I’ll probably be rapid-cycling on the decision to have this surgery right up until they put me under. My confidence that this is a good idea is down to 20%. I truly believe I will regret it. The main reasons I have to doubt SRS as the source of “The Pain” are:
- If it’s an intercostal nerve, I’ve narrowed it down to the 10th one. However a slipped 9th rib should be irritating by 8th intercostal nerve. I have no pain at T8/9.
- My right side is almost identical to the left (both have floating 10th ribs and slipped 9th). Ok, so the left side is slightly more slipped but still, my cartilage configuration is not giving me any issues on the right. I have a lot more going on in the left that has nothing to do with slipped ribs like…
- A wrecked left core, especially the rectus abdominis. My hernia, twice repaired has wreaked havoc on my left core, maligning and realigning muscles and joints. However there has been a study about a link between SRS and a weak left ab. So it’s possible my hernia is combining with hypermobile ribs to cause The Pain. I’m just not sure reconstructing my costal cartilage is going to address the back pain.
- The surgery is brutal with discouraging results. It is only 50% successful, meaning they have to go back in and fix the repair about half the time. The average pain reduction after 1 year is only 50% and that’s after a year of extreme pain in some cases. At least 5 patients want their 3.0 reconstruction ripped out.
- I’ve read way more failure stories than success stories. This is partly because people that are still hurting tend to be online while the people that are feeling good are out having fun but still, I’d expect to see more positive results. I’m disappointed with myself that I didn’t research more.
- There’s a good change that this procedure will increase my pain long term, certainly short term.
- The photo above is from a “normal chest”. There is new information that we don’t have the perfect two floating and three false ribs like we were told. In fact I’ve been reading that most of us, up to 60% has 3 floating ribs, like me. Also, many people have subluxed ribs, can click them with the hooking maneuver, yet have no pain. Even Dr. Hansen has this. I can’t help thinking that if all this (pain from these ribs) were “real” it wouldn’t be so “rare”.
Here are some reasons to go ahead and get the surgery:
- I’m desperate. If it works, the payoff is huge. Unfortunately it’s not like an injections where if it doesn’t work, no harm done. My ribs and life will probably never be the same and certainly not for a month to a year.
- If I don’t try it, we’ll never know. ’nuff said. Everyone will think I’m crazy (or a pussy) not to get this surgery)
- Dr. Hansen “feels strongly” that he can reduce my pain by at least 50%. Dr. Paul says I definitely have Slipping Rib Syndrome and hypermobile ribs. He confirmed tender to touch on palpation at the hypermobile ribs.
- There is a plethora of symptoms associated with this syndrome. I should be trying to second-guess the experts at this point. I’ve become so skeptical of what doctors tell me. I just don’t trust them. Hopefully I can trust Drs. Paul and Hansen. I like both of them. They are by the way, the only two doctors I have seen, out of about 40-50, that have ever heard of Slipping Rib Syndrome. It’s been around for over a century and it’s more underdiagnosed than rare. There are a lot of reason for this ignorance but they add up to a broken medical system which is what we have in this country. Ask any chronic pain person.
- Barbara has a 50% confidence rate. We’re both skeptics. I owe it to her to try anything and everything.
- No doctor or practitioner has been able to figure out why my left rib cage always appears swollen. As if the muscles are inflamed. SRS is one of the few things that would explain this.
- Floating 10th ribs can be symptomatic. I think that if I do have SRS, it is from my floating 10th rib, not my slipped 9th.
As you can see, it’s pretty evenly balanced. I travel in two days and the surgery will be two days after that. So I have 4 days to chicken out. Unless I can convince Barbara that I shouldn’t be doing this. I guess I’ll be going under the knife.
I’ll probably get the surgery. Regardless, I need to work on my attitude. I have been dragging Barbara down with me and I need to figure out how to be more pleasant. It’s true what they say “Pain is selfish”!