Help Zoë Pay For Her Nuss Bar Surgery!
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Not many kids have the childhood experience of collecting a giant pool of water on their chest while taking a bath. For some reason I thought my pectus excavatum was completely normal. My brother has a mild form of it so I didn't think much of it growing up. No doctors ever pointed it out to me in my physicals. I thought everything was fine...
Truth is... Everything was not fine.
As I got older I started to notice some health issues creep up. My heart rate was always much higher than those around me during exercise. I would get weird heart palpitations. I tire easily working out. Any form of cardio immediately drains me, but I just thought I was out of shape and needed to work harder. I mean... everyone hates cardio right?
It wasn't until October of 2020 (age 22) that I got told my pectus excavatum was the cause of these issues.
But what is pectus excavatum (PE)?
Pectus excavatum is a birth defect in which a person's breastbone is sunken into the person's chest. Severe cases of pectus excavatum can eventually interfere with the function of the heart and lungs.
It's found more often in boys than girls and while it is sometimes present at birth (unknown if mine was), it may not develop or worsen until puberty. For me, the reason it might have gone undiagnosed for so long is likely due to the development of my breasts hiding my pectus worsening.
My story after diagnosis
After my diagnosis, I went down the path of figuring out just how much my PE was impacting me. Through testing consisting of an CT scan, MRI, echocardiogram, and a cardiopulmonary stress test, we came to realize my pectus was actually in the severe category.
I like to think I'm a pretty active/healthy person, so the cardiopulmonary stress test was probably the most shocking test for me. Seeing my heart rate shoot up to 185 bpm (198 is the max for my age) within 6 minutes of just walking uphill on a treadmill... uh, what? My heart was pounding but my legs told me I could do more. Suddenly only being able to swim one lap in a pool before feeling my heart start pounding made sense.
I had always pushed through it before, but should I have now knowing this?
What's the treatment for pectus excavatum?
After all the testing and a trip to the ER after feeling my heart randomly lurch from my chest one day at my desk, I knew I needed surgery. For severe cases of PE, the nuss procedure is the main route to go for treatment.
On August 12th, 2021, I will be getting 1-2 metal bars in my chest to reshape my ribcage then spend the next 2-3 days in the hospital recovering. Yayyyyyy! The bars will likely be there for 2-3 years before I can get them removed.
If you check out the Youtube video above, this is actual the surgeon I will be seeing for my Nuss procedure surgery.
Am I scared of this surgery?
Absolutely not. I am very excited and cannot wait for what the post-op future holds.
Why a gofundme?
For this surgery, I need to fly out from Seattle to New Jersey for two weeks (August 9th-23rd). One week is for pre-surgery testing. The next week is for recovery and a week post-op check-in before I get the all clear to fly back to the PNW.
Flights, Airbnb, transportation, and food costs are going to be expensive during this time alone. Credit cards are currently being used to pay for those expenses... Yikes. Post-op is when I will be needing funds to not only pay off those expenses but the cost of surgery after insurance and post-op physical therapy. I have pretty good insurance, so I don't know exactly how much that'll be yet. Even with insurance it's not going to be cheap... That's for sure. I know the bills are going to continue to rack up... I know I can't take on this cost all by myself without going into serious debt...
Whether I am able to raise money for this surgery or not, I know this will be 1000% worth it. I cannot wait to finally be able to exercise at my body's full potential.
This surgery will be a life changing experience that I am thrilled is happening.
Truth is... Everything was not fine.
As I got older I started to notice some health issues creep up. My heart rate was always much higher than those around me during exercise. I would get weird heart palpitations. I tire easily working out. Any form of cardio immediately drains me, but I just thought I was out of shape and needed to work harder. I mean... everyone hates cardio right?It wasn't until October of 2020 (age 22) that I got told my pectus excavatum was the cause of these issues.
But what is pectus excavatum (PE)?
Pectus excavatum is a birth defect in which a person's breastbone is sunken into the person's chest. Severe cases of pectus excavatum can eventually interfere with the function of the heart and lungs.
It's found more often in boys than girls and while it is sometimes present at birth (unknown if mine was), it may not develop or worsen until puberty. For me, the reason it might have gone undiagnosed for so long is likely due to the development of my breasts hiding my pectus worsening.
My story after diagnosis
After my diagnosis, I went down the path of figuring out just how much my PE was impacting me. Through testing consisting of an CT scan, MRI, echocardiogram, and a cardiopulmonary stress test, we came to realize my pectus was actually in the severe category.
I like to think I'm a pretty active/healthy person, so the cardiopulmonary stress test was probably the most shocking test for me. Seeing my heart rate shoot up to 185 bpm (198 is the max for my age) within 6 minutes of just walking uphill on a treadmill... uh, what? My heart was pounding but my legs told me I could do more. Suddenly only being able to swim one lap in a pool before feeling my heart start pounding made sense.
I had always pushed through it before, but should I have now knowing this?
What's the treatment for pectus excavatum?
After all the testing and a trip to the ER after feeling my heart randomly lurch from my chest one day at my desk, I knew I needed surgery. For severe cases of PE, the nuss procedure is the main route to go for treatment.
On August 12th, 2021, I will be getting 1-2 metal bars in my chest to reshape my ribcage then spend the next 2-3 days in the hospital recovering. Yayyyyyy! The bars will likely be there for 2-3 years before I can get them removed.
If you check out the Youtube video above, this is actual the surgeon I will be seeing for my Nuss procedure surgery.
Am I scared of this surgery?
Absolutely not. I am very excited and cannot wait for what the post-op future holds.
Why a gofundme?
For this surgery, I need to fly out from Seattle to New Jersey for two weeks (August 9th-23rd). One week is for pre-surgery testing. The next week is for recovery and a week post-op check-in before I get the all clear to fly back to the PNW.
Flights, Airbnb, transportation, and food costs are going to be expensive during this time alone. Credit cards are currently being used to pay for those expenses... Yikes. Post-op is when I will be needing funds to not only pay off those expenses but the cost of surgery after insurance and post-op physical therapy. I have pretty good insurance, so I don't know exactly how much that'll be yet. Even with insurance it's not going to be cheap... That's for sure. I know the bills are going to continue to rack up... I know I can't take on this cost all by myself without going into serious debt...
Whether I am able to raise money for this surgery or not, I know this will be 1000% worth it. I cannot wait to finally be able to exercise at my body's full potential.
This surgery will be a life changing experience that I am thrilled is happening.
Organizer
Zoë Tapert
Organizer
Seattle, WA
