If you could change a single physical feature in yourself, which one would you pick?

@hartfire , this a real pain, indeed. Had a relatively small crack-type fracture there (after a strong sneeze) and know how it feels when trying to move in specific positions. Good luck mine healed on its own in several months. I really hope you will be soon able to afford such an intervention!

@TheGreatGreyGuardian
Thank you.
Unfortunately, unless I win lotto or somesuch, it's unlikely I'd ever be able to afford it.
I've learned to move in certain ways to help reduce those stabbing moments. Essentially it means not curling forwards, keeping a straight back whenever I need to pull on shoes, socks, trim nails, pull weeds, pick things up, etc.

Very glad your cracked point-of-sternum healed well. :)

@hartfire , yes, lucked a lot to not be an actual fracture but just a small crack. Can only imagine what is to have this pain when moving for so much time.
How costly is this intervention to fix it for you? Have never knew such a thing. And probably in different countries may vary a lot in price so is going abroad for it is an option?

@TheGreatGreyGuardian I live on a pension, so even air tickets are out for me.

The accident occured when I was in my mid 40s. I was at a horsemanship workshop watching a problem horse being taught to walk onto a float. (Actually not being done well. The would-be teacher turned out to be an amateur.)
The quarter horse gelding was large and solidly built. I leaned against a fence post as I watched. All of a sudden, the horse decided to run off backwards and rammed its bum into me before I had time to move. My chest was squashed between bum and post. I felt a severe pain in the sternum at the lowest join of the ribs. Man, one doesn't know one has nerves in some places until something goes wrong!
Despite the pain, it never occurred to me that it might have broken. I didn't know such a thing was possible so I never got it checked.
I thought whatever it was would heal and be okay.
No idea how wrong I was until many weeks had passed...
Years later, an x-ray for other purposes showed the point turning in and the denser bone where the fracture had healed in the new position.

In Australia, the minimum fee for a cataract operation is $5,000 excluding the anaethetist's fee. Since the op would be considered non-essential or elective, it wouldn't be available free via the public medical system (Medicare). The private fees would be far more.

Honestly, I have learned to live with and work around it. It's okay.

But thank you very much for your care and concern. :)

@hartfire , I appreciate sharing such a story. Would have extremely hard time even knowing what would it feel to stick with it for half a life time! I understand it is difficult financially, I, myself, live very humbly and am perfectly aware what it is like. Cannot understand, though, how such a situation is called to be non-essential. If it makes a physical discomfort, it would have been a must to be fixed for me. But since it is free health care system in Australia, they are probably not very eager to enlarge the list beyond the "actually serious" (whatever it means for them) conditions. There are no perfect systems, unfortunately. And yes, I guess a country cannot pay for everything but still... I always feel stupid in this kind of situations you are unable to do anything, yet you should and want but no realistic chance. 😔

@TheGreatGreyGuardian In Australia, "serious" means a condition that is disabling or life threatening.
Physical pain doesn't count unless it's so severe that the person has decided they would prefer suicide. That would work for arthritic joint pain. But, since the point of sternum is merely inconveniencing and only painful if I bend to much, it doesn't count.
It's true that they have to practice triage to make the budget meet the most urgent cases. That does end up having a few drawbacks. But it's beginning to have some unexpected benefits too - such as more emphasis on educating people to lead healthier lives.

I haven't been keeping up with things in Canada. What govt do you have there now? How much is the landscape and ecology being affected by global warming? How is it tackling climate change?