Growing up on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Tyler Bozeman faced a unique medical challenge that shaped his childhood and ultimately led him to New York for life-changing surgery. He had pectus excavatum, a condition that causes a noticeable sunken appearance in the chest, limits physical activity, and creates constant shortness of breath.
As a baby, he underwent a procedure to correct pulmonary stenosis, a condition that causes a narrowing of the heart's pulmonary valve. "They go in with a balloon and fix that," Tyler recalls. "I didn't know then that they're connected, but I also had the chest indentation."
Growing up, Tyler wasn't allowed to play sports or engage in the typical childhood activities that many take for granted. "Due to that, I just wasn't very athletic and always felt kind of winded," he explains. While he certainly has always loved more intellectual pursuits—Tyler describes himself as "kind of a nerd"—the limitations imposed by his condition were a constant reminder of his differences. "My parents knew there were options, but that was in the 1990s, and things weren’t especially advanced down here," he says, reflecting on the lack of treatment options in Alabama at the time.
The Road to Finding the Right Care
As he grew older, Tyler continued to experience difficulty with physical exertion, even during simple gym workouts. "I moved to New York and joined Equinox, thinking this would be fun," Tyler says. But his sessions with a personal trainer quickly highlighted his limitations. "I was getting super winded very quickly and would get to the point where I would get sick and throw up," he remembers.
His trainer, whose father was a cardiologist, noticed the red flags and suggested Tyler get a heart rate monitor to better track his exertion levels. Even with careful monitoring, Tyler struggled to keep up with exercises that others his age could handle with ease.
Realizing something was not right, Tyler's trainer encouraged him to seek medical care. "He said, ‘I think this is something you should get checked out,’" Tyler says. This led him to a cardiologist who conducted a series of tests, including an echocardiogram and a CT scan, to evaluate the severity of Tyler's chest deformity.
The results confirmed what Tyler had suspected for years—his condition was significant enough to warrant surgical intervention. That’s when his cardiologist referred him to Lyall Gorenstein, MD, Director of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery at Columbia and an expert in pectus excavatum correction.
A Life-Changing Decision: The Nuss Procedure
Meeting Dr. Gorenstein was a turning point. "Now, it was pretty straightforward," Tyler recalls. "Dr. Gorenstein has seen this before, and he did all the necessary tests. We decided to move forward with it." While the decision to have surgery is never easy, Dr. Gorenstein quickly earned Tyler's confidence: "I think we immediately knew that we were in good hands."
Tyler had what’s called the Nuss procedure, a minimally invasive surgery to correct pectus excavatum. During the surgery, curved metal bars are inserted under the sternum to push it outward, correcting the sunken appearance of the chest. The bars remain in place for several years to allow the chest to remodel into a normal shape.
The surgery was both a physical and emotional challenge. "It was painful," he admits. "He [Dr. Gorenstein] said, ‘If I had told you on the front end, you wouldn’t have done it.’ I remember him saying that; it was funny." Despite the pain, Tyler was starting to feel the difference, even with the metal bars in place.
Recovery and New Beginnings
Recovery has been transformative. In March of this year, he had the metal bars removed and is now enjoying life without the constant breathlessness that had plagued him for so long. "I haven’t really super kicked the tires on hard-working out again yet," Tyler says, "but I already know that I feel better."
While the procedure wasn’t primarily about aesthetics for Tyler, he acknowledges the newfound confidence it has given him. "Physical appearance wasn’t a big concern for me," he says. "But I do feel more confident, and it is nice not to really have to think about when you take your shirt off at the beach—what is someone thinking about that."
"I’m just really happy that we’re through it," Tyler says. "It was a journey, but it was almost uneventful because Dr. Gorenstein is so good at what he does."
Related:
- Pectus Excavatum: Podcast by Lyall A. Gorenstein, MD
- I Love The Skin I Am In—Life After Nuss Procedure for Chest Deformity
- New Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines Will Save Lives, But There’s Still Work To Do