Pectus excavatum, a chest deformity caused by
depression of the breastbone, or sternum. Pectus
Excavatum is generally not noticeable at birth but becomes more evident with
age unless surgically corrected. In most instances the abnormality is due to a
shortened central tendon of the diaphragm, the muscular partition between the
chest and the abdominal cavity. It may also result from displacement of the
heart to the left of mid-chest or from excessive pulling downward by the
diaphragm. Corrective surgery is best performed in early childhood. The heart
and lungs are most affected by pectus excavatum. The heart is displaced to the
left, there is more pressure on the heart, and the respiratory movements of
the lungs are impaired. The effects include breathlessness upon exertion, pain
around the heart, and dizziness. - Encyclopedia Britannica
A Pectus Excavatum is a chest deformity
which is caused by the ribs growing too long and they grow inwards. This makes
the sternum depress inwards making the chest appear indented, as if a fist had
pushed the chest in. It can be inherited. At birth you may or may not notice
the
indentation. But as the child grows it becomes more obvious. In later life it
can get allot worse and cause health problems. -
Jackie
Kulick
In the words of the girl...."...Age
three was the worst year of my life. It started with a bone saw to my
chest to correct a wisp of a torso that would hold a fist-sized puddle of
water. I imagine my little piglet body on that operating slab, my torso
split wide for their manly hands to caress my avocado sized heart - to this
day I cannot eat ribs, for the thought chills me, chewing on my own bones...
....Dozens of staples, stitches held me back together; with skill they had
forced my ribs into normalcy, chiseled away the awkwardness and created a
shape to entice the boys once my body spurted breasts around 12 years of age.
"Perfect", my gynecologist would comment many years later at an annual
appointment. Pressing his cold hands against me, his usual precise,
clock-wise hand movements slowing on my breast examine - admiring, like they
always do, the work of another physician. "This scar is
perfect. The doctor, a genius. The scar tissue is natural - it
aligns perfectly between your breast and torso". Later, I looked at
myself for hours in the mirror. My body so white, the scar blends,
riding like a magical horse in the shadow of my breasts. I touch it, run
my hands across it, and I always get that feeling I am touching the inside of
my body (another doctor told me that this is normal, the scar tissue builds
up, the nerves rotating out of the tissue from the inside of my body to
visible flesh).... ...I do not regret the choice my parents made.
Of course, it is still considered a "cosmetic procedure" to most insurance
companies, unless the heart or lungs are affected by the growth of the ribcage
- my body was like this, my torso turning in on itself, pushing organs into
themselves - so I was fortunate that insurance paid for most of the surgery.
I do not regret it. I really don't think about it too much, but there
are times when I brush the scar in the shower, or hooking my bra. Then I
feel my insides, like only the doctors have. It is then when I realize
the enormity of the miracle of my own body, and the upside down bird that
rides across my chest, chasing the answer to why my body chose
self-destruction at birth...." - M. Kettenhofen |
