#pectus

pectus excavatum physiology - a drawing from last year inspired by the effect of having a caved in sternum. second pic is a bottom-up view of a 3D model of my ribcage based on a ct scan (rendered by artnerdpex on insta).

reducing my sternum's impact on my heart (and getting to know my heart better) has been my main priority as I've noticed the effect more with age

i think the physical shock of the heart being pressed on leads to some somewhat predictable changes in the shapes and physiology of the body that are easily ignored when the condition is viewed as cosmetic. i think people w severe forms of this condition often exist in states of dissociation where we can't read the information from our hearts (and bodies more broadly) because it's so uncomfortable or pained, and can wind up conceptualised as a primarily mental illness or neurotype thing, and so probably harder to fix. I think existing in a state where the heart is permanently pressed on disrupts the production of healthy biorythms that are crucial to benevolent non-verbal communication between living things.

I can breathe. It took a long time for me to really notice how it helped during exercise. But now that I’m a year into my recovery I notice it. I can work so much harder at my job before I tire. I don’t have to rest between rooms. I feel like my breathing is always improving. My heart doesn’t race. I don’t have to think about breathing anymore.

Surgery helped me, I feel normal now. It wasn’t about the looks. I just wanted to feel better and that we accomplished :)

Pectus excavatum (or funnel chest) is a condition where the chest wall is slightly caved in birth, and slowly gets worse with age up until puberty.

There is quite the gender divide between women and men with pectus excavatum. Studies show that girls develop pectus excavatum approximately five times less frequently than men, and when surgery is recommended by a physician, they frequently urge that cosmetic breast implants have been completed in conjunction with the fix to make a more "ideal" look.

Fixing sunken chest in women

Just like for guys, there are a number of methods to address women wanting to improve the expression of the pectus excavatum. The first alternative is always likely to be getting corrective surgery, whether it's that the Nuss or Ravitch procedure. These are typically performed on patients with a specific Haller indicator (or severity) of a particular level, so surgery is not often readily available to everyone. The second, non-surgical alternative is improve the look of the chest through corrective posture, vacuum treatment, and a few fitness.

Vacuum bell treatment for Ladies

We've talked to many women with pectus excavatum, and believe that the frustration they have when dealing with their bodies. Not only do they have less resources than men (obviously, since it is a lot more common in men), medical studies often skew towards guys, and vacuum fittings may oftentimes be difficult depending on breast shape and size.