I had my appendix out when I was eight. I stayed in the hospital for a week - not kidding, a week - during what was then the normal post-operative recoup. The same surgery today has you in and out of the "procedure center" in less time than it takes an auctioneer to make a collect call.
Another change is the size of the hole they use to pull the appendix out. A scant couple of years after my operation, my brother and sister ended up getting appendicitis back-to-back. Not only were they home in time for supper, they had these dainty little slits in their sides. By comparison my scar looks like a saw-the-assistant-in-half cautionary tale.
The newest thing is they don't even want to make the hole in your side. A group of laparoscopic surgeons have started the Natural Orifice Consortium for Assessment and Research. These tee timers are experimenting with a concept of not making any new external holes for surgery, rather they employ the old openings you thought were for other things. (The short name for the organization is NOSCAR, but I defy anyone to find a legitimately usable "S" in there that makes the acronym not rhyme with "rocker".)
Not being female, I'm 33% deficient on usable openings. If I still had an appendix and found myself needing it removed, I'd only have two choices for this type of procedure; one of which would only make sense if I'd somehow managed to swallow my appendix.
This reality might put some guys off, but not me. Even though my entry choices would be limited, I see the real benefit with this type of surgery: I'd already be familiar with the sensation when I got the bill.
No comments:
Post a Comment