I can just hear all the DU men cringe in unison

[CatWoman]

VA Patient Has Wrong Testicle Removed
LOS ANGELES — An Air Force veteran has filed a federal claim after an operation at a Veterans Administration hospital in which a healthy testicle was removed instead of a potentially cancerous one.

Benjamin Houghton, 47, was to have had his left testicle removed June 14 at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center because there was a chance it could harbor cancer cells. It also was atrophied and painful.

But doctors mistakenly removed the right testicle, according to medical records and the claim, which seeks $200,000 for future care and unspecified damages. He still hasn't had the other testicle removed.

"At first I thought it was a joke," Houghton told the Los Angeles Times. "Then I was shocked. I told them, 'What do I do now?'"

Houghton, his wife, Monica, and their attorney, Dr. Susan Friery, said they hoped to get the VA's attention by going public with the situation.

Dr. Dean Norman, chief of staff for the Greater Los Angeles VA system, has formally apologized to Houghton and his wife.

"We are making every attempt that we can to care for Mr. Houghton, but it's in litigation, and that's all we can tell you," he said. The hospital changed practices as a result of the case, he added.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Botched_Surgery.html?imw=Y

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Nuts.

[CatWoman]

2. Everybody

:)

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. There's always prosthetics.

[Zomby Woof]

3. Ooo, my schwetty balls

x(

[CatWoman]

6. funniest. skit. ever!!

:hi:

[RetroLounge]

4. I'd take my ball and go home...

:9

RL

[NewJeffCT]

7. $200,000? For losing half his brain?

that's it? This guy must have a low opinion on the worth of his balls! (or ball)

I think I'd start in the mid 8 figures, at a minimum, for such a horrific injury.

[skygazer]

8. Both times I had my knee operated on, they had me initial the correct one

They asked me about fifty times which one it was and gave me a marker to write my initials on it. Seems like a simple way to be sure. Why didn't they ask this guy to autograph his nut? :shrug:

[Radical Activist]

9. I autograph my nuts all the time

I don't know why it would be such a big deal either.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. Mine are always badgering each other.

I have to draw a line down the middle and tell them to stay on their own side of the scrotum.

[av8rdave]

10. We had a classmate at the academy who needed knee surgery

He went to the base hospital for the procedure, and they operated on the wrong one. When he was healed and went in again for the surgery, he took a sharpie and marked his "good" knee with the following:

Not this knee, stupid. The other one.

Along with an arrow pointing to the other knee.

He got in a LOT of trouble for that. My contention is that if the doc even saw his handiwork, he was about to cut the wrong one again!

[Xithras]

14. Same thing here.

I had to have surgery on my hand two years ago, and before the surgery started my doc came in and grabbed each of my hands. The hand getting the surgery had a large "YES" printed on it. The hand without the surgery had a big "NO" printed on it. The doc then handed me the pen and asked me to initial next to the marks. That ensured no screwup, and put the liability on me if they were marked wrong. I had ZERO problems with the concept, and even joked to the doctor that I thought it was a great idea.

[underpants]

12. Not a cringe moment but one of my buddies had to have an appendectomy not too long ago

the "Tech" asked if you had any piercings or tatoos that she needed to know about. He said no but thought "Damn she looks familiar". Turns out she was an old girlfriend of one of our mutual buddies. She had to shave him.

[brentspeak]

13. Good grief. Talk about incompetence.

Unfortunately, this type of thing isn't previously unknown: wrong side of the brain operated on, wrong organs removed, wrong limb amputated, etc.

[soleft]

15. I would have thought the latest Bond film would've caused permanent cringe

[jakefrep]

16. Maybe these could be used as prosthetics....

http://www.bumpernuts.com/

[Hugin]

17. That's -IT- ... I'm taking a Marksalot and clearly marking any future surgeries.

Maybe even a tattoo.

[EFerrari]

18. My aftercare for a tubal ligation was prenatal care for my son Nick.

It's not just the VA. They just get more press.

And get this -- the clinic bought my lawyers so at the last minute, I had to negotiate with the mofos on my own, 6mos round.