Monday, September 17, 2007

Pectus excavatum

Pectus excavatum is a congenital deformity (often present at birth) of the sternum, which is pressed into the chest, resulting in a "caved-in" or sunken appearance.

The deformity is sometimes considered to be a cosmetic rather than functional problem,however, recent studies have shown cases where pectus excavatum has impaired cardiac and respiratory function, and sometimes caused pain in the chest and back.^[1] Psychologically, untreated patients, especially youths, can experience negative psychosocial effects throughout their lives, avoiding activities where a shirt is not worn. Public awareness of Pectus Excavatum is limited, so youths suffering of the disorder may feel very alone. Media coverage has been scarce.

The condition usually progresses during the time of rapid bone growth in the early teenage years. Estimates for the prevalence of this condition range from one in 150 to 1000 children. Though the cause is not certain, the male/female ratio is 3 to 1, and occurrences of the condition in family members have been reported in 35% to 45% of cases.^[2]^[3] These features may suggest a genetic component may be involved, although some authorities believe the condition occurs in a sporadic fashion.^[4] Incidence is especially high among patients with inherited connective tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome.

Pectus excavatum is sometimes referred to as "cobbler's chest", "funnel chest", "sunken chest", "chest bowl", or simply a "dent".

extracted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

I seriously dono how i'm feeling right now.. but tt's what i have been suffering for the past year. Consultation with doctor all the way to hospital.. i know my rib cage is damn near my heart! & the doc say needa operation if become worser, but then he reconfirm everything was alright. that was like 2-3 years ago. chance upon a wan bao article writing on this few days back and they mentioned operation on it, poking two holes on ur chest & inserting a metal plate to forced the rib cage outwards.. damn! im freaking upset. =( im speechless..

whole body weak till i cant even stand & suffered numerous injections in the middle of e night at the hospital & chalet there for 5 days, then ultra bad gastric pain, then hypothermia, then migraine, then bone scoliosis, now pectus excavatum.. tell me what did i do wrong to suffer all this in my 19 years of life? im ultra sad, really sad.. sigh..

i'm out.. =(

Link to photos:

http://www.pectusinfo.com/gallerypedevelopment.htm

PS: some of the photos are freaking scary! don click if u cant take it!