Ii’ve had surgeries but not life saving.

I did swallow a bone once and needed to have it surgically removed. I guess that might qualify as life saving because I couldn’t swallow anything. The surgery consisted of them putting a camera down my throat and removing the bone that way (under anesthesia).

^^ Oh yeah, that is serious!

Performed it, but never had it myself.

Couple of years ago, bleeding in the brain from a nasty fall on some steps.

Removal of an about-to-rupture appendix when I was 13, and removal of most of a damaged kidney, and correction of the problem that caused the damage.

No.

I did have drugs given to me to terminate a ectopic pregnancy. The pregnancy could have killed me if it had proceeded and ruptured my tube.

Many people I know and love have had life saving surgeries. Thank goodness for modern medicine as much as I complain about it.

I had brain surgery after mom was in a wreck at age 4. Luckily a doctor drove by and held my skull together.

Yes. I had a serious MRSA infection that required emergency surgery and three days in the hospital while they pumped me full of antibiotics.

Dang @Dig_Dug at least you are alright. I have never had life saving surgery but I hope I don’t need any.

Yes. One of many experiences that have brought our mortality/fragility/uncertainty into focus.

Also, don’t believe US hospital staff who tell you the bill isn’t something to think about right now.

Twice as a child. Once when I was 2 and once when I was 7.
Details not needed. Those that know me, know.

Not really.
The head-transplant surgery didn’t work, so I’m writing this posthumorously! ;-o

Yes, I had emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy that had already ruptured. I almost bled to death.

@JLeslie How fortunate that your own situation had been diagnosed in time and could be treated with medication. Are you as infuriated as I am about current U.S. political attitudes and ignorance about life-threatening, nonviable pregnancies?

^^ I’ve never had an ectopic pregnancy but I am infuriated about current U.S. political attitudes and ignorance about woman’s health issues period! Idiot politicians don’t know shit about medical matters, let alone women’s medical matters!

Tubal pregnancy, 14 weeks or more along. I rupterd as they were putting me under.

The surgeon cut low, so I could wear a bikini. As it healed, it moved downward, eventually disappearing in brush.

Edited to add: i saw a picture of the remaining ovary a few years ago when I was being biopsied. It looked like it didn’t know it could no longer populate. Weird.

”eventually disappearing in brush.” lol I loved that!

@Love_my_doggie I have ALWAYS been infuriated by how ignorant people are about the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth.

When I moved to Tennessee in 2005 I was worried that the only hospitals in my area were called Baptist and St. Francis.

I so tire of people talking about pregnancy like it’s natural, so of course everything is always ok. My entire life I have known women who had terrible pregnancies, or had serious injury from pregnancy or birth either temporary or permanent. How the f%#& are there people totally clueless about these things? Sure, most women I know get through pregnancy and childbirth fine, but it’s not a small number who go through some harrowing stuff.

Plus, I grew up being told stories of how the Nazis tortured pregnant women. I won’t get into it.

I was bleeding without cramping and had side pain, so I had some obvious symptoms of eptopic pregnancy.

^^^ Yes, pregnancy is natural. So is a venomous snake bite, Type 1 diabetes, infectious diseases, and every condition that’s potentially fatal. Nature is cruel.

Until very recent history, pregnancy and childbirth were leading causes of death, for both mothers and babies. It’s fortunate that most pregnancies no longer end in such tragedy; it’s unfathomable that so many people can’t understand how the change is due to modern medical advances.

I had a ruptured appendix when I was 12. The doctor botched it and I almost died from the poison.

After a heart attack I had to undergo a triple bypass which obviously saved my life.

Unfortunately a few weeks later I had another heart attack because one of the bypasses did not take so I had to have a second lifesaving operation to have a stent fitted into the bypass that failed.

I must admit that both the hospitals I had to go to treated my like a king and the nurses did everything to make sure I was Ok.

Everyone in the hospitals looked after m and this included ALL the staff from the cleaners to the nurses and to the surgeons

I cannot praise them enough.

The hospital I went to was a nut house. I couldn’t wait to get out of there!

^^They saved your life though, right? I had some nurse’s that weren’t the best either, but I lived.