03/27/2026
If you've taken one of my breast massage classes, you've heard me wax eloquent about breast massage for reduction, augmentation, lactation, mastectomy and reconstruction, gender reassignment, panic attacks, breathing issues, stuck shoulders, etc., etc. But did I mention open heart surgery?
In the last Incorporating the Breasts and Chest class, we were VERY lucky to have Brandi A., to work with her, and to feel and see the scars that have impacted her healing. Along with a photo--which I have cropped in a nod to Facebook sensibilities--I am including the text Brandi kindly wrote up for me summarizing her chest surgeries and why she had to undergo all of them.
Breast massage for open heart surgery clients can be a real blessing for this group! Brandi writes:
"At the age of 2, I was diagnosed with Bicuspid Valve Aortic Stenosis, and began annual heart checks to monitor the condition. In 2008, at age 31, the strain on my heart from this condition caused a severe narrowing of the aortic valve, triggering heart failure, valve failure, and a massive aortic root aneurysm that began to rupture on the operating table. I had my first open heart surgery on Dec 5th,2008, where they removed the aortic valve and section of my ascending aorta, and replaced it with a transplanted section from a pig.
Over time, replaced tissue parts calcify, and will need to be replaced again.
July 3rd, 2025 I had my next open heart to replace the calcifying pig parts. This time they did a Ross Procedure. It removed the failing aortic valve, then moved my own healthy pulmonary valve to the aortic position. The pulmonary valve is then replaced with a decellularized cadaver donor valve. (This is done to give a longer span between open heart surgeries. The aortic valve has to handle more pressure behind it, hence me donating my own valve. The decellularized cadaver valve will take on my own DNA over time, but can handle less pressure, so it can do well in pulmonary position not in aortic position.)
As they were closing me up from the Ross procedure, my former pulmonary valve in the aortic position failed, necessitating the need to re-open me for another emergent open-heart surgery. That valve was removed and replaced with a cow valve (not direct transplant, but constructed from cow pericardium).
This means my current valves are a cow aortic valve and decellularized cadaver pulmonary valve. No prescription blood thinners or anti-rejection meds are needed. I only take a beta-blocker to keep my heart relaxed, daily baby aspirin to help thin the blood a little, and a low-dose diuretic to keep fluid off my heart.
There will be more heart surgeries ahead as these parts run their lifespan as well.
Looking at my chest, you can see 2 “zipper” scars. The smaller white one on my right was from the 2008 surgery. This one was a first-time operation with a normal healing process. The larger one with more pigment is from the 2025 surgery. This was 2 back-to-back surgeries that were both re-operations. There were also additional complications with healing due to malnutrition at key stages of the healing process (due to damage to my teeth and throat with intubation), which impacted wound healing. The upper half of the scar became hypertrophic and painful, and the lower half became hypotrophic. The upper half was treated with steroid injections from a dermatologist to help calm the scar at 5 months post-op.
The series of 4 round-ish scars below my ribcage are from the 4 chest tubes I had during the 2025 open heart. They also healed in a hypertrophic state, leaving indentations in the scars. The 2 on my left also have a faint line above and below. This is due to these 2 chest tubes being stuck in my sternal wires and needing to be surgically removed 3 days after surgery.
The more faint “+” scar below those are from the single chest tube that was used in my 2008 open heart surgery.
