http://www.news.com.au/world/man-tries-to-operate-on-his-own-hernia-cutting-his-stomach-open-with-a-15cm-butter-knife/story-e6frfkyi-1226102599972
A 63-YEAR-old California man tried to operate on his own hernia by cutting open his stomach with a 15 centimetre butter knife, Police say.
The man was apparently frustrated with the painful medical condition, and took matters into his own hands - alarming his wife, who immediately called 911.
"She said her husband was trying to remove a hernia. He was frustrated," said Sergeant Tom Lorenz of Glendale Police, east of Los Angeles, after the incident.
"Pending arrival of paramedics, he removed the butter knife himself," he said.
The man was placed on a psychiatric hold - a legal term meaning confining a patient to prevent them from self-injury - and taken to hospital where he was reported to be in a stable condition.
But doctors said he had probably only made his condition worse.
"It is absolutely impossible for someone to fix their own hernia," Sam Carvajal, a surgeon at Glendale Adventist Medical Center told the Los Angeles Times newspaper.
"Obviously, there is some amount of psychosis going on," said Carvajal, adding that repairing a hernia is relatively easy, and usually takes about 20-30 minutes for a trained surgeon.
Woody wrote:
The man was placed on a psychiatric hold
no doubt
everybody knows a steak knife is the only way to operate on yourself
i hope... but doubt it was a cutco butter knife... those things are the sharpest best cutting butter knives i've ever used... but $200 for a set of "table knives" is a little steep for me lol
I disagree. I've seen people do amazing surgery on themselves before. Rare, but possible. Like that lady not too long ago that did her own ceasarean birth.
Self-surgery I got, anyone can do that. It's stuffing the open wound with a lit cigarettte that would get you on the Watch List.
http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Calif-man-attempts-self-surgery-with-butter-knife-1604846.php
cue lack-of-healthcare flounder in 5, 4, 3....
In reply to Woody:
"It is absolutely impossible for someone to fix their own hernia," Sam Carvajal, a surgeon at Glendale Adventist Medical Center told the Los Angeles Times newspaper. "
Well sure, that's what he would say. He doesn't want to lose all his business to GR DIY surgeons. 
donalson wrote:
i hope... but doubt it was a cutco butter knife... those things are the sharpest best cutting butter knives i've ever used... but $200 for a set of "table knives" is a little steep for me lol
Ding!
I happen to be lucky enough to own a set of four of these Cutco "butter knives" having never paid a cent for them. They are awesome! I use them to cut steak, slice veggies, spread butter, and anything in between. I'm even lucky enough to have two of the older wooden handled ones which are a simple smooth edge (not the double-D). They allow the user to shave super-thin pats of butter, perfect for getting it to melt on toast, which seems to cool down so quickly.
Sorry. I guess I got carried away. Carry on.
Ive often found that the chloroform makes me groggy and then its hard to hold the exacto knife. Ever try to cauterize an incision when youre seeing double? I learned my lesson after the third time...get a bigger soldering iron!
4cylndrfury wrote:
Ive often found that the chloroform makes me groggy and then its hard to hold the exacto knife. Ever try to cauterize an incision when youre seeing double? I learned my lesson after the third time...get a bigger soldering iron!
Chloroform? You're supposed to use whisky!
"It is absolutely impossible for someone to fix their own hernia,"
Shoot, that sounds like a challenge! I'm gonna go lift me some manhole covers now....
RossD
SuperDork
7/27/11 8:17 a.m.
When I was cauterized, the wrestling coach gave me a "Hold still." Of course chemical burns are the way to go. 
Duke
SuperDork
7/27/11 8:24 a.m.
I fixed my own hernia all the time when I had one. Every time I coughed or sneezed, it would pop out and leave me with a little lump below my navel. I got pretty adept at just poking the thing back in where it belonged. With enough forewarning I could get my finger in the hole ahead of time and keep it on the inside before it popped out.
I didn't try the steak knife and JB Weld approach, though.
donalson wrote:
i hope... but doubt it was a cutco butter knife... those things are the sharpest best cutting butter knives i've ever used... but $200 for a set of "table knives" is a little steep for me lol
Years ago I sold Cutco knives. I was no salesman, but they told me the knives would sell themselves, and after being trained I agreed. They should have, but they didn't. Anyway, my entire extended family and all my friends have had Cutco knives since then. Great knives, great company.
That's not how you fix a hernia.
Just before I took control of a building I managed, a French guy decided to kill himself in one of the units because the pain from his hernia became too great. He had a pathological fear of doctors. We begged him to get the thing fixed but he wouldn't go. So he shot himself in the head with a 9mm. The bullet went through his head and the adjacent wall into a hallway. It was a few hours before his wife found him. I cleaned up the mess which included pulling up the carpet and blood-soaked subfloor.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of psychosis centered around doctors and surgery. It's out there and this latest story is just the most recent manifestation.
What about those women who get you drunk, drag you off and steal your kidneys? You would think that if they did this sort of thing for a living they would have a decent source of stolen surgical untensils? 
"Stop that!-Stop that!"
