Because Dr. J is one of the most experienced and best surgeons at working with pectus

My experience with the surgery was very positive; I hope your son can experience the same! Let me know if you have any questions!

@@mandisorg9273 Thank You . My son is 14 years old 5'4 and 84 pounds. He is scared the bar will move or he will be able to feel the bar poking out the sides ( because he is so skinny). And he wanted to know did your ribs poke out before surgery ( if so did it help improve the look of the ribs too)? He is very scared about the pain and so am i.

@@amandawallace105 From my experience, sometimes I could feel the bars move inside but it did not hurt, and it was not uncomfortable - more just an awareness. Know, though, that this was not a usual occurrence. I am also skinny, and you could see the bars on the side every now and then, depending on if I was stretching, etc. This also didn't bother me. The look of my ribs did improve! Yes, I had some flare on the lower ribs. I still have some flare now that the bars are out, but it's not like it was before. The surgery is painful, you can't sugar coat that one. But good news is it doesn't last long, you have great resources for medication to help alleviate pain, and once the pain is over your body forgets it!

Not yet... but this month! Will post a new video soon :)

Hi Joshua! What were the issues you had?

Hi Dean! I'm happy these videos can help. I was 26 at the time of my surgery (and should be getting these out very soon!). I wish you all the best with your upcoming surgery!

Mandi Sorg did you get your bars out? Would love an update as to how that went.

Son just had nuss surgery 2 weeks ago . he is mainly having pain on his right side where they put the bar in at. He would like to know how long until that pain gets better?

Hi Lonis. Yes, my chest looks symmetrical after the surgery. I would talk with your doctor about this one, as I would understand that it should look symmetrical. And perhaps it is something that can be fixed post as well. Wishing you the best!

I decided to go to Arizona after learning about Dr. J. She had such wonderful reviews, and is an absolute master in the field - I wanted her to be the one to this specialized surgery. I wish you the best with everything!!

Hi Marisa! No, I have not had the bars removed yet. Initially I was going to have the bars out 4 years after my surgery; however, the surgeon moved it to 3 years post-surgery. That means September 2018 will mark my 3 year anniversary! Coming soon!

To be honest, I'm not sure how the scoliosis looks now. For me, since it was very minor, it was never an issue for me. Due to this, it's not really something I had been keeping my eye on. From my own research on the Nuss Procedure, however, I've learned that it did help correct scoliosis in others. I can tell you, though, that my scoliosis most certainly did NOT get worse.

From surgery itself, it took about 4 weeks to feel recovered. After about 2 months I felt back to normal - even better!

@@mandisorg9273 Thank you! I had my surgery about 2 months ago! Your videos help a lot!

@@AliA-tv8ph where did you get surgery !

@@MoiiGamingHD Mayo Clinic, Arizona.

@@AliA-tv8ph what age did you get the procedure? I’m from Canada and sadly no one is as experienced as Mayo Clinic in Arizona I’m almost 21 and I’m looking to get the surgery in my late twenties

Catherine3385 taking my son 3 aug..

torrescop1 I wish you and your son well. My son is the 8th

I'm so glad you are finding them helpful! Best of luck to your son.

I'm glad they helped :)

As far as pain that was 100% from surgery, about 2 weeks of real pain, and then it quickly started to get better after that. But the pain medicine really helped. After having healed from the surgery, I still feel some pain and soreness, but it's not bad enough to even take Ibuprofen.

Once you had your bars removed, how did you feel right afterwards and a few months later? One of the things I'm concerned about is still feeling sore well after I've healed.

Hm, I was pretty out of it for a day or two but I don't remember being sore for an extended period. I did have some swelling on my one side that persisted for months though. I didn't see a change in it until I took a natural supplement my mom was using for inflammation in her hands.

I missed this comment! So sorry I never got back to you. How did your surgery go?? Did you end up having any issues with traveling afterwords? Had I seen this comment, I would have told you that I had no issues traveling back. I flew, as opposed to driving, and I didn't feel any discomfort. Everyone in the airport and plane was very accommodating as well. On the plane, I was given the front seats and had all the leg room I wanted! I was discharged from the hospital, but stayed around the area for about 4 days. Once the surgeon gave me the okay to go home, I think I left the very next day. I hope everything went well for you! I would love to hear how your experience went.

My haller index was a 4.74.

I had a CT done a few weeks ago and they did not indicate what mine was. I guess I will need to have my cardiologist or pulmonologist request they add it on. I am 31 and have had shortness of breath/fatigue/rapid heart rate (I am on meds for this)/echo showed tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension. My PE looks similar to yours from your picture. Hoping to get some answers and resolution to this soon- happy to see how positive your results are.

Can I send you a picture of my CT to see what you think? My pulm said he doesnt deal with pectus- so, now I need to go though the same thing with cardio. Hopefully they call back and can get me in soon. I am just so frustrated and would love some answers/feedback

Yeah, find me on facebook and message me a picture. I'll be happy to take a look and let you know what I think.

To be honest, I'm not sure. And I only mean that because I don't know what would have happened if I didn't wear it. I wish I would have ended up wearing it like I was told to, though. I was so sore and swollen for the first few weeks that it was SO uncomfortable to wear it. I still have rib flare now, but it's not as bad as it was before. And I'm not sure if this was due to not wearing the brace properly or not. When I get the bars taken out I'm going to tough it out and wear the brace as directed and hopefully all rib flare will be gone. If not, rib flare is not the end of the world. :)

I was lucky enough to have the insurance I had at the time cover for quite a bit of me. Overall, I ended up spending a little over $5,000. Getting the bars out will be a different story unfortunately due to having to get different health insurance.

So far so good. I'm back to doing yoga and I've gone canoeing/kayaking/paddle boarding with no issues. I'm back to working out, and I have no issues there. I'm doing a marathon with obstacle courses in two months, I was going to post a video about how that goes since I know that will be a real physical exertion. The only thing is I do feel the bars say when I'm doing crunches, or if I do a deep twist in yoga. It doesn't hurt, but it does feel weird and foreign. I still stay somewhat cautious about my movements, but it doesn't hinder me.

Mandi Sorg wow thank you so much for the detailed reply! Great to hear that you can exercise without any problems! That is a great video ide and I'm looking forward to watching it!

It took me about 6 months until I really felt comfortable enough to get more physical with my body as far as working out and sports go; I was just wanting to be really cautious. Normal activities though, I was back to a normal life at about a month and half.

Oh great! I hope you are recovering well and feeling even better! I don't think I am in any Facebook pectus groups; are you?

Just joined the Female Pectus Excavatum group and the Pectus Awareness and Support Foundation group :)

I would start out by going to your primary doctor If they are not able to help you, they will be able to refer you to a specialist that can diagnose it. If for what ever reason you hit a dead end with your primary doctor, I would recommend searching for a thoracic surgeon, if only for receiving a diagnosis. / Thank you for saying I look healthier: being healed up, off the pain medicine, and a little mascara can go a long way! Haha

Thank you for taking the time to respond!

Hey John, thank you for sharing! Not only for sharing your experience with your PE, but also for sharing your thoughts of suicide. I'm big in to mental health and the stigma surrounding many mental health issues, including suicide; so I find it brave for you to say that. I'm glad to hear you did not give in to the thoughts; ending your life due to the ignorance of others would have been a sad loss. It's unfortunate that others can be so misguided and misunderstanding. I hope you know and realize that you are not alone in your thoughts or your PE, and that you have the power to spread awareness and love your body for what it is. I'm glad you were able to find some joy in my video, and hope you continue to find joy in your own life's endeavors. I wish you all the best!

Mandi Sorg Thank you Mandi, i've went past the point of depression by now and i find that video on my way to recovery and i can't thank you enough for that. Best regards, John.

I'm not positive of the maximum age. I do know that there have been several patients over 50 years old and they have recovered well.

Thank you very much... this Chanel is a very motivational for all those who are suffering from this chest deformity... keep it up

Thank you for the encouragement and kind words! I will most certainly keep posting :)

How'd it go? And how are you now?

+Julia Abi it went really well! it's been almost 2 months now, & i feel great. i haven't been able to lay on my stomach or on my sides yet but relatively no pain!

Jordan! I never saw your comment! :( I'm so glad to hear your surgery went well! I wasn't able to sleep on my sides until about the 3rd month. The pain gets better! Still doing well?

Mandi Sorg yeah pretty well ! sleeping on my sides has gotten easier , still a lot of pain in the morning like soreness ? but other than that good. how about you ?

I'm glad to hear you're doing well! I can relate to the morning soreness. That soreness/stiffness gets a lot better of time, so don't worry! I think it was around my 6 month mark when I was really able to sleep freely with no worries. I'm doing great, thank you for asking! I feel better than ever; still a little sore at times, but worth it. I made a 1 year video if you want to check it out. I wish you the best in your recovery :)

+Richard Simmons This is a tough one to explain. Breathing has definitely changed for me (and for the better) but I don't know if it's that I have MORE lung capacity. It's more that every breath I take now feels "fulfilled". I'm no longer having routine shallow meaningless-feeling breaths. The biggest change I see is when I exercise; I would get winded SO easily, and now I've been doing great!

+Richard Simmons I'm in my late twenties, and I would say I'm good with pain