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3 Months After Surgery, the Healing Still Hurts
In my column this week, I talk about how I still have a lot of pain even three months after my thymectomy. I’m still learning to be comfortable with the sensations and feelings I experience. I experience shooting pains, cramps, shocks across my chest, and constant aches — all symptoms related to nerve damage that feel like the opposite of healing.
I still feel nauseous when I look at my scar, so I avoided touching the surgery area as much as possible to manage that feeling at the beginning of my recovery.
Avoiding touching my new post-thymectomy body has prolonged my healing, though, and having to tend to it makes me feel physically ill. Wearing a shirt when I’m out still makes me uncomfortable. Still, because I live in Florida, I’m trying to get used to shirts with a high neckline, as exposure to the sun can slow scar healing.
My surgeon said I could use silicone scar sheets to help flatten and lighten the scar 12 weeks after the surgery. I was looking forward to their benefits, although I wasn’t prepared for how painful it would be to remove the scar, even with the help of soapy water. It has felt like ripping off a Band-Aid, and I have been lightheaded, even feeling like I might pass out.
Healing is a process that can hurt, require constant effort, and force us to become reacquainted with our bodies. How long did it take to stop noticing your thymectomy recovery pain daily if you have undergone one?
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