My many surgeries and minor procedures.

Hi everyone,

 

Here's a list of medical procedures I had throughout my life.

Muscle Biopsy - 1983

I don't remember this one much because I was 2 years old. They did this to try and figure out what type of Muscular Dystrophy I possibly had. I just remember as a kid I had a scar on my shoulder. In the 80s, they didn't just take your blood to figure it out it was a little more complicated. The human genome hadn't been fully mapped out yet.

Muscle and Tendon release - 1988 

This is another one I only vaguely remember. I was 7 years old at the time and in first grade. I could still walk. With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy your muscles deteriorate and your tendons atrophy(tighten up). They wanted to keep me walking as long as possible so they wanted to correct the atrophy before it got worse. I don't remember any pain after the operation so that was good but I was in full leg casts for a few weeks and immobilized the whole time.

Muscle Biopsy #2 - 1991

 

When I was 9, they wanted to do another Biopsy on me for reasons unknown. I guess they just wanted to be absolutely sure I had Duchenne MD. This one I remember like it was yesterday. They tried to give me an anesthetic to put me under to perform the procedure. It was taking too long for the doctor apparently. At one point it partially took affect where I was drowsy but could feel everything. My grandmother had to hold down a screaming, struggling, and terrified 7 year old while they cut into my leg and pulled out a piece of muscle. Eventually I lost consciousness due to pain. My grandmother was absolutely bullshit that they didn't make sure I was out before traumatizing me. If she knew she would have told them forget it and took me home.

Hamstring release surgery - 1995

 

When I was 13, the orthopedic doctor noticed my feet were starting to point downward and getting stuck in that position. He recommended operating on my feet and ankles to reset the tendons. The surgery was performed on April 15, 1995 in Boston. While I was in the OR, Timothy McVeigh parked a Ryder truck full of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel in front of a federal building in Oklahoma City. He lit a fuse and walked away. The truck exploded with the force of 5,000 lbs of TNT killing 168 people and injuring hundreds more. I remember waking up and the hospital was running drills because of that. I also remember being in more pain than I have ever experienced in my life. Feet are extremely sensitive parts of your body so when they get cut open you definitely feel it. Despite how much pain it caused me the surgery was worth it because I can still wear shoes. I would do it again if I had to go back. There were a couple side effects that I could have done without though. First, it damaged some nerves in my feet which made them really sensitive and I'd jump out of my skin and it also numbed the sensation in the soles of my feet for years until my friend and I did that fun sensory activity. Second, and this a little embarrassing, before the surgery I never had smelly feet. They were usually pretty clean. After the surgery though, for years my feet were so fucking gross🤢. Thankfully I no longer have that problem. My feet are usually really clean... otherwise I never would have taken my shoes off to do my challenge with my friend. Anyway let's get off that subject.

Spinal fusion - 1997

 

I used to suffer from scoliosis which is a curvature of the spine and if it becomes too curved, it can cause issues with breathing. So when I was 15, I had an operation to correct the curvature which involves inserting a titanium rod into my back to pull the spine straighter. I still have the rod in me to this day. There was no pain or discomfort from the procedure surprisingly. I was out of school for 7 weeks to recover though which sucked. But again, it was worth it. I'm glad I had it done.

Spontaneous Lung Collapse - 2013

 

In 2013, I was 31 years old. Out of the blue on day, my right lung somehow became punctured and collapsed. We didn't know until the next day that something was wrong when I couldn't eat or drink anything and I was having a hard time breathing. I went to the hospital in Hyannis where they diagnosed the problem as a spontaneous Pneumothorax or a collapsed lung. This was a very simple procedure and I was awake for it. They had to insert a tube through my ribs to drain the fluid that builds up in the chest cavity when your lung collapses.  If they don't then the lung won't inflate. They numbed the area, cut a tiny incision, and slide the tube in between the ribs. I was in the hospital for 4 days and recovered 100% from it. 

Gastrointestinal tube insertion - 2014

 

I went over this in another blog post but I'll explain briefly. In 2014, when I was 32, I had problems getting nutrition due to the DMD. I was sick for a couple months and ended up in a Boston ICU. I was told that the only way I was going to survive was to get a G-tube to help give me the nutrition I needed. After a little convincing I decided to have the procedure. It took about 45 minutes to put it in. The use an endoscope which they put down your throat with the G-tube tied to it. Then they push it through the stomach wall. Simple! It's another one worth getting and I'm glad I did it.

Tracheostomy - 2018

 

This is another I already discussed but will briefly explain it. When I turned 37, I had a respiratory failure that nearly killed me the night of my birthday. When I woke up I was given a decision to either let nature take its course or get a Tracheostomy. I chose to live and got the Trach! It was life changing for sure but I am so glad I made the decision. 

IVC Filter implantation - 2021

 

In 2021 when I was 39, I awoke to blood coming out of my trachea and my nose. We had to call 911 and rush me to the ER in Hyannis. Thankfully the bleeding stopped before the ambulance arrived but we had to make sure there wasn't a problem. I was airlifted to Boston and had all kinds of tests done as well as CT scans. They couldn't figure out what caused it for sure but they figured it was likely a blood clot. I had an IVC filter placed in one of my main arteries which is designed to catch clots before they get to your heart. It was a 15 minute procedure which I was under anesthesia for. The good thing about the filter is I no longer have to be using blood thinners like Eliquis. I don't have to worry about clots anymore either.

Finally, Gallbladder removal - 2021

 

Two weeks after the IVC placement, I was back in Boston. I started having stomach pains and feeling like shit. I thought it was gas however it was intensifying every hour. I went to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis and was diagnosed with a Gallbladder attack. They admitted me 17 hours later... They wanted to do a procedure with the endoscope to try and remove the gall stones but they couldn't get the scope down my throat. Eventually they sent me up to Boston yet again. After a couple days I was given the option to go home without doing anything but I probably would be back in a couple months. Or I could have the Gallbladder taken out. I wasn't coming back lol. I decided to remove the Gallbladder and again I'm happy I did. I'm doing just fine without it!

So those are all the operations I've had so far. Thank you for reading!