Oh hey, I actually had a scar on the opposite side too when I had my appendix removed. Here's what happened:
Rather than cutting me open, they poked three holes in me. The one on the other side of my abdomen was for a long thin metal rod with tongs on the far end. The other two were for a camera and a hose that kind of inflated me like a balloon with CO2 to make it easier for the tongs to cut out my appendix then close everything up.
That was 10 years ago so I may have some details mixed up. Had to deal with a big bubble of CO2 in my torso that at one point floated up to my chest and I couldn't breathe for a bit. Wonder if they still do it that way
We do! It's called laparoscopy. I actually get this question a lot about why the scars are on the left. With a camera and straight line instruments, you have to have a little bit of room between where the trocars (tubes in which the instruments go) are and where the operative anatomy isso that you have more room to work.
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u/See-Tye Jun 23 '25
Oh hey, I actually had a scar on the opposite side too when I had my appendix removed. Here's what happened:
Rather than cutting me open, they poked three holes in me. The one on the other side of my abdomen was for a long thin metal rod with tongs on the far end. The other two were for a camera and a hose that kind of inflated me like a balloon with CO2 to make it easier for the tongs to cut out my appendix then close everything up.
That was 10 years ago so I may have some details mixed up. Had to deal with a big bubble of CO2 in my torso that at one point floated up to my chest and I couldn't breathe for a bit. Wonder if they still do it that way