My surgeon has an odd sense of humor

[Towncrier]

When he met with me prior to the surgery that removed a screw from my leg this past Wednesday, he wrote the following on my left ankle (the one that isn't broken):

<img width=400 src=http://www.umcofmacedonia.com/hayes/No_Screw_Here.JPG></img>

He also wrote a circle on the ankle that he did operate on. What a goofball.

Here's a post operative photo of my leg and the screw that he removed.

<img width=400 src=http://www.umcofmacedonia.com/hayes/Post_Surgery.JPG></img>

Wasn't it nice of them to wrap it up for me.
(The screw, that is)

 

[HauntedMansionGeek]

I love a person with a quirky sense of humor....your surgeon sounds like a gem to me!

 

[Talking Hands]

Towncrier I like his sense of humour. They do that now to make sure they don't operate on the wrong one. Did that to my daughter but it wasn't as funny. One neat thing the surgeon did was to let her bring her beanie baby bat into surgery with her even though supposedly only kids under 10 can do that. She was 19 at the time.

 

[Brer_Papa]

First....best wishes on a full and speedy recovery TownCrier!

Your Doc is pretty cool...funny too....

 

[phillybeth]

My DH had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee three weeks ago. When I was helping him get dressed to go home someone had written all over his left leg NOT THIS KNEE with black sharpie. I laughed so hard I had to sit down.

 

[winniedapooh]

I have had numerous (12 on one knee and 2 on the other with 2 more upcoming) and the surgeons and/or nurses and/or hospitals make me do this. They have never done it it has always been me, I make hearts and initials usually.

 

[SandraM]

Many years ago, my grandmother had an ear operation to improve the poor hearing in one ear. Nothing was marked, and she was operated on the wrong ear.
The operation itself was a disaster, she ended up totally deaf in the ear that was operated on, and was stuck with only the poor hearing in the other ear.
Nowadays it probably could have been rectified and she could have sued them for some serious money, but this was a long time ago and all she got was an apology.

 

[Dan Murphy]

LOL, that is great, TC. Good guy!!! And good to see you making progress.

 

[Serena]

LOL, TC now you've got a screw loose.

 

[Phrebert]

"No screw here" is a medical term for: If you DO put a screw in here, LAWSUIT!!

 

[helenabear]

LOL, John! Great sense of humor he has!!!!

 

[poohbear1029]

It's a good practice, but kinda sad it has to be done. My brother was in a horrible accident last summer.....he had an open fracture on his elbow....even with an obvious open wound like that, the surgeons took the time to write on the healthy elbow that it wasnt the one for surgery!

 

[Kitty 34]

LOL!! How funny, John!

 

[aprilgail2]

The first time I had knee surgery I worte on the good one "NOT THIS KNEE"....just in case they made a mistake! I know in the hospital last month the guy next to me was having his knee done and the Dr came and told him that they had to mark on his body which knee was getting surgery and another surgeon did it with my room mate so it seems to be standard practice here now.

 

[lsyorke]

Marking the surgical site is rapidly becoming standard procedure in most hospitals!! Its nice to know that some carry it out with a sense of humor!!

 

[Pop Daddy]

sexy leg there TC, I hope javas dont see it

 

[arminnie]

A few years ago a friend of mine had to have a mastectomy and they wrote "not this one" on the other breast.

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Glad that your loose screw comes prepackaged. Nice leg pic.
Hope you are feeling better.

 

[MinnieYC]

Reminds me of a moment from ER last season...Romano is finally having his arm removed (the one sliced off by the helicopter and re-attached), and before he goes to the OR, he tells Elizabeth to write "not this one, idiot." When she finishes writing, he says, "you forgot the 'idiot!'"

 

[Deb in IA]

2004 National Patient Safety Goals for JCAHO (Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health care Organizations) lists as their number one goal: Improve accuracy of patient identification, including "prior to the start of any surgical or invasive procedure, conduct a final verification process, such as a "time out", to confirm the correct patient, procedure and site, using active -- not passive-- communication techniques.

I think your surgeon was using the "no screw here" message to verify which leg would be opened up.