How many stitches have you had?

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

C-sections absolutely count. I feel like the perception of c-sections are so wild in terms of it being some “easy” route when in reality women are just casually bringing a whole human life into the world WHILE undergoing an insane surgery where they get cut open hip to hip and have their guts moved around, and then are immediately expected to care for that human while they recover. Wild. Women who have c-sections whether by choice or not are ####ing badass.

The anesthesiologist told me I could stand up and watch them perform the procedure. My wife said it would be a good idea to be able to give her immediate updates on what was going on. I stood up watched them prep the area and a few moments after the first cut, I sat down with a serious face and said, "Let's trust the doctors on this one.".

*shudders* I remember looking at the blood all like... that blood is not the same color as a nose bleed...

Post surgery, some of them are borderline Monty Python due to the amount of drugs and adrenaline they're on.

"T'is but a scratch!"
*Bleeding through shirt*


Weird coincidence now. I remember getting stiches on my eyebrow. No idea how many. I just remember the instance. I got headbutted during a soccer game by accident (both of us went up to head the ball, I headed the ball, he headbutted me). As I'm getting my stitches done on my eyebrow in Chumir, the nurse is laughing how the dude across from me was getting stitches on the same spot (puck to the head during shinny).

[blankall]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

C-sections absolutely count. I feel like the perception of c-sections are so wild in terms of it being some “easy” route when in reality women are just casually bringing a whole human life into the world WHILE undergoing an insane surgery where they get cut open hip to hip and have their guts moved around, and then are immediately expected to care for that human while they recover. Wild. Women who have c-sections whether by choice or not are ####ing badass.

They have new C-section techniques that don't require the hip to hip cut. My partner had a C-section. It was about a 4 inch cut. The cut, now, just needs to be big enough for the doctor to fit their hand in and grab the baby by the feet.

During the birth, they made the cut, reached in, pulled the baby out, and sowed her up, all in about a minute. I went into the op room expecting to be there for a while. A moment later I was holding our daughter.

That's not to downplay even the recover from that. They still have to cut through the muscles and other tissues. My partner was unable to stand up without pain for close to a week.

Back on topic. I've had my face gashed open twice. The second time, I would have required about 10-15 stitches, as you could see my skull. I convinced them to use a butterfly bandage, as the scarring would be less. I have really stretchy skin apparently, and it worked.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by surferguy

Were any of these combat related? I know you were in the Balkans while in the service but to be honest I’m pretty ignorant to the conflict. Did you see active combat? Am I allowed to ask that question? Please feel free to not answer.

Combat related no, tour related yes. I put a fella's head through a window during a bar fight. Opened my hand up and needed a lot of stiches, also got to spend the night in a Croatian jail with my hand wrapped in a dirty pillow case.

Active Combat, not sure. I got shot at, a lot. I had artillery and mortars falling on our positions, a lot.

I never got to fire a shot in return. Our ROIs were super tight.

Not very sexy, sorry.

[Minnie]

I had the hip to hip cut for my sections but I'm as old as dirt, and my first section was something of an emergency, so...

Surgery wise, I don't think I could even start to count the amount of stitches or staples - I think it's been 12 or 13 surgeries?

Actual oops accident stitches has been about 6, I think. Slices to finger and thumb - one set from a gift "cake" at my wedding shower & another set from a blade at a former job.

ETA: I have a picture of the injury my daughter got to her foot (listed as a partial degloving on the official/hospital records, I'd just call it a massive tear but whatever) - it was seemingly the catalyst for the cascade of health issues that followed, until we finally got diagnoses, a few years ago. I think that was 30+ stitches. It was gnarly. Her friend took the picture and I remember thinking "Whhhyyyy?!" but it proved helpful in the long run, to show her various docs during discussions. The scar now just looks like a small shark stuck one tooth in her, lol.

[btimbit]

No stitches, but just because I'm that idiot that insists on not going to a doctor, pass me a sock and some duct tape. Lots of scars

Not a tough guy thing, I'm just dumb

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

C-sections absolutely count. I feel like the perception of c-sections are so wild in terms of it being some “easy” route when in reality women are just casually bringing a whole human life into the world WHILE undergoing an insane surgery where they get cut open hip to hip and have their guts moved around, and then are immediately expected to care for that human while they recover. Wild. Women who have c-sections whether by choice or not are ####ing badass.

You have to include episiotomies then, too. Talk about badass.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Just reading that...Gawd that must have hurt. I flinched while reading it.

Weirdly enough, not really. The dog went after a deer, and my wife dropped the handle of the retractable leash, and to try and stop the dog I grabbed at the skinny retractable rope while he was running away at full speed, and the rope landed between my fingers when I grabbed it.

It mostly felt …. hot. Kind of like if you accidentally picked up a red-hot knife between your fingers, and as you can imagine your instinct is to very quickly let go. But the damage was done.

It was dark when it happened and I didn’t even realize how badly I was hurt until I got the dog back and was holding him by his collar going “why is he wet?” (turns out he was covered in my blood….)

I did learn that day that rope burns are no joke at all. I’m pretty sure it took less than a second for the rope to slice my hand right open.

Also, I learned that retractable leads aren’t a great idea when your dog is big and strong. I figure I can’t be the only person who was injured in that way. (I mean, maybe I’m the only one dumb enough to grab for the rope…..?). We haven’t used a retractable lead since.

[bc-chris]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

The anesthesiologist told me I could stand up and watch them perform the procedure. My wife said it would be a good idea to be able to give her immediate updates on what was going on. I stood up watched them prep the area and a few moments after the first cut, I sat down with a serious face and said, "Let's trust the doctors on this one.".

*shudders* I remember looking at the blood all like... that blood is not the same color as a nose bleed...

Post surgery, some of them are borderline Monty Python due to the amount of drugs and adrenaline they're on.

"T'is but a scratch!"
*Bleeding through shirt*


Weird coincidence now. I remember getting stiches on my eyebrow. No idea how many. I just remember the instance. I got headbutted during a soccer game by accident (both of us went up to head the ball, I headed the ball, he headbutted me). As I'm getting my stitches done on my eyebrow in Chumir, the nurse is laughing how the dude across from me was getting stitches on the same spot (puck to the head during shinny).

i was extended the same offer. i think i replied, 'ohhh hellllllllll no!' ha! ha! i didn't even want to see our baby until she was all cleaned up - ha!

as for stitches... i'd guess 40-50
i had 20 something in my right hand after getting cut while working as a cook. the worst part of that was 30 years later and i still don't have feeling on the outside of my pinky finger after severing the nerve.
i had a couple good cuts on my legs that had to be sewn up back from my construction days
and unfortunately lots of stitches in my mouth with dental surgeries over the years (but only one from hockey!)

[Barnes]

Interesting topic lol. I have had probably around 20 in fingers from cuts and dog bites. One when I was born to remove some extra skin (No not a tail), and whatever the did in my mouth from wisdom teeth removal.

I also had a cist removed from my ear that developed from a previous cut between the skin and the cartilage. The doctor used what he called a mattress stitch were he sewed through one side of my ear, out the other and back and forth a few times. Was probably the grossest feeling i've ever had during a medical procedure.

[2Stonedbirds]

From what I can remember:

11 on left pointer finger. Last day of HS classes, buddy and I helping a guy move a chunk of concrete pathway. Going to drop on the count of 3, he drops on 2. Left some meat on the underside of that slab. When the doctor was giving me anesthesia he hit every nerve with the needle and it was just pouring out of the finger anyways. F it, stitch them ####s up so I can go I have exams to take.
3 on right palm. Learning to wheelie bikes as a kid, fell and had marble shaped rock drove into my hand that they had to pull out.
6 on right hand knuckle from a metal shear.
6 on my chin. Brother swinging me around by my feet and my chin hit the coffee table. On the ride back to the farm I had pulled them all out. So back to town to get 6 more, this time rubber so I couldn't pull them out. So I guess 12 there.
8 on my right knee from a footpeg on my dirtbike.
Last summer I ruptured my right distal biceps tendon. Bicep was only connected at the shoulder, can't remember how many the surgeon used to reattach but used 7 to close it up.

My family always jokes that my sister was the stitches queen, brother was the broken bone king and I was the concussion commander.

...what were we talking about again?

[Geraldsh]

Half a dozen personally. My 10 year old grandson got his last weekend; went over the handle bars on his bike. The brake lever went into his leg and broke off leaving a hole that required 4 internal stitches and 11 outer stitches.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by btimbit

No stitches, but just because I'm that idiot that insists on not going to a doctor, pass me a sock and some duct tape. Lots of scars

Not a tough guy thing, I'm just dumb

You ain't a man until you can either do a gorilla tape stitch job (put tape on each side of cut and stitch the tape together). Or you glue a deep cut shut with super glue.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Combat related no, tour related yes. I put a fella's head through a window during a bar fight. Opened my hand up and needed a lot of stiches, also got to spend the night in a Croatian jail with my hand wrapped in a dirty pillow case.

Active Combat, not sure. I got shot at, a lot. I had artillery and mortars falling on our positions, a lot.

I never got to fire a shot in return. Our ROIs were super tight.

Not very sexy, sorry.

I think a lot of people will echo this, but not sexy is a good thing when it comes to this.

[kipperiggy]

3 from an ax in summer 2021. Pretty sure if he had given me 4 or 5 it wouldn't have scarred as badly. Oh well.

[wwkayaker]

70ish and hope I’m done

[GreatWhiteEbola]

1000 - three serious car accidents, one workplace accident, and many surgeries.

Oh and I was stabbed once... 1020...

[InglewoodFan]

Originally Posted by btimbit

No stitches, but just because I'm that idiot that insists on not going to a doctor, pass me a sock and some duct tape. Lots of scars

Not a tough guy thing, I'm just dumb

Same, though I have found that getting married put an end to most of that. My wife gets pretty insistent on me dragging my bleeding whatever to the doctor.

All told, I probably have 20-25. About 1/3 from various medical things and 2/3 from general dumbassery.

Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk

[bagofpucks]

Great topic on a Friday and some solid contributions already!

- 3 or 4 on my chin from falling off a slide as a toddler. For many years I did not understand why it took 4 or 5 adults to hold me down to assess and put in the stitches. I now have a toddler and fully understand….

- 5 on my forehead from hitting the bottom of a cupboard. How I didn’t hurt myself more falling off the top of the counter I will never know. Kids are bouncy I guess.

- 4 on my eyebrow from a crash in junior high playing flag football.

- 5 or 6 after hand surgery.

So, I guess that puts me under 20, which seems pretty good for all the sports and dumb things I did as a kid. I definitely saw some wild stuff playing hockey. I vividly remember a teammate getting a massive gash on his face stitched up without freezing when I was 13. Worst was a teammate that took a very high slash that took many of his teeth and over 20 stitches. I believe he ended up needing 4 root canals…nasty.

[indes]

16 in my thigh from a skate (6 inner, 10 outer)
9 surrounding my eye from a hockey stick
4 in the back of my head from a hatchet when I was a toddler
3 in the back of my head from someone pulling a chair out from under me in Jr High
6 in my palm from falling down on some rocks in Bragg Creek
5 on my left brow from falling face first off a boat parked in a parking lot
4 in my thumb from a knife cutting veggies
5 in my pinky from putting a glass tupperware into the dishwasher that shattered on me
7 in my chin from falling off the side of the tub into the toilet when I was about 9

59 that I can remember. I think thats it but my mom always talks about me getting stitches almost every year I was a kid so there might be a few I forgot

[Dion]

I had about dozen after I broke my wrist and had plates and screws inserted in 2013.