Disability Planning, Preparedness
WHAT EVERYONE OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT ROUTINE SURGERY
Just when you think that it’s easy smeezy, it ain’t! Is that even a word? But, definitely whenever you go under the knife, should you worry about being prepared for the “Just in case” or the “What if”?
“I’ve had so much plastic surgery, when I die they’ll donate my body to Tupperware!”. Joan Rivers
Routine surgery is just one of those things in life where we think, ok I need to remember to be at my appointment a few minutes before, I have to shower, and not bring any valuables with me. Is that it? Should I be worried? Well, I guess part of me, says we should be in a positive mindset and maybe a few people even say a few prayers beforehand. But, should we be worried about our health, what that will look like afterwards. Will everything work out, will the surgeons see anything that shouldn’t be there, will there be any complications, any difficulties with breathing, or bleeding? Does anyone else think of these things down deep inside even for the most simplest of surgeries? Let’s see.
“Certain types of surgery are more prone to failure than others. Failed surgeries can mean worse pain or symptoms than the patient had prior to surgery, it can mean additional surgery will be necessary, and of course added healing time, lost work time, and much greater expense. There are different reasons why a surgery may fail to relieve a problem or condition. These reasons are:
- Patient did NOT follow the medical/treatment plan laid out for them
- In the case of joint replacement surgeries and the like, often the body part has worn out because the person overused or abused it. These recipients are likely to try and use the replacement parts in the same hyper manner- and the surgery/intervention will likely fail sooner.
- Individual patient constitution and/or healing abilities can present an incalculable number of variables to the condition a solution is sought for
- Physician attempting to treat condition is not knowledgeable or competent
- Medical components utilized in patient are faulty or prone to failure
- The technology or approach being used might be popular, but might later be shown to be the wrong solution
Surgeries that have high failure rates:
- Hiatal hernia which is intended to fix the problem of the stomach protruding out of the diaphragm space into the esophageal area.
- Hip resurfacing utilizes a metal cup that fits over the ball of the femur. This fits into another metal cup that lines the cavity of the acetabulum the femoral head fits into to form the hip socket joint. Even though this surgery was first hailed as better than the surgery it replaced where more of the femur was compromised, the metal components used fail. Hip and knee joint surgeries are plagued with replacement part failures.
- Grafts involve replacing patches of skin with treated cadaver tissues. Organ transplants involve utilizing tissues from donors as well. Both types of treatment experience high rates of failure as the individual’s immune system often recognizes that the tissues are foreign. When the body begins marking tissues as non-self (as in graft vs. host rejection and in autoimmune disease), this is almost always a non reversible process. Drugs are utilized to suppress immune responses, but leaves the patient open to a host of problems such as infection and many side effects.
- Disc surgeries of the spine have a failure rate greater than 50%. 10% of patients experience a worsening of symptoms after surgical intervention. This type of surgery was being performed prior to advances in immunological study which is revealing that surgery opens the discs to more attack by immune responses, which is the cause of the pain in the first place. A mechanical “fix” is being attempted for a chemical problem.” ~ https://sweeneylawfirm.com/content/surgeries-with-high-failure-rates
What are some things that you can do to help eliminate any possibility of having a failed surgery?
- “Always exhaust all less invasive options before opting for surgery
- Seek out surgeons that are the most experienced in their field and at the particular treatment to be done. Don’t be afraid to ask them about their success rates for the surgery in question.
- Follow the medical instructions and treatment plans that are outlined. Do not vary from them.
- Being the first to own a new electrical gadget might be important to some. In the field of medicine and surgery, being among the first recipients of a particular new procedure might be a horrible idea. For “new” procedures and parts, if one has the luxury of waiting a few years to see how these medical breakthroughs hold up- this could potentially save a lot of pain and expense. Make sure there are studies accurately representing how well recipients of particular parts and procedures are doing a few years after the procedure. Many of today’s medical miracles are seen as a disaster only a few months later. Don’t be a volunteer/victim for untested and unproven procedures.”
- ~ https://sweeneylawfirm.com/content/surgeries-with-high-failure-rates
“Three hundred and ten million patients undergo surgery worldwide each year, but while global initiatives are increasing access to surgical treatment, little data has been compiled about complication rates after surgery.” This research by the International Surgical Outcomes Study Group, led by Queen Mary University of London’s Professor Rupert Pearse and published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, provides the first set of comparative statistics at an international level. ~ https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-million-patients-complications-surgery-year.html
The most common failure complications have been Infection. I know even with my hernia operation I had in 2007, I had a horrible infection after surgery. I asked my kids to touch the area, because it was burning from the inside out. But, nobody would, don’t know why really….. HAHAHA
“The study found that 2.9 per cent of patients suffered from such infections, which equates to nine million patients worldwide, every year. Of those patients, 1.3 per cent died from the infection (117,000 patients annually). The total number of patients affected by all types of infectious complications was nine per cent which would be 28 million patients annually.” “Cardiovascular complications were the other major source of adverse outcomes with conditions including arrhythmias and heart attacks. Cardiovascular complications affected 4.5 per cent of all patients.”
“Researchers found the type of surgery which carried the greatest risk of complications worldwide to be upper gastrointestinal – that is surgery involving the oesophagus, stomach and small bowel. The surgery carrying the greatest risk of mortality following a complication was cardiac procedures. By comparison, the procedures carrying the least risk of complications related to orthopaedics, and breast procedures.” ~ https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-million-patients-complications-surgery-year.html
So after re-evaluating the risk around routine type surgeries, and the statistics of complications hopefully each and everyone of you will look at the types of things that you need to be prepared for. Remember what I always say, “Expect the Unexpected”! Your planning doesn’t have to be things like, do I bring my toothbrush, or what clothes will I wear to the surgery. This type of preparation and planning is based on, “What if?”
Yes, it is have I done some planning beforehand? What does that look like? Have I forgotten anything? I know I interviewed a Nurse, a few years ago, and she had told me that there are a lot of people going in for surgery that didn’t have any plans made. Not even who is going to check-in on their pets or feed them for that matter. So, in our program coming out soon, will allow you to start this planning and preparation for any unforeseen circumstances that develop in your life. And it will be step-by-step guides, a library of videos and worksheets to help you in the process, to keep you safe and secure.
The Emerging Blueprint, available very soon!!!
This Real Life Story from Real Life people this week on our Podcast is very enlightening due to the fact that the most routine surgery that Shannon, our Guest Interview, went in for at the onset of Covid 19, was painful and enlightening. Check out our Podcast this week on Routine surgeries. When Shannon stepped out from her surgery back into the hallway of the hospital, the world had changed! Yes it was like waking up into the novel, “The Time Traveler’s Wife”, is the debut novel by the American author Audrey Niffenegger, published in 2003. The world was not the same after she woke up from her surgery. She thought she was in a movie! Enjoy!
Our Guest Interview on YOUR BACKUP PLAN PODCAST SHOW
M. Shannon Hernandez
Marketing Strategist | Author | Speaker
646.397.1234
www.mshannonhernandez.com
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