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

  • teacherer on 19/08/2017 - 09:27
    +14

    21 - 0

  • retiredfeline on 19/08/2017 - 09:29

    Do you count biopsies and exploratory surgeries like colonoscopy?

    • CheapskateQueen on 19/08/2017 - 09:31

      I guess it's up to each person what they count. I guess if there's an incision and recovery time?

      • retiredfeline on 19/08/2017 - 09:37

        Yes for biopsy but not for colonoscopy; they anesthetise you and put a tube with a video camera into you. You can leave the same day in most cases of biopsy and exploratory surgery.

        • wannagrababargain on 21/08/2017 - 14:57
          +23

          A colonoscopy is probably not 'major' surgery but it is still a pain in the ass ..

          (Couldn't help the ozbargian pun tradition..)

        • retiredfeline on 21/08/2017 - 15:05
          +4

          @wannagrababargain: The worst part of it was I didn't get to hear the punchline of the joke the surgeon started before I went under anesthesia. I'm sure they do that to check that you are really out cold since you're not laughing.

        • ashikk on 22/08/2017 - 11:35
          +1

          @wannagrababargain: And the worst part is getting prepared a day earlier with that awful drink and frequent visits to the toilet, sort of peeing from the back side.

  • ilsan0 on 19/08/2017 - 09:30
    +15

    9 surgeries.
    All from 1 accident.
    Got ran over by a Bus :(

    • CheapskateQueen on 19/08/2017 - 09:35
      +2

      Holy crap! Sorry to hear! Hope you're doing okay now and it's all behind you? And hopefully you didn't have to pay!

      • ilsan0 on 19/08/2017 - 09:43
        +78

        The bad:

        2 years recovery
        Every part of body has scars/broken
        Right leg was broken in 7 places and has rods and screws plus flesh and skin grafts.
        Missed out on teen years
        Had lots of trouble exposing my scarred body so it was hard to get GF's

        The good:

        Accident happened when i was 17 so recovery wasn't that bad
        Increased pain threshold
        Increased will power
        Living life day at a time and loving it
        Face got saved because of helmet
        I am fully healed and can run jump play.

        Life is Good and Bad. Its all relative :)

        • Dazza610 on 20/08/2017 - 10:29
          +7

          Yeah…

          Wait until you're over 50.

          That's about when the aches from previous (old) injuries catch up with ya, and joints REALLY start to seize up.

          I'm 60 and really feeling old Football & Motorbike injuries now.

          I HATE it when it's COLD.

        • ilsan0 on 20/08/2017 - 15:30
          +21

          @Dazza610:

          Already starting to hate the cold. I get your point but o point fretting over it now :)
          When everything hurts, I just smoke a joint and Voila :)

        • magikz on 20/08/2017 - 23:58
          +11

          Great outlook mate, you'll go far.

        • Elision on 21/08/2017 - 00:13
          +7

          Hey man, good on you for being able to have such a positive outlook on life. Some people would just wallow in self pity but it's great that you're still thankful for what you have.

        • Skinnerr on 21/08/2017 - 05:18
          +1

          @Dazza610: Get compressive sleeves for your joints that ache. If you wanna just dip your toe in the water go to an asian variety/bargain shop and buy the $2 ones. They increase blood flow and warm up the joint like magic.

        • ilsan0 on 21/08/2017 - 16:42

          @magikz:

          Cheers mate for the kind words :)

        • ilsan0 on 21/08/2017 - 17:18

          @Lunawinter:

          Cheers mate.

        • Hunter14 on 22/08/2017 - 18:48

          Damn…that sounds horrific. Well done on the recovery and for having a good attitude about it. It's all relative. There is always someone who is worse off than you so good to appreciate the little things.

        • ilsan0 on 22/08/2017 - 19:50

          @Hunter14:

          Cheers mate. Its best to take a positive outlook regardless of the strife you are in. No on likes Suks :)

    • BensonP on 19/08/2017 - 09:37
      +14

      I guess, you could say, the bus caught you.

      I'll see myself out…

    • macrocephalic on 21/08/2017 - 14:01

      9 from one accident? You've got me beat. I rode my bike in front of a Hilux when I was a teen and had three surgeries, but they fixed a few things during each. I haven't had a general anaesthetic since though.

  • BensonP on 19/08/2017 - 09:33
    +3

    25 years old.

    2 cancer related major surgeries.
    Maybe 3, non major.
    All related.

    • CheapskateQueen on 19/08/2017 - 09:36
      +6

      Mate, hope you've got the all clear!

    • Mia03 on 22/08/2017 - 20:02

      What kind of cancer?

      • BensonP on 22/08/2017 - 20:04
        +1

        Ewing's Sarcoma

  • Mummy2 on 19/08/2017 - 09:35
    +1

    46 years old
    3 surgeries - tonsils out & 2 c-sections (one emergency, one planned)

  • Nugs on 19/08/2017 - 09:55
    +2

    44yo

    4 knocked out surgeries inc sinus clearing
    sinus - removal of the 'plugs' was the most uncomfortable bit. Nurse comes in and says we need to remove the plugs - little did I realise it was 3ft of skinny gauze up each side, it took a minute or so to remove. made my eyes water.

    wisdoms were in chair under twilight

    • kiitos on 20/08/2017 - 15:21
      +5

      Urk. I'm picturing a grotesque version of a magician pulling scarves out of his mouth.

      • wallet72 on 21/08/2017 - 21:36
        +1

        I've had the same thing, it's exactly like a magician pulling scarves…

        if the magician was a nurse…

        and the scarves were those draft 'snakes' that used to go behind doors to stop the wind…

        yeah, exactly like that.:)

    • theaussie on 22/08/2017 - 11:29

      That plug removal scarred me for life. 15 years later and I still talk about it. The most painful thing I've experienced. Especially as it pulled away from the dry blood the whole way up :-/

      • Nugs on 22/08/2017 - 11:50

        mine didn't hurt, just uncomfortable.

        also found the golf ball sized clot I blew out a few days later interesting.

  • chumlee on 19/08/2017 - 10:04
    +29

    surgery for penis reduction. donated the excess

    • RockyRaccoon on 19/08/2017 - 10:44
      +36

      Now you just have to have brain surgery to compensate 😀

      • retiredfeline on 19/08/2017 - 12:48
        +3

        But there'll be nothing left to take away. :)

        • [Deactivated] on 20/08/2017 - 10:24
          +1

          It's called circumsission
          And most here have probably have a penis 'reduction' too
          What gets me is , I wasn't even asked

        • retiredfeline on 20/08/2017 - 10:48
          +2

          @Beach Bum: * circumcision

        • [Deactivated] on 20/08/2017 - 20:42
          -4

          @greenpossum thank you my 8th grade English teacher,
          Update autocorrect and leave me alone grammar Grandma

        • retiredfeline on 20/08/2017 - 21:02
          +8

          @Beach Bum: You'd remember better if you realise that the Latin syllable cis appears in many places with the meaning of cut, e.g. incisive, concise, precision, and so forth.

        • [Deactivated] on 20/08/2017 - 21:16

          @greenpossum: sorry it's still a raw wound
          Metaphorically to my circumference
          Suma cum lately

          P.S.
          What's the Latin root to humour ?
          Human + a sense of …
          Aww

        • retiredfeline on 20/08/2017 - 21:30
          +4

          @Beach Bum: Have a root around for it. :)

        • [Deactivated] on 20/08/2017 - 21:32

          @greenpossum: thank you

        • bdl on 20/08/2017 - 22:14

          @greenpossum: I think you cut off the excess s

        • [Deactivated] on 20/08/2017 - 22:29

          @bdl: if my mum was Gina Rhinehart I might be upset
          Anyway , it's all Greek to me

        • Hirolol on 22/08/2017 - 10:59

          @greenpossum:
          All types of learning on ozbargain

    • macrocephalic on 21/08/2017 - 14:01

      And I thank you for it.

  • 2jzzzz on 19/08/2017 - 10:05
    +2

    30yo, zero surgeries, zero stitches, zero broken bones. Played a heap of sport and was a very adventurous kid. Luck and pretty good coordination and reading the play helped.

    • cangela on 19/08/2017 - 13:33
      +1

      hahahah..LUCKY GUYS~

    • Splashtash on 21/08/2017 - 18:40
      +3

      Usually when I say things like that, it happens not long after…….Why down vote the person ~_~"

  • original15 on 19/08/2017 - 10:20

    31 - 2 doses of nose surgery/plastic (reconstructive after sporting injuries)

  • Ocker on 19/08/2017 - 10:41

    The older you get then the more surgeries you tend to have - prior to 50 I think I had just the one. Since then maybe 6 or so. Biggest one being a laparoscopic bowel re-section (4 hours) and throat surgery to remove cancer (3 hours)

    • RockyRaccoon on 19/08/2017 - 13:10
      -7

      ROFL - Nothing personal, but the older you get, the more cars, the more colds, the more meals. its a simple relationship to time 😀

      • Nick939 on 20/08/2017 - 23:36
        +6

        I think you misunderstood…

        • RockyRaccoon on 21/08/2017 - 09:51
          -3

          I think you misunderstood also, I did end my comment with a smiley and the "nothing personal"

          I wasnt commenting on their need for surgery - a little light humour on a topic that can get rather serious.

  • cangela on 19/08/2017 - 13:31

    Nothing, but it make me scary, and I will avoid it ASAP

  • garetz on 19/08/2017 - 13:47
    +2

    Knees are the first thing to go, have had 3-4 surgeries related to that. Wrist surgery. Also require shoulders to be done, but its not drastically affecting me yet. Almost reaching 40.

  • Word on 19/08/2017 - 13:58

    24:2 dental.

  • FirstNameLastName on 19/08/2017 - 19:29

    I've had heaps.

    I don't think whether it's major or minor matters as much as what type/dose of anaesthetic you get.

    I believe I read somewhere that every time you go under you increase risk of dementia/Alzheimer's later on. Will see if I can find a study on this later.

    Last time I tried to get 3 procedures done under the one dose.. to avoid this risk.. but it didn't work out with the surgeons.

    I do notice that my airways take a while to recover.. and my body feels achy tired for a week or two.. even with a 30min operation

    • kiitos on 20/08/2017 - 15:25

      Last time I tried to get 3 procedures done under the one dose.. to avoid this risk.. but it didn't work out with the surgeons.

      Would they ever do this? I've often thought this would a good idea to minimise anaesthetic exposure, but I assumed each surgeon would want as uncomplicated a situation as possible.

      • macrocephalic on 21/08/2017 - 14:03

        I had two ortho surgeons working on me at once, one on my elbow and the other on my finger (on the other arm).

    • Efendy on 21/08/2017 - 06:14
      +2

      Username checks out!

  • wako on 20/08/2017 - 08:00
    +1

    30
    2 as child -
    4 or 5 related to motorbike accident
    12 months not walking muscle graphs (12 hour surgery) skin graphs rods n screws…
    Alot of fun…

  • cassidy02 on 20/08/2017 - 08:36
    +2

    34 - one surgery to remove a lump in my breast (not cancerous but was very big).

    Just had a stroke a few weeks ago. No surgery but just sympathising that yeah life can really suck sometimes.

    • lbkmumma on 21/08/2017 - 04:29

      oh dear. What kind of stroke? or like a TIA(transient ischaemic attack)? Sorry to be nosy coz i treat stroke patients and we are seeing more and more people having strokes in their 20s 30s. Hope u recovered well.

      • MessyG on 21/08/2017 - 15:58
        +1

        TIA's are now considered strokes, they are just a lot smaller and only show up on MRI. They also raise the risk of larger stroke in the next two weeks substantially. Ex-stroke reg.

      • cassidy02 on 24/08/2017 - 08:07

        I haven't been paying close attention to the official wording of it, but it was due to a blood clot in my brain, likely caused by the contraceptive pill. I had a seizure at the same time.

        Recovery is going well physically, just more of a mental battle and fatigue sticking around - I was treated really poorly and told my paralysis was psychosomatic.

        Definitely hearing more stories of younger people having them as the weeks go on.

  • voiletmay on 20/08/2017 - 14:58

    47

    1 surgery at age 5 to remove my tonsils. Nothing else, I've been really lucky, even have my wisdom teeth.

  • Aniseed Steed on 20/08/2017 - 15:24
    +1

    53 y/o: None.

  • [Deactivated] on 20/08/2017 - 22:21

    27 yo and 7 surgeries related to sports injuries (3 major, both ACL repair same knee and 1 jaw fracture repair with 6 plates inserted).

  • AussieDolphin on 20/08/2017 - 23:05

    39 yo 3 (2 C-sections) so far and will soon be undergoing a biopsy to check for celiac disease.

  • DJ Sex Crimes on 20/08/2017 - 23:11

    24 years old - 5 colonoscopies, knee surgery to fix (alloy screws) a broken kneecap from getting hit by a bike, lower back surgery for a build up of fluid.

  • oldspice on 20/08/2017 - 23:13

    22y.o. - 1 gastroscopy only

  • bugger off on 20/08/2017 - 23:22

    20 yo. Went under the knife 3 times already.

  • dingdong3000 on 20/08/2017 - 23:28

    No surgery but had a microstick thingy magjigy up my anus one time

    • saverman on 21/08/2017 - 07:09
      +23

      Micropenis, they call it.

    • Aniseed Steed on 21/08/2017 - 08:32
      +5

      Resuscitated with the staff of life.

  • burns13 on 20/08/2017 - 23:43

    29 yo. No Surgeries. Had a couple suspect minor broken bones but didn't go to the doctor. In good health

  • Phreakuency on 20/08/2017 - 23:53

    38 - 2 (broken arm if fixing it counts as surgery and back surgery for disc fusion).

    The recovery for the back surgery was the worst pain I've ever experienced but it's changed my life.

  • praga on 21/08/2017 - 00:30

    29 Years, none

  • niknah on 21/08/2017 - 00:55

    43yo.
    1 x surgery for my stomach, but that was the old days. If I had the same thing now they'd just use medicine or at worse key hole surgery.
    1 x root canal.

  • stewy on 21/08/2017 - 01:08
    +1

    28yo, have had key-hole surgery to remove my gall bladder.

    Should have been day surgery nut I ended up on an overnight stay. All in all I'd say it was minor surgery, was back at work in just under a week…

    On another note, my wisdom teeth were removed in the dental clinic under sedation. So much of a better process that getting it done under hospital under a general anesthetic. I dont understand why it isn't done moreso under just sedation….

    • theguyrules on 21/08/2017 - 09:15

      Because some wisdom teeth surgeries are much bigger operations than others.

      I had to have all 4 of mine removed, 3 of which were sideways, impacted and needed to be smashed into pieces to remove. So I wasn't given the option to have mine done under local, and I wouldn't have opted for it even if it was.

      • stewy on 22/08/2017 - 22:33

        Both of my lower wisdom teeth were impacted and needed smashing to be pulled out.

        I was given the option of local or local and sedation. I opted for the local and sedation. All I remember is the valium and/or morphine starting starting to kick in via the IV and make me feel high, next I remember coming around and being told it's all done! Was in and out of the clinic in a bit over an hour…

        One thing I noticed was that I had a lot less swelling and much better recovery time than people I know who had it done under general. Whether that's directly linked to sedation vs general I don't know but my suspicion is they are much rougher on you when you are completely conked out under a general…

  • CharityCase on 21/08/2017 - 01:48

    Penis enlargement surgery

    • Aniseed Steed on 21/08/2017 - 08:54

      For your self-esteem or for her pleasure?

      • burns13 on 21/08/2017 - 11:44
        +2

        *his

      • CharityCase on 21/08/2017 - 14:52
        +4

        To fit in my free XXL condoms I got from those giveaways on ozbargain

      • rawm on 21/08/2017 - 15:28

        ?

    • dealman on 21/08/2017 - 13:36

      Waiting for a deal on that..

      • forumninja on 22/08/2017 - 18:38
        +4

        Unfortunately even after Kogan bought Dick Smith they still only do electronics

  • lbkmumma on 21/08/2017 - 04:30

    28, None yet.

  • dbun1 on 21/08/2017 - 04:34

    32 - 0 operations, but due to get my Wisdom Teeth done under GA soon as the bottom two are impacted and starting to cause problems - this will be my first major medical treatment so far. Haven't even had so much as a cavity done yet.

  • nomunny on 21/08/2017 - 08:32

    22 - 1 Shoulder reconstruction

  • messiah1095 on 21/08/2017 - 09:47

    33 - 1 minor surgery for a ready to burst appendix when I was younger.

  • moe0050 on 21/08/2017 - 09:58
    +2

    22- about 23 surgeries.
    About 15 on my ears.
    2 on my wrist, mountain biking

    1 on forearm
    1 on hand, cut my nerve with a Stanley knife.
    1 on knee
    So have had quite a few.

  • ItsMeAgro on 21/08/2017 - 10:00

    37 - 0

  • Forenti on 21/08/2017 - 10:08

    23 - 1
    Got my appendix out earlier this year during the second week of my new job. Had never been to hospital as a patient before but it wasn't too bad apart from the waiting…

  • bhm133 on 21/08/2017 - 10:16

    Appendix at age 7, wisdom teeth at 20, surgical reattachment of index finger at 28 (2 x surgeries), metal plate into collar bone at 30 (2x surgeries). Also had a poop shoot check at 40, but I don't count that one… it more a maintenance check. So, my total is 6.

  • Powershopz on 21/08/2017 - 10:43

    30 - 1.

    When I was young (4-6 can't remember exactly) I had to have some dental surgery to get my teeth fixed. Other than that I've been pretty lucky.

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