[DaveMSmith]

I have had 7 surgeries on my *left* leg, (a bone disease), last was a TKR. I’d read before about hospitals mixing up patients.

On this last surgery I was seeing one of the very best orthos in the country, very well known, in Philly. His staff told me they got a real kick out of his face when he uncovered my *right* leg and read in large black magic marker, “Don’t even THINK about this one!!!”
They said he laughed thru most of the surgery. ;)

I’ve had a few other surgeries and have always used the marker for them. Most of the orthos got upset, no sense of humor. Screw that, I didn’t want a mistake done, the hell with their ego!!

Mare (using hub’s acct, not his opinions)

[CholeraJoe]

I had eye surgery in December and January. They did one eye at a time. Each time I showed up for surgery with an American Flag sticker right below the eye that was to be operated on. The pre-op nurses loved it.

[Texas Songwriter]

I once had a patient who had a recurrent chronic anal fissure. All you need to know is that this condition is very, very painful. In fact it is so painful that we have a special name for this pain....tenesmus. The treatment is to excise the fissure. I examined her and she was painfully shy. So much so, that I felt uneasy in examining her. She was crying and carrying on...it was bad. So I forwarned the OR nurses to be sure to respect her modesty and keep her covered until she is asleep and just prior to prep.

So the anesthesiologist got her to sleep and the nurse put her up in lithotomy position and there on there butt cheeks she had pasted 2 smiley faces. We all got a big chuckle out of it.