If you’re a woman living with atrial fibrillation and considering a mini maze procedure for atrial fibrillation treatment, there are things you’ll want to know.
There are obviously some differences for women having a mini maze procedure. Not surprisingly, the chest area of females is sensitive. Because of the location of incisions in the chest area and the tenderness of tissue in that area, female undergarments can rub the incisions causing them to be slower to heal and fade.
Seven months after mini maze surgery, one female patient still had occasional twinges, pain, and slowness in healing due to bras irritating that area. During recovery, she used gauze pads to protect the incisions. She wore a swimsuit top with a soft bra for the first few weeks, and it took time for bras to be comfortable again. She said that the thought of a mammogram was scary for the first few months.
Another also experienced soreness and pain in that area. Again, the rubbing of bras and shirt underarm seams irritated the incisions. However, her incisions were larger than those used today. During healing, she used waterproof bandages and tape to protect her good clothes. Over a year later, she still found that the rubbing from bras occasionally irritated the incision areas, but the scars were finally fading.
When asked if they would do it again, both affirmed emphatically that this was such a small price to pay to stop afib and eliminate stroke risk.
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If you’re a woman considering the mini maze procedure to stop your afib, these are things that you should know and prepare for. It may be a good idea to procure soft bras in advance so that you’ll have them to wear for a few weeks following surgery. It could be helpful to ask your surgeon where the incisions will be. Perhaps your surgeon could even mark where the incisions will be to help you shop for bras that won’t irritate those incisions.
Learn more about Reclaiming Your Life after the mini maze procedure.
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