Have you ever had surgery or broken a major bone?
Yes to the former for me, no to the latter. I jammed up my fingers pretty regularly when I used to play basketball, but the only thing I ever broke was a couple of toes. Considering all the stupid shit my cousins and I used to do as kids, it’s pretty remarkable I never ended up in traction.
A.
Had a new hip installed in ’81, which is still functioning just fine. Had a new aortic valve installed a year and a half ago, and it’s working just fine, too. So I’m two for two.
And by the way, the food at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago back in ’81 was to die for; lobster on the menu! The food at Loyola University Hospital a year and a half ago, on the other hand, really sucked.
partial replacement of L shoulder. total replacement of R shoulder. total replacement of R knee (after 4 previous ‘scopes). torn quad tendon L knee.
30 years of rugby will do that to you.
They didn’t call it ‘micro fracture’ when I had it in 1990 or so – at least not to me they didn’t – but micro fracture (and normal arthroscopy) on my left kneee, to fix a bone degeneration (avascular osteonecrosis) problem. It worked. Thanks, Dr K.
A minor surgery at UW Hospital in 1998 to remove a cyst from my hand. Local anesthetic only, but they did put me on a gurney, wheeled me into an OR, etc. Wore a cast for a couple of weeks. What a hassle, especially when taking a shower…
But the hassle wasn’t nearly as bad as the insurance company run around. They tried to deny the claim, saying it was a “cosmetic” procedure. It actually took several years, many phone calls, a few “who am I speaking to? … Fuck you,” moments when I managed to reach people instead of recordings, before Mutual of Omaha paid out.
only local. strong thick heavy german bones. i also fall well.
First surgery was a hemi-laminectomy at L5-S1 for a huge herniation of the disc. At the time my insurance was HIP and they covered the whole thing.
Second surgery was the removal of a fatty tumor from my back which was the size of a softball, double lobbed and starting to wrap itself around my spine. Had the surgery just in time before it became truly major. Insurance covered everything but the pathology study of the excised tissue; they billed me and then decided to cover it.
Third surgery was an arthroscopic procedure to trim back torn cartilege in my left knee. Again, insurance wanted to bill me for the pathology study and then they covered it. Additionally, six months later, insurance company tried to find a co-insurer to bill. They wanted to know if I was still covered under my parents insurance and I told them my parents had Medicare and I didn’t think I was included in their coverage. Was on the phone a half hour going back over and over the other sources of coverage they hoped to find. (Sorry guys, not work work related, not from a car accident, etc. and you were stuck with the whole bill.)
Oh, geez, kinda worn down from injuries. Broken collarbone, several broken ribs, broken toes, cuts, tears, etc., from work, separated a knee playing football, both shoulders sound like they have gravel in them, surgery to remove a hunk of splintered wood jammed in my hand (the last piece finally came out nine years later). Ophthalmic surgery to remove a steel splinter from my eye. Compared to life at work, the tonsillectomy when I was a kid was small change.
One broken bone: fractured collarbone due to poor piloting of a moped.
One seriously bunged up knee, leading finally to removal of the medial meniscus. My left leg is now about an inch shorter than the right.
Three minor hand operations to relieve trigger finger on three fingers.
The big one: Sextuple CABG surgery, followed by post-op infection that resulted in a total hospitalization of about 6 weeks. Insurance covered everything except for two $500 copays. I nearly died, and did have ICU psychosis for a bit.
Vasectomy.
Four surgeries. Four kids. The math is not hard here. Today is the 19th anniversary of my first favorite surgery.
Double laminectomy and discectomy in mid-2000s. It stopped that horrible pain.
Tommy
I’ve been lucky. The only bones I have trouble with are my teeth. Every time a tooth shatters and I need a crown and/or root canal work, my dentist or endodontist tells me that I have great teeth, almost certainly a result of long term fluoridation.
Got here too late to expound on my injuries. Drat. 😉