First, Welcome to The Forum, Stan! We are glad to have you! Also, I feel your pain! So many surgeries, three on my spine, while needing more, plus so many other surgeries.
More: 9 broken ribs, 2 fractured vertebras, compound fracture of my left clavicle. They don't operate for that, "down here." Broken left wrist, the worst broken left ring ring finger the doctor had seen. I heard him pull my file, with X-Rays, from the holder outside the exam room.
I heard: "Oh my God!!" But I already knew it was bad. Actually, instead of the worst broken ring finger, it was the worst broken finger he had soon. I regained that status with my right foot, the Doc said: "I believe you did the worst possible thing you could do to your foot." The MRI showed 3 compound fractures, 3 dislocated bones and a completely severed ligament. Strangely, he didn't operate, so my foot didn't grow back right.
Neither did my left ring finger. So, that is why I've never married!
And, you started this! Never get an ole fart a chance to talk about their medical problems!
Edit: I forgot about MY Sky Diving accident! My girlfriend dumped me, over the phone, on a Saturday night. The next day, my Dad (a sky diving instructor) asked me if I wanted to jump. I said that I didn't feel in the mood. I later thought: "What the heck?!"
So, I showed up at the DZ. A Hop and Pop (3,500') cost $2.50. I paid more as it was my 20th jump and I was at 15 second free falls. (Although Dad and I jumped out at 12,500' for a 60 second free fall. Look at your watch and imagine going 125mph for most of that time! It was fantastic!)
I had a problem with stability. I might do rolls, flat spins, etc., until I was at terminal velocity, then I was fine. So, Dad suggested instead of standing on the metal step and holding onto a strut, to just dive out towards the rear of the plane. For some reason, that scared me. He then suggested looking up, at the plane, to better arch my back. I told him that I couldn't do that. It also scared me!
At the last minute, while on the step and holding onto the strut, I decided to look up. Then, I knew something went wrong and I needed to pull the ripcord. The next thing I knew, was being awakened by the opening shock. I looked up to see a perfect parachute. I noticed blood all over my reserve chute and dials.
I then reached up to feel inside of my mouth. As I opened my mouth, a front, upper tooth fell from 3,500.' So, somehow I did make a 15 second free fall. I have no memory of any of it. Then, while feeling where teeth used to be, I swallowed a tooth. The third went into my nasal airways.
All of the surrounding tissue, for my front teeth were pulverized. I was 18, in my first year at college and I was SO painfully shy and a virgin! This was more than I could handle, so I reached up with one hand, to cut away from the parachute. (TU7)
At the last moment, the will to live kicked in. I decided I could give the dentist a chance and if I wasn't pleased, I could then kill myself! I knew my nose was broken, but the X-Rays showed nothing but the pulverized bone.
My dentist couldn't be found, that Sunday. I saw another who took one look and said it was beyond him. My Dad flew me to another city, where they had a wheelchair, even though it was my teeth! I had sedated surgery, which for me has no affect on me.
Several years later, I transferred to another town, to be closer to my parents. My new dentist had a X-Ray machine where you stand up and it rotated 180 degrees. I heard another: "My God!" He brought the X-Ray to me and every bone in my face was fractured. I can only assume that X-Ray technology improved. I wish I had got a copy.
I just realized that I didn't state what happened formthemfew who are still reading. My Dad was flying the plane. When I exited, he heard one hell of a bump - his terms. As soon as the last jumper exited, Dad banked the plane to see me with one hand up and one hand down. He assumed that I broke an arm.
The real cause? Several causes. I shouldn't have jumped with a broken heart. The other pilot, for my previous 19 jumps, flew at 80mph instead of the 60mph, right at stalling, which is what he should have done. Dad assumed I had a weak exit, which went unnoticed due to the 80mph. My take on it was I was SO focused on looking up at the plane, that I forgot to push up.
My upper teeth, hit the metal step, on my way down. There wasn't a single cut to my lips, nor was there any pain. Apparently the nerves were severed. When I had surgery, years later, the surgeon said my nostrils were much more damaged than the MRI showed. Unfortunately, a week later, an artery ruptured. My only live in girlfriend, started another argument about nothing. I was laying there with my heart rapidly beating. Then, one minute later, she started snoring! That did it! I then felt something running down the back of my throat.
My nose still had a LOT of packing in there. I sat up and she asked what was wrong. I turned on the light and blood was everywhere. Without her, I wouldn't have made it to the E.R. A neighbor nurse was coming home and my girlfriend asked her to come along. The shorter version: I learned that Morphine had no pain reliving ability, whatsoever. A bad time to discover that. When I came into the E.R., the second time, a,woman leaving, looked at me and said: "Oh my God!" Then, six nurses ran to me. I suspect my face was white. I had a transfusion, which I refused, but they did it anyway.
The ENT on-call doctor showed up and inserted this device in my left nostril, then he inflated it with saline water, pushing against the freshly cut tissue. After an hour in my room, blood began running out of my other nostril. I begged my girlfriend to hold my hand, but the sight of blood freaked her out, so the doctor made her leave. The uncaring nurse didn't hold my hand.
Latter, after surgery, I threw up more blood than I thought possible. My face remained white for weeks. I'm sure that I should have received more blood. I was out of work for a month. Sorry, but it is still YOUR fault! Again, a sincere welcome
to you Stan!