Surgery stories

[Shaduu]

On Friday I had my first operation and was just wondering how many people on MR have had, or will be having, surgery.

Mine was a simple knee arthroscopy to correct a torn meniscus. The surgeon I'd been seeing prior to the op said it was a strange injury for my age 'cause it's usually associated with degeneration of the knee joint. Either way, I got to sample some first-class tranquilisers and anaesthetic so I'm happy.

I'm not happy about the ten days on crutches and self-injecting, though.

So then, anyone have any more interesting stories?

[Unspoken Demise]

I have a cadaver bone surgically implanted in my hand. I impacted the metacarple bone and I had four 10 gauge 3 inch rods sticking out of my hand for a few months. The dead guy's bone is keeping me from having severe arthiritis, even though I already have it and I'm 19. I also have 4 dot scars and an inch long scar on my hand.

[steviem]

Woah - I had the same in March. However they ended up taking the worst part away, which I didn't really want.

I'm now able to run, and ran 2 miles yesterday, with the only problem being a little twinge after running along some badly cambered pavement.

The surgery, well I don't remember much from it, and the incisions are literally just little marks now.

My OS said that it was a rare injury, but in rugby players (which is my sport) its a little more common. The arthroscopy showed that I slightly damaged my ACL at the same time as the meniscus, but it repaired itself really nicely.

[iBlue]

Ooooh, bonus if you guys can show us X-rays/photos!


My most exciting and share-worthy surgery was having a blood clot removed from my brain. (epidural hematoma in the right parietal-occipital region, for anyone curious) They shaved part of my head, drilled a hole and sucked it out with some sort of syringe. I was totally awake. I didn't like being restrained (they put your head in the mother of all vices) but it wasn't so bad, and I get to say I've had brain surgery!

[TuffLuffJimmy]

I've had an appendectomy and a tonsillectomy. They both went smoothly. I was in the hospital for two days after my appendectomy and I left after like a half hour after I got my tonsils out.

[yellow]

I had 14" of my terminal ileum removed.

[joro]

My father in law was dropped before he was all the way under when they were moving him from his hospital bed to the operating table. He was having a hip replacement done at the time. :eek:

[Shaduu]

Woah - I had the same in March. However they ended up taking the worst part away, which I didn't really want.

I'm now able to run, and ran 2 miles yesterday, with the only problem being a little twinge after running along some badly cambered pavement.

The surgery, well I don't remember much from it, and the incisions are literally just little marks now.

My OS said that it was a rare injury, but in rugby players (which is my sport) its a little more common. The arthroscopy showed that I slightly damaged my ACL at the same time as the meniscus, but it repaired itself really nicely.

Well that's the kind of recovery I was hoping for. The surgery was only three days ago but I'm already able to walk on it with minimal pain despite having a full leg bandage. I surf pretty much everyday and the surgeon said that could have been a factor in the tear thanks to the constant twisting of the joint. Mind you, I've been complaining about my knees since I was about 3 or 4 (now 18) so no one's quite sure what caused it.

I take it your arthroscopy was performed under local anaesthetic too; how did you deal with seeing strange metal instruments being stuffed into your knee? At first I was freaked out and then the tranquilisers the anaesthetist gave me kicked in and I found the whole thing hilarious.

Ooooh, bonus if you guys can show us X-rays/photos!

I have MRIs, X-Rays and photos from inside my knee. Take your pick. :D

[charlesbronsen]

compound fracture - left forearm - 3 surgeries and various metal plates and screws- good times. too many stitches to count.

hernia- right pelvis area - 19 stiches

[Sideonecincy]

In October of 2008, I had a Mandibular Maxillary Osteotomy. Before the surgery, I had an open bite and my jaw line was not structured correctly. The surgeon broke jaw and realigned everything.

They implanted a titanium plate in my chin to help bring my chin out more (I asked for a Jay Leno chin, but he didn't find that funny). During the realignment, he moved my jaw forward a whole bunch. The pictures below show how much my facial structure changed by having the surgery completed, but I have significant nerve damage in my chin. The nerves in my chin never regenerated and a good portion of my chin constantly feels numb.

Before:
http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/4650/beforesurgery.jpg (http://img164.imageshack.us/i/beforesurgery.jpg/)

After:
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/1361/aftersurgery.jpg (http://img188.imageshack.us/i/aftersurgery.jpg/)

[Unspoken Demise]

@Sideonecincy
It looks great!
Sorry to hear about the nerve damage though. :(

[Heilage]

I'm having a throat operation (tonsils and what they suspect to be a tumor) on the 7. of August. I'm nervous and I hate hospitals.

[iGary]

L5-S1 laminoforaminotomy in 2005.

[Tomorrow]

I had the tip of my right pinky finger reattached when I was 5 years old. It was slammed almost completely off in a door.

To this day, the tip of that finger is smaller than the rest of the finger, almost child-size.

[OutThere]

http://www.drien.com/macrumors/random/08-18-08_1105.jpg

Oral surgeon had to saw through some bone and flesh to get a couple of those puppies out. :)

[Boneoh]

I had a vasectomy several years ago. Didn't hurt much, but lying there on the table, I just kept praying that the Dr. wouldn't slip or sneeze while working next my johnson!

[SLC Flyfishing]

Had my adenoids out when I was 14, and when I woke up from anesthesia I started freaking out. I was at a children's hospital so there was some sort of nursery rhyme or something like that painted on the wall in big letters but I couldn't read it, it literally made no sense. It was scary because I knew that I was supposed to be able to read but for some reason I couldn't. I also was screaming and thrashing about uncontrollably. I knew I needed to calm down but I couldn't control myself; it was not very pleasant. They ended up strapping me down because I started swinging my fists at the nurses once I became aware of them.

Last week I had another surgical procedure done to re-construct my nose, I had broken it two weeks earlier and my right nostril was completely crushed. I warned the Anesthesiologist about my mishap after anesthesia the last time and asked him for a benzodiazepine of some kind to try and prevent a similar thing from happening. He said that what happened to me is somewhat common in teenagers, and that he wasn't worried about it now. I woke up peacefully this time with no outside interference.

SLC

[Sideonecincy]

@Sideonecincy
It looks great!
Sorry to hear about the nerve damage though. :(
Eh, hopefully the nerves regenerate, but if not, oh well. The nerve damage was a resulting problem that we didn't expect, but I accepted it pretty quickly and sorta forget about it (as much as I can)

[viccles]

Had deviated septum fixed in 2000 when I was 15 (which has partially grown back :mad:) and impacted wisdom teeth out in 2003

[jmann]

I woke up peacefully this time with no outside interference.

SLC

That's good, freaking out as an adult is no good. ;)

[chstr]

I've had a broken ankle surgery, and a surgery that required cutting around my abdomen area, after which I had a lot of internal bleeding and almost died. Good luck!

[Ripcurlsurfin96]

2x knee surgeries thanks to Ice Hockey and a knee to knee contact. Screwed up my meniscus and LCL..

All said and done its about 98% good, it has its bad days...btw im 22 :p

My Ice Hockey career is over and now i just play pickup and coach

[conch575]

I have a cadaver bone surgically implanted in my hand. I impacted the metacarple bone and I had four 10 gauge 3 inch rods sticking out of my hand for a few months. The dead guy's bone is keeping me from having severe arthiritis, even though I already have it and I'm 19. I also have 4 dot scars and an inch long scar on my hand.

Wow a dead dudes bone! That's awesome! I'm afraid nothing interesting has ever happened to me, I've only gotten stiches on my head after I hit into a cupboard when I was little and all I remember is it bleeding like crazy.

[Legolamb]

I'm still to squeamish about posting my month-old smashed tibia an fibula surgery, with scars from where they implanted 2 titanium plates and screws. The scabs are falling off.... I find bits and pieces of me every day. I'm finding my impatience with the thought of spending 4 more months like this to be harder to deal with than the iniital, excruciating pain. Like I've posted elsewhere, I totally get how Michael Jackson and others in pain just wish to go to sleep until the pain goes away.
I had to deal with the injectable blood thinners for one month, but compared to what some of you guys suffered through, I really shouldn't complain.

[Tomorrow]

I had a vasectomy several years ago. Didn't hurt much, but lying there on the table, I just kept praying that the Dr. wouldn't slip or sneeze while working next my johnson!

Yeah, I had one of those, too - I didn't count that as "surgery," but I guess it is. :cool:

[r.j.s]

I've had four massive irrigation and drainage surgeries on my right knee for a Staph infection and I've had PRK on both eyes.

[iBlue]

..
I have MRIs, X-Rays and photos from inside my knee. Take your pick. :D
Whatever looks coolest. MRIs are usually pretty detailed soooo... :D

... He said that what happened to me is somewhat common in teenagers, and that he wasn't worried about it now. I woke up peacefully this time with no outside interference.

I've heard that and I seem to be similar. - I had my 4 "full bone impaction" wisdom teeth extracted under a general anesthetic of some description and I woke up during the procedure and grabbed the oral surgeon's throat. :o I was under but not so under I didn't know someone was hurting me and somewhere in my subconscious I got defensive. They apparently strap people's arms down but I got my arm free of it, or they forgot.

When I woke up fully (I don't remember trying to strangle my surgeon) I was all freaked out about the silliest things, like getting down from the curb to the car. I stood there crying with bloody gauze in my mouth wondering how I would ever get down from such a great distance. I have NO idea what was going on in my head. Then I insisted I was hungry and needed McDonald's, so my grandma got me a strawberry shake while she picked up a prescription for me. Of course because I was off my rocker and had to drink the shake without a straw I spilled it all over myself and didn't know what to do. I got out of the car and started wandering around the parking lot, presumably for help. I'm sure I looked real clever with pink crap all down the front of me wandering around parked cars. :cool:

Luckily I've never had such a pitiful reaction to anesthetic again, so people must grow out of it.

:o