat. This discomfort

can

> last up to 2 weeks depending on how big the intubation tube was.

>

> If you ever need surgery again (which I hope you wont), I would

> certainly let the anesthesiologist know that you will need a

smaller

> tube then what he or she may think. I have always told them to

give

> me the smallest adult size they have and have not had this problem

> since and I have had 10 surgeries in the last 3 years.

>

> I hope this helps

>