Anyone get their appendix out?

[american]

Originally Posted by Group9

Good point. Of all of the people I have know who have had to have it removed, I can't think of one who was over 30 when it happened.

And I was 39 when mine popped.

Interesting thread in any case. Sounds like half-half for/against having it removed as a precaution. And unlike other things we might do as insurance against future disaster, comes with a built-in risk of being a disaster just for trying to have it removed.

If that's not an indication of an evil organ, I don't know what is!

[RTB]

Don't get abdominal surgery if not absolutely necessary! After ulcer surgery, I almost died from complications caused by the surgery. ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) can be a side effect of abdominal surgery. I was in ICU for 7 days on a respirator. Not good when the wife has family flying in from California because you aren't expected to make it.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/557529

Ralph

[Astrid]

The appendix, some researchers feel, may have a beneficial role of housing a reserve of bacteria needed by the digestive system for breaking down plant cellulose and other hard to digest foods. In cases where a severe digestive disorder such as dysentery has decimated the normal bacteria in the gut, reserve bacteria in the appendix may help repopulate the digestive system and make recovery quicker. It is also surrounded by lymphatic tissue which is definitely part of the immune system. If this is the case, keep the appendix unless it becomes diseased, or as Zee says, if it aint broke, don't fix it.

[stillbuilding]

Well just a bit of extra data:
It is considered that a ruptured appendix can be a precursor of peritoneal malignancy. If you really want a dose of the frights browse over www.peritonectomy.com

I have watched while one young friend suffered the ravages of this cancer. That alone would give you bad dreams.


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[Teeto]

Both my parents and my sister had emergency appendectomies in their mid 50's. It doesn't always happen to kids. Their appendixes both burst within 24 hours of first pain (which happened to be back pain!)
I had my appendix removed before I went cruising......


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[Suijin]

If astronauts and arctic explorers don't do it, I ain't gonna do it. However their risk of death by asteroid or polar bear is dramatically higher than mine, so I guess it comes down to managing more prevalent risks.

Your chances of dying from appendictis are only slightly greater than of dying by lightening, and 15x less than drowning. I suspect that risk of drowning among this cohort is even greater.

If I had a family history of appendicitis I suspect my calculus on what to do for myself would be a bit different. My brother did have his removed in his late 40's (and the surgeon fixed a hernia he found along the way, just as a freebie), but one does not a pattern make in this particular illness.

[Suijin]

If astronauts and arctic explorers don't do it, I ain't gonna do it. However their risk of death by asteroid or polar bear is dramatically higher than mine, so I guess it comes down to managing more prevalent risks.

A little less than 400 people die from appendicitis in the US each year. Your chances of dying from it are only slightly greater than of dying by lightening, and 15x less than drowning. I suspect that risk of drowning among this cohort is even greater. So essentially, you have a greater chance of dying in a car accident each day than you do of dying from appendictis during your lifetime.

If I had a family history of appendicitis I suspect my calculus on what to do for myself would be a bit different. My brother did have his removed in his late 40's (and the surgeon fixed a hernia he found along the way, just as a freebie), but one does not a pattern make in this particular illness.

[jannw]

Wasn't so long ago that it was a prophylactic procedure for people out of range of immediate medical assistance ... including sailors.

Or that removal was so common at a young age (and at the first shiver of a sign) that exploding appendices were uncommon.

If you've ever had reason to suspect it, I'd get it out before heading across an ocean, if you have the option. However (I seem to recall) apparently antibiotics can often stabilize it till expected landfall.

There always are other options: Antarctica, 1961: A Soviet Surgeon Has to Remove His Own Appendix - The Atlantic

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by sully75

Any other crazy things to be safe for crossing an ocean?


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so, you getting your appendix out?

[Hud3]

If you do decide to have it removed, check with your health care insurer first. They may choose not to cover you for an "elective" appendectomy.

[Dauntlessny]

If you need to remove body parts to cruise.
Sell the f...ing boat.

The complications of a major surgery like that far outweigh any other risks.

Richard on Dauntless now in Ireland
Kadey Krogen 42'

[JPA Cate]

I've been told that one is quite likely to be able to keep such an infection under control with modern antibiotics till you could get to a doctor. So consult with your own doc about what to carry to maximize your chances of the pretty rare event of appendicitis. Know how long you would need to suppress the infection for. Our longest passage took 22 days. Then don't worry about it. We who sail are no longer out of communications as long as sailors used to be.

Ann

Ann

[minaret]

Dunno if it's been mentioned yet, but many years ago three Brazilian brothers built a boat for an intended circumnav. They got worried about this issue and decided they would all go in for elective appendectomies. One of them died. They named the boat after him and went cruising anyway. Don't remember the name anymore...

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by jannw

There always are other options: Antarctica, 1961: A Soviet Surgeon Has to Remove His Own Appendix - The Atlantic

Not for the fainthearted .

The other famous case was four decades prior to that. Dr. Evan O’Neill Kane removed his own appendix in 1921. No, he was not nutty, at least not completely . He had a theory that general anaesthetics were dangerous and wanted to know if using a local would be tolerable for the patient. No idea why he just didn't get another surgeon to do this for him (after having performed several thousand procedures, he may have felt he was best suited for the job), but the surgery was successful.

Just a personal opinion, but I would not have an appendectomy for prophylactic purposes , even with keyhole surgery reducing risks nowadays.

SWL

[Dulcesuenos]

Cant be that hard to do while cruising, i mean we have a ton of tools, sharp knives, rubber gloves,
Whos got a PDF?

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