Pectus excavatum, doctor wont preform surgery.?

Question

i have pectus excavatum,

i went to a pulmonary cardiologist, and he basically told me to suck it up. I have been lifting weights constantly for about a year, and ive seen mild results. although it bothers me cosmetically, it bothers me the most that i have constant chest pain, as well as shortness of breath when i do anything physical. also my heart beat rises very high, and stays up there for at least 15 minutes.

on top of this i also have a mild form of scoliosis.

i had an echo cardiogram done, and they said my heart was fine.

i think the doctors have made a mistake.

help?

Answer 1

What the heck is a pulmonary cardiologist?  As far as I know, pulmonology and cardiology are two separate specialties.

If you're not satisfied with the answer you got from one doctor, get a second opinion.  And make sure they know about your symptoms.

Answer 2

First of all, both pulmonologists and cardiologists are medical specialists - they don't do surgery.

Try an orthopedic doctor - they work with bones, and could evaluate you better.  It may be the case that your condition isn't severe enough to warrant surgery, or that your particular condition isn't amenable to surgery.

In any case, you'd need to be evaluated by a surgeon, so try that.

Answer 3

I can't speak to present day procedures or the state of the art, but in former times surgery achieved only temporary results. Many pediatric surgeons were reluctant to perform such surgery.

I am sure that the situation has changed, but be sure to ask any potential surgeon about his/her long-term results. Looking at the web, data from the Cleveland Clinic sounds promising.