Day 1 - Pectus Excavatum Ravitch - Just after the 7 hour surgery

[AngeIord]

Oh my god, I'm very close to surgery and just the fact that the surgery can take 7 hours freaks me out. But I will still go for it.

[cigarroney]

I have 15 years and I have this problem I have thought excabatum pectus operate in this year in July and I have fear tambn great pain q operations occur but the drugs are going to happen but only q is going to hurt but it will spend more exercise and q by q ise I could not hope to remove q bn fence me in the operation¡¡¡

[EIRTY]

how badly did this hurt? i'm only 15. I don't wanna get a surgery thats gonna be extremely painful. I men i don't like having PE but i'm afraid that this surgery might not be worth not being able to play sports.

[xodusboy]

@EIRTY - Any surgery hurts a bit, but honestly they have you so full of anti pain meds that you do not feel much. The stress of the small amount of pain is well worth the results to your health.

[Jordycena9]

@EIRTY You will be able to play sports, after like 7 months after the surgery.

[YaWatBruv]

i need it but 7 houres is to long :( i need it so i can swim again, i hides my cave chest in shame

[xodusboy]

@YaWatBruv - Seven hours is too long for you? For a life free from the physical limitations you may have?

[YaWatBruv]

@xodusboy im just worried about dieing dureing the op and the dangers, and i might not wake up, thats all and ill be very tired

[PaTZi300]

@xodusboy you were putted in sleep during the surgery right?

[RhysCJewkes]

@YaWatBruv 7 hours! You do know you will be a sleep. It will feel like 5 minutes.

[YaWatBruv]

@RhysCJewkes True. But if theres a chance i could die during the op. then is it really worth it? Im seeing my doctor about having a op though but have worrys!

[RhysCJewkes]

@YaWatBruv OMG. Your beginning to annoy me now. I hate people who are like "Oh cant have that surgery. Theres a chance of me dying" STFU!! Go to the docter tell him you want the ravitch surgery. Get it done. And live your life without Pectus Excavatum. Fucking hell!!

[YaWatBruv]

@RhysCJewkes All people are different you fucking ass hole! Dont come up on youyube and act the big man you replyed to me! just go fuck yourself and leave my comments to them selfs! No human are the same.

[RhysCJewkes]

@YaWatBruv Ooooooo. Dangerous we are??

[TheJrenton]

so sorry dude. so extreme hope you are ok now. please check out orthopectus in brazil for far less invasive procedure. Bless you all xox

[xodusboy]

@TheJrenton - No need to feel sorry. This surgery has changed my life for the better, and all without any long term braces that may or may not move back. If you get the chance, check out the other video about Ravitch vs. Nuss. It has more comments about how fixing it right the first time as opposed to many who try alternatives and later need to have it fixed properly. The real people I feel sorry for are those that go though years of braces only to have it move back. Ugh...

[ika333ika]

how much money need on this operation???

[CodeyBristol]

@ika333ika I'm getting this surgery done soon. Its about 120,000$ if you have insurance it should cover the majority of the money.

[ika333ika]

@CodeyBristol 120.000$ it's terrible when i want do this for me, change my life...... and i cant :(

[CodeyBristol]

@ika333ika You can do this if you have insurance.. I'm sure your parents have you on insurance.

[garmac002]

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's helpful to others in your situation.

[xodusboy]

@izaaky30 - Hey Issac, well in all honesty, the pain medication they will give you will keep you from feeling anything really. So as long as they do it right and give you the correct dose. The pain is manageable though, so don't stress that part. As for the tubes, you don't even feel them. When they remove them, there is a bit of pain, but generally it is more of an odd feeling, and not painful. Hopefully that helps. Read up on the other comments also, much has been written.

[XscXps3]

Can you die in this operation ? (Sorry looked online does not tell you)

[xodusboy]

@XscXps3 - Since it is basically a structural surgery, the chances are far lower than say open heart surgery, or anything that opens more than the chest cavity. However, all surgeries have some risk of death. Again, I am not a doctor, but as far as risk it seems relatively small.

[xodusboy]

@XscXps3 - All surgeries have some risk involved. It is important to recognize though, that the worry and fear involved will only hold you back in life. Obviously you should do your own research, and the more you know, the less fearful you will become. I would encourage you to read up on the very minimal risks involved, but more-so, the extraordinary benefits you will receive.

[TheWalkthr0ughGuys]

@xodusboy Plz respond fast. I have pectus carinatum. I just wanted to ask what was the pain like because i am going to get the surgery in a week. Plz respond

[shibbiguy95]

Hey I'm 12 and I have a concave chest I hate it  afraid to take my shirt off how old do u have to be to get the sergery

[xodusboy]

@shibbiguy95 - I know that the earlier you have the surgery, the better and easier it is to heal. But I do not know that there is any age that is really too young, there could be. And yes, there are HUGE benefits to being able to take your shirt off without worrying. I would speak with your parents and explain to them that it is not only looks, but also a health concern that may cause problems as you get older.

[ulilcracker]

thanks for these videos mate, it's good seeing your story of it all.

I know how you feel with the pain....I had a reaction to my painkillers and they made me vommit....and vommiting, laying off my back after that op was NOT nice! they eventually found an oral painkiller that i didn't vommit from...just hallucinated haha.

Anyway good to see your recent vids that your going really well!

I promise i won't comment any more about my own experience on ur vids haha :-)

take care!

[xodusboy]

@ulilcracker - No worries about posting here. Actually, I encourage people to post about their experiences on the main page. (In the comments area). Right now, there are many people who have left a comment and given feedback on their recovery. Actually ended up doing a chart, showing the recovery times at different ages for the surgery. So by all means, feel free to post. I love reading about how others are doing.

[xodusboy]

@ulilcracker - Oh, and yes, the "Dilaudid" or even Morphine will cause hallucinations. My friend who happens to be in the hospital right now was put on "Dilauded" and Opiate, and wow... Just wow, he was so out of it. He seemed like he had lost it completely. Trying to get out of bed, and thinking he was on a ship. But it does not always react that way with everyone. Well, hopefully you had a fun trip! =)  Good luck

[kitty3309]

My epidural packed up too but not for that long!!! The machine had an alarm luckily and the nurses were trying to fix it but after about 45 minutes I was in the worst pain I have ever felt. It hurt so bad I was scared to breath! Luckily they got the aneasthatist in and he gave me meds straight onto the line. Phew! Hope you are recovering well now :D

[xodusboy]

@kitty3309 Yeah it was bad because the nurses did not believe me at first. Then like you, they gave me some pain meds in the iv and I felt much better after that. They really do need to pay attention to these things better though.

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[xodusboy]

Yes, but they put all that in when you are out of it and never even know really. The first drugs they gave me kicked my butt and I was out of it. Just make sure if they do an epidural that they put it in all the way. For me, one side was not working. Later they got me on morphine and everything was fine. ;)

[BabyBellaMarie]

Do you get an EPIDURAL??? I faint when I see that sort of stuff... oh no... oh NO...

XD

[ThexFreeStyla]

I had the same operation last monday and im home now and its saturday. Im 17 and Its quite painful after the epidural is removed but after a while it gets a lot better, Its a strange sensation at the moment it feels like ur chest is really pressured and tight.

[xodusboy]

@ThexFreeStyla - Yep, I remember that sensation. It will diminish over the next month until it feels numb. Then after two months you begin to get feelings and sensations back. It sounds like everything went well for you though? It should only get easier from here on out. The medications will be annoying for a week or two but once you figure out a good dosage you should be fine.

[ThexFreeStyla]

@xodusboy ye :) i hope i get good results from this. can i just ask how did u cope with coughing laughing and worst of all SNEEZING its so painful. Im scared to sneeze so i hold it in. And at the moment im not getting much sleep at all because it feels really wierd when im lay down on my back and i feel uncomfortable do you have any reccomendations since you have experienced this i hope.

[xodusboy]

@ThexFreeStyla - The only thing that helped with my achy pain was my medical marijuana prescription. Vaporized it worked very well. Since the other drugs they prescribe do not seem to help the achy pain and often cause constipation, 420 worked the best. I realize not everyone lives where it is legal though and unfortunately I just had to avoid laughing and coughing most of the time. But 95% of the pain goes away after a week or two.

[ThexFreeStyla]

@xodusboy oh ok thanks a lot for providing me with this information :) its nice to know other people have gone through wat im currently going through now.

[xodusboy]

@ThexFreeStyla - Sure thing! Putting these videos up was tough since I am a fairly private person, but I figured if it helped people that it would be worth it. =) Glad to chat with you and help in any way.

[ThexFreeStyla]

@xodusboy Yeh :) one more thing my 2 holes where the chest drains were are still open and they keep leaking large amount of blood/fluid and i keep having to change bandages/plasters. did this happen to you and any suggestions?

[xodusboy]

@ThexFreeStyla - Hmm, not really. I had one stay open a little but no leaking. I stayed an extra couple days in the hospital though to make sure the leaking stopped first. They probably just sent you home a little early. They will most likely just close on their own. One thing though: I closed my left hole with tape and cleaned it regularly. (It healed nicely) - But I left my right one open and it did close, but looks much worse. It is healing better, but slooowly..

[ThexFreeStyla]

@xodusboy ah ok the nurse is coming soon to sort it out thanks for the help man hope you heal fast :)

[xodusboy]

@ThexFreeStyla - Oh, thought you were already home. Yeah if you are still in the hospital, just hang tight and they will stop leaking soon. I found out that walking around outside and within the hospital to help a bit. It seemed to drain things and get my muscles moving again. That is if you are about 6-10 days after the surgery.

[ThexFreeStyla]

@xodusboy Yeh i am at home :) this is day 8 and im fine dont need painkillers and im walking around and im fine. The nurse is coming to my home to check it out :)

[Popotes559]

Wow, this particular surgery took 7 hours? Aww i dont want to have it anymore :-X

[xodusboy]

@Popotes559 - Yep, but it feels like five minutes. Honestly the time you are under, either a few hours or seven won't matter much. But yeah, in order to rebuild your chest correctly, with the muscles in the proper place and actually reposition your sternum properly it takes time. I would MUCH rather have it take seven hours than a quick job of a few hours. =)

[Popotes559]

Extreme pain?? Man im having this surgery in 2 weeks, and im REALLY nervous

[xodusboy]

@Popotes559 - I was in extreme pain due to the bad job of the Anesthesiologist. He misplaced the epidural and I ended up in pain. USUALLY this does not happen. Just make sure you have a good doctor! =)

[lozahas]

thats whatcha get for not getting the nuss!=p

[xodusboy]

@lozahas - Nuss is actually not a very good procedure in my opinion. I had a friend have his chest go back on one side and had to have the Ravitch surgery done anyway. That was after FIVE years of having the bar in and years of pain and problems. Honestly, after having the Ravitch surgery (Now it has been about 40 days post op) - I am so much happier having had the Modified Ravitch technique. I even did a short video about all of the pro vs cons of both surgeries.

[xodusboy]

Trying to keep up and still give everyone an idea about the surgery. Hopefully others can learn from it as well. Who knows?

[xodusguy]

Hey it's good to hear from you even if it is just on you tube...