Hey everyone! So I (23M) had the Nuss procedure done 16 days ago (Haller Index of 3.7 and I only had one bar placed in my chest) and I still cannot function independently. The 10 days, my back hurt like hell to the point where I couldn’t sleep for more than 2 hours without changing positions and I wanted to cry all day. I felt exhausted but my chest didn’t hurt that much. I’ve done some physical therapy and my back doesn’t hurt that much during the day anymore but I don’t have any strength in my chest. It’s really hard to get up on my own if I’m in bed and it feels like I’m not going to be able to perform movements with my torso again. 

I sleep way better now but for some reason I tend to sweat a lot during my sleep and then I’ll get cold, and I also get chills before going to bed. I also wake up 2-3x times at night due to mild back pain or discomfort. The doctor said it was normal but to let him know if I had fever (38C or more). I’m also still experiencing shortness of breath and while it’s gotten better, I still can’t talk without needing to catch my breath after saying 4-5 words. 

I feel like this situation has taken a toll on my mental health because my doctor said I could go back to school after 3 weeks but I just don’t feel ready. I don’t feel like I have the energy, I can’t do the things that I like, I feel lazy and physically incapable of doing things. I stopped taking tramadol yesterday because I feel like it affects my body’s ability to regulate its temperature and I don’t like the side effects so I’m currently taking Dexketoprofen and Tylenol. I am experiencing some other symptoms that I could mention but I’ll just post the most annoying ones now. When will I be able to get back to normal again? I know everyone’s different but I cannot see the day where I’m able to go back to the gym or hang out with my friends again. 

2 weeks post op and it feels like I’m never going to feel normal again