How Many Surgeries Have You Had?

CheapskateQueen on 19/08/2017 - 09:18
Last edited 19/08/2017 - 09:40 by 1 other user

As I sit here moping and going insane recovering from yet another major surgery, I'm curious to know what the average operations a person has in their lifetime?

How many operations have you had in your life? How old are you?

It's up to you what you consider a surgery. I'm not here to take away from your pain/recovery. I'm thinking at least an incision and recovery time of some sort. I personally haven't counted my wisdom teeth removal.

I've just turned 31 yo and this is my 5th surgery. This is my 2nd major surgery for unrelated things in 3.5 yrs.

Health & Beauty

Comments

  • pwnd on 21/08/2017 - 10:49

    35 - 0
    Time is catching up though. Played basketball semi professionally and casually for the last 20+ years, and not much cartilage left in the knees. Specialist has started mentioning things like "knee replacement" so will see how long we last.
    But no broken bones, couple of stitches here and there and only one stay in hospital for a couple of nights when I was a little kid due to an infection.

  • drose1 on 21/08/2017 - 11:21

    27 years old.

    2 GA surgeries.

    First was for removal of a tiny tumour.

    Second was for ACL recon.

  • Lockieasy on 21/08/2017 - 11:50

    29yo. 1 surgery when I was a child to remove a large cyst from my neck (spent a week in hospital for it). Other than that, nothing. :)

  • Shark on 21/08/2017 - 12:07
    +7

    43yo
    cancer at 12 months old, chemotherapy, radiotherapy etc
    15 x surgeries on left hip during teenage years (osteotomy, leg lengthening operations etc)
    2 x surgeries on left calf to lengthen calf
    1 x surgery to install biventricular pacemaker
    multiple angiograms during heart failure
    numerous cardioversions on failing heart
    Heart transplant 2005
    multiple biopsies to check on new heart
    Finally , left hip replacement
    Going fine.
    Do I win yet? lol

    • Pizdets on 21/08/2017 - 12:10
      +7

      "Do I win yet?" Well you're still alive….

      • Shark on 21/08/2017 - 18:28
        +9

        yep, and loving life! Making the most of my second/third chance at life.

    • Blahness on 21/08/2017 - 17:10

      did i read heart transplant?!

      • Shark on 21/08/2017 - 18:30
        +4

        yeah mate, just under 12 years ago now. The day of the AFL grandfinal 2005 actually.

  • c0balt on 21/08/2017 - 12:11
    +1

    30 years old male and a few.

    1) Motorbike accident resulting in avulsion fracture on left thumb requiring reconstructive surgery pinning the broken bones and tendons back in place. I had a really good surgeon and rehab therapist so I got 90% functionality of my thumb back pretty quickly. I think also being heavily into console gaming at that time made me have a strong reason to get full functionality back and to push through pain/mobility barriers.

    2) Emergency root canal where anaesthetic couldn't work because my face and jaw were full of pus from a horrible abscess after neglecting a cavity for months by taking OTC pain meds and convincing myself it was fine. I ended up in so much pain that I was delirious through the surgery and really thought I might choke on my own pus/blood and die. I was an idiot for neglecting it and allowing the infection to spread into my facial bones because I was too caught up with uni assignments at the time.

    3) Hemorrhoid surgery. The most painful and lengthy rehab of all my surgeries/physical injuries. 5 years on and I still have complications from it if I don't eat enough fibre.

    4) 2x rotted wisdom teeth removal a year apart. The tooth cavity pain was significantly worse than the removal. They were not impacted and easy to remove so it was relatively painless after experiencing other surgeries. I felt better after the anaesthetic wore off than I did before they were removed and didn't even need OTC pain meds to manage.

    5) My first surgery was to remove a cyst close to my spine that had been punctured by a pen in a school yard fight. I remember the pain and having to change the dressings often being very inconvenience at the time. Yeah, I was stabbed in the back with a pen at 13 years old.

    • outlander on 21/08/2017 - 16:13

      I guess you could say you were..
      (••) / ( ••)>⌐■-■ / (⌐■_■)

      Penetrated.
      YEEEAAAH!

  • Beanvee on 21/08/2017 - 12:26

    22, just stitches from a cut as a kid.

  • [Deactivated] on 21/08/2017 - 13:08

    Had a car accident, scalp was cut by a flying hair clip - 4-6 stiches
    Appendix removal, acute appendicitis with perforation (perforated just after I checked in, luckily).

    Late twenties now.

  • AyjeofSpades on 21/08/2017 - 13:59

    29 - Zero surgeries.

    I recently fractured a joint in my finger, nothing compared to many people commenting here, but I was amazed how difficult it was to get proper specialist treatment. I can only imagine the stress involved with some of the major health complications in this thread.

  • [Deactivated] on 21/08/2017 - 14:15
    -3

    tax payers at work

    • Zenyatta on 22/08/2017 - 14:59

      pointless comment at work

  • squashedfrog on 21/08/2017 - 15:20

    34
    4 x left knee full reco (hammy graft, hammy redo, lars graft, patella graft)
    1 x left wrist pinning

  • wyndham29 on 21/08/2017 - 15:23

    24 years old.
    1 surgery, relatively minor, just getting my wisdom teeth out!

  • rawm on 21/08/2017 - 15:31
    +1

    33
    Nothing until randomly hit at 27 with a primary spontaneous pneumothorax.) Off work for 6 weeks. Hospital for 1 week.
    Looking at these comments has made me have a tablespoon of concrete mixed with water.

  • elgrande on 21/08/2017 - 15:39
    +1

    hole cut in voice box

  • nobarginsarehere on 21/08/2017 - 16:07

    37 - 0

  • cdaddy on 21/08/2017 - 17:10
    +1

    Nose straighten

  • sirlitchfield on 21/08/2017 - 17:27
    +2

    2 surgeries within 1 month, spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung). Sitting at my desk at work and was suddenly hit with a massive pain in my chest on my left side and shortness of breath, thought I was having a heart attack but luckily it was my left lung that collapsed.. 1 week in hospital, 1 week at home to recover. Then, back at work the following week sitting at my desk and bam, happens again, this time on the opposite side. I guess i'm lucky they didn't collapse at the same time.

    • DirtyMunchy on 21/08/2017 - 19:03
      +2

      You should be buddies with rawm above.

    • sirlitchfield on 22/08/2017 - 10:19

      I forgot to mention the surgery procedure I had done was called Talc Pleurodesis. Basically cutting a hole in my chest to reach my lungs and irritating around my lung and putting talc powder around it making it inflammed so my lung sticks and stays open to prevent it collapsing again. Then having a tube hanging out of my chest from my lung, going thru my ribcage and out to a device that drains the fluid from it for a few days while administering my own dose of morphine thru a button I press, fun stuff.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn1lcM3Z3sg

  • Godric on 21/08/2017 - 17:49
    +1

    Does extraction of wisdom teeth count? If so 1

    • fossilfuel on 21/08/2017 - 20:10
      +1

      How much wisdom was lost from that extraction?

      • Godric on 21/08/2017 - 20:47

        My current Bank balance would say all : (

  • TurkishDelight on 21/08/2017 - 19:47
    +1

    ZERO

  • djmm on 21/08/2017 - 20:33
    +1

    who here removed one of 2 balls

  • heidisapirate on 21/08/2017 - 20:33
    +1

    22 years old, 1 surgery.

    Had my adenoids quarterised when I was 10 or 11. Few years later they grew back, and I could have had the surgery again, but I didn't end up doing so.

    Now I'm 22, I totally regret not fully getting them fixed up, as I've had problems with breathing through my nose ever since I was a child.

    • Aniseed Steed on 22/08/2017 - 19:05
      +1

      quarterised

      cauterised?

      • heidisapirate on 23/08/2017 - 07:20
        +2

        …apparently yes?

        I have never actually seen it written down, and my 10 year old brain thought everyone was saying "quarterised"…. wow you've actually blown my mind.

        • FirstNameLastName on 23/08/2017 - 07:22

          Being drawn and quarterised was one of human's earliest attempts at surgery.

  • donnot on 21/08/2017 - 22:00
    +1

    18 - 1 surgery (for testicular torsion when I was 12, yuck).

  • educalifa on 21/08/2017 - 22:02

    About to turn 41, zero. But shouldn't really be the case… played basketball for a lot of years which took a toll on my knees, Doc said "long painful physio or surgery and then a bit of physio" chose option A and avoided the surgery. Knees still hurt if aabuse them though.

    Have been racing motorcycles for the past 10 years and with that came quite a few crashes and injuries i.e. broken collarbones, tailbone, heel. Got lucky so far and never required surgery but seeing how often I crash it's just a matter of time hahaha

  • Godzilla on 21/08/2017 - 23:58
    +1

    I'm 21.

    I don't know if some of this is even significant enough to be considered minor surgery. But I've had 3 stitches.

    Once for my eyelid because a kid pushed me off the swings at 2 y.o and i face planted onto the ground, bark cut my eyelid open.

    Second time when i was around 5 y.o and a kid pushed me and i somehow got stabbed in the leg and got to get it stitched back together.

    Then i had cosmetic surgery related to a disease i was born with.

  • apey2000 on 22/08/2017 - 00:07

    In my 30s. Seven major surgeries so far, all due to accidents & injuries. My left eyebrow twitches involuntarily due to some nerve damage, but I'm all good otherwise.

  • CryssieJade on 22/08/2017 - 01:01

    33 - zero surgeries. Although I've come close a couple of times. That's not a badge of honor, just the facts

  • Pyrock on 22/08/2017 - 01:08

    26yo - Had no surgeries (unless you consider Wisdom teeth out surgery)
    Pretty lucky TBH -
    Never broken any bones, never had any major damage, despite being into sports all through teens (still do martial arts and gymnastics).

    I was a pretty adventurous kid, growing up in rural Victoria, who was always climbing trees and such. Once landed face first going over a jump on my mountain bike without a helmet at around 12yo with about 1.5m air (gotta prove to your mates youre cool eh). Another time at around 13,14yo i tripped running down some outside stairs from about 2m up and landed face first into the brick ground. This one i always get reminded of because my mother watched it happen from the kitchen window.

    I have also survived two fully written off motorbike accidents without a single scratch. First one was a guy running a red and i went into the side of him at about 60km/hr. I flew about two car lengths and rolled the landing. Second wasnt as bad with a car cutting me off. Mangled bike but i managed to jump off before it all.

    All in all i either handle myself well or am just really lucky to not have major damage done to myself :D

    • singlemalt72 on 22/08/2017 - 11:54
      +1

      Virtually everything you have written is my life!

  • Dingus on 22/08/2017 - 01:17

    22 y/o
    4 that I can remember.
    1) Appendix removed
    2) Hip bone scraped off
    3) Hip replacement (18y/o)
    4) Circumcised (19y/o)

    So nothing major lol

  • [Deactivated] on 22/08/2017 - 02:55
    +1

    Well my GP tried to reach my tonsils via my anus just the other week.
    They said something about a 'prostate' or 'prostrate' or something or other, but i just dunno.

    Anyway, i found it as invasive as i'd imagine surgery would be, so i'll say '1'.

    • addicted on 22/08/2017 - 09:53

      weird that..never heard of someone reaching for tonsils via anus..

  • [Deactivated] on 22/08/2017 - 07:07

    36 and zero.

    My knees are going so it wouldnt be long for something to get done about it

  • yoonibear on 22/08/2017 - 11:38

    Just the one - had cataract surgery at 24

  • freakatronic on 22/08/2017 - 11:47

    34, still never done more than walk through a hospital.

  • singlemalt72 on 22/08/2017 - 11:53

    Lucky here;

    Despite many years of motorcycling, mountain biking, Rugby League/Rugby Union and canyoning I really have done well.

    4 broken bones (all radius/ulna) - no surgery, just plaster. A few broken fingers/toes (no hospital visit, just splinted until they healed).
    A couple of dislocations (put back myself)
    Stretched tendons/ligaments in ankles that mean I roll an ankle at the mere sight of a divot in the footpath.

    Other than that, tonsils removed at 8 would be my only 'surgery' though I hardly count that, but it was General anesthesia.

  • secondstory on 22/08/2017 - 13:31

    I had a mole removed when I was 9.
    Some of the stories in this thread really give me the feels and I'm not sure whether to plus them ;__;

  • SmartestAlec on 22/08/2017 - 13:33

    31 - 2

    Fell over when i was 9 and snapped my forearm on a right angle and the bones broke through the skin, it was pretty cool have 2 elbows for a day.
    1 surgery to put plates in, 1 to remove them 9 months later

  • Piranha2004 on 22/08/2017 - 13:39
    +1
    1. Just the one surgery for wisdom tooth removal
    • Zenyatta on 22/08/2017 - 14:59
      +1

      When I typed my age as the first thing in my post it came up as 1. I think it must be autocorrecting your number to make a numbered list starting from 1.

      • Piranha2004 on 22/08/2017 - 16:10

        Yeah it should say 32. Must be formatting.

  • BuyoTheCat on 22/08/2017 - 14:53
    +4

    There has not been any deals posted on OZB for surgeries. Thus, NIL.

  • Zenyatta on 22/08/2017 - 14:57

    I'm 30. No surgeries. I've been lucky, no serious illness so far for me in life.

  • Mackeg02 on 22/08/2017 - 15:59

    i have had a 7 general anaesthetics most to do with a pituitary tumour.
    Vp shunt put in with 1 revision (tube is now broken in 2 places)
    biopsy
    One infusaport put in
    Endoscopy
    Tube for dialysis removed from thermal artery as the flesh had started to grow back around it.
    Birthmark removed & skin graft and infusaport removed.
    Septoplasty (nose)
    i have had several local's for moles etc but I wouldn't normally count that as surgery.

  • Islund on 22/08/2017 - 16:19

    circumcision = does that count?

    eye

    • ego22 on 22/08/2017 - 16:54
      +1

      na..thats more of a mutilation than a surgery

  • ego22 on 22/08/2017 - 16:53

    30yo - 0

    …… i need to get out more

  • CheapskateQueen on 22/08/2017 - 17:51
    +1

    so im feeling like the average is generally 0-2 surgeries for mid 30's unless you're one of the unlucky ones that cop a beating in life.

    There are definitely a few people on here that have copped a real beating in life and love that most of you seem to be positive. although i guess you have to be right?!

    I'm still currently stuck in the woe is me and my i hate my life mode but it's still early days in recovery :') Let me get revisit my feels 6 months from now haha

    • aromatase on 22/08/2017 - 18:18
      +1

      stay strong! surgeries are challenging!

    • Aniseed Steed on 22/08/2017 - 18:35
      +1

      “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” Just keep your chin up!

  • budgetman on 22/08/2017 - 18:24

    3 X shoulder
    2 X hernia
    2 X knee

    1 x lower abdomen that I must of had when I was a baby/toddler??
    I have nobody to ask about the mystery scar as my Mum passed away when I was 5yrs and my dad can only just remember who I am.

    Im 48 years young.

  • thefud on 22/08/2017 - 18:33

    25 - appendectomy - went back to work the next day, compound fracture in wrist from a couple of bullies at high school and a day surgery to fix a lazy eye when I was about 5 years old.

  • Mia03 on 22/08/2017 - 20:04

    25 yr old female: None.

  • fozzie on 22/08/2017 - 21:19

    45 female, 0

  • iSamurai on 23/08/2017 - 09:39

    I've had four. 2x general and 2x local. I'm 26.

    Latest one was earlier this year at the Royal Brisbane. Shout out to all the docs and nurses if you're reading this :)

  • desmondnnk on 23/08/2017 - 11:26

    turning 30 .. third ACL recon is scheduled next year…

  • y on 23/08/2017 - 14:47

    36 - 0

    Assuming you don't count removing a mole under local anaesthetic and a few fillings. Have never had GA or spent a night in hospital which I'm grateful for.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/04/2019 - 19:53

    36 - 2

    A myomectomy ( had to be revived twice on the operating table) and a planned c-section. 3 kids.

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