Surgeries

It's not surprising that surgery would be on my mind today. Therefore I thought it might be of some interest to record the surgeries I've undergone. I define surgery as the doctors do as this list is taken from a hospital printout.

September 1973 - repair finger broken after playing York Catholic in freshman football. I had attempted to block a punt and the blockers protecting the punter broke the middle finger of my left hand. In those days, such a repair involved a general anesthetic and an overnight stay in the hospital. Most memorable were 2 things: I missed the Bobby Riggs / Billie Jean King "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match, and I threw up everywhere from the anesthesia.

Today such a repair would be outpatient.

January 1980 - the same surgeon, Dr. Eagle did exploratory surgery for my right knee. This was an early application of arthroscopic surgery. He discovered multiple tears in cartilage but did not repair anything because, at that time, they didn't do that. In those days knee surgery involved a huge scar, called a zipper, on one side of the knee or other.

Today it would be arthroscopic and involve an overnight stay.

1986 

  1. emergency appendectomy (aren't they all emergencies?)

80s and 90s - 3 different surgeries on both knees to repair the medial meniscus. Surgeries done at 3 different hospitals in completely different locales. The only one I remember is the last one at Cedars Sinai in 1996 or 1997

2005 

  1. umbilical hernia  repair at St. Mary's in Apple Valley

2013 
  1. colonoscopy. I should have had these every 5 years starting at 40 because my paternal grandmother died of colon cancer. I didn't know that and simply procrastinated having it done at 50 (sort of) as was generally recommended at the time. Now they are saying every 10 years. That works for me.
  2. endoscopy
2014 
  1. laminectomy and spinal fusion of my L4 and L5 vertabrae at St. Mary's
  2. right hip replacement at Cedars Sinai
2015 
  1. angiogram
  2. left knee replacement
2016 
  1. Gastric sleeve and hiatal hernia repair
2017 
  1. small bowel obstruction
  2. right knee replacement
2018 
  1. angiogram
  2. endoscopy
2019 
  1. aortic root repair / single bypass / atrial clip
  2. colonoscopy
  3. endoscopy
  4. right knee procedure
  5. right knee replacement

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