The short answer? Yes.
The long answer? I’ve had lots.
When people ask me if I’ve ever had surgery, I sometimes laugh – not because it’s funny, but because it’s such a big question for someone like me. Being born prematurely meant that surgery wasn’t just a one-off event – it became part of my story from the very beginning.
One of my first surgeries happened when I was so tiny I don’t even remember it. I had a feeding tube placed directly into my belly. I’ve always hated my belly button – technically, it’s an innie, but the scar beside it makes it look like an outie on one side. It might seem like a small thing, but it’s stuck with me.
At just a month old, I needed a blood transfusion – and to do it, they had to shave half of my head. It’s strange looking back at baby photos where my hair is missing in patches. It was life-saving, but it’s another mark that tells the story of how fragile those early weeks really were.
As a child, I had repeated ear infections and needed several sets of grommets in both ears. At one point, a grommet got stuck in my eardrum and the skin started to grow around it. That meant yet another operation. After that, things didn’t improve – it left a hole in my eardrum and infections became a regular part of life.
When I was 18, I was put on the waiting list for something I didn’t even know was possible: having a new eardrum built. The surgery – called a tympanoplasty – involved shaving part of my head again. Recovery took months. I wasn’t allowed to lift anything for three months afterwards, and I remember just waiting to feel “normal” again. When the packing was finally removed from my ear, I could hear better than I had in years. It was a huge relief not to worry about getting my ear wet anymore.
But while I was dealing with the medical side, there was still the social stuff to navigate. I’ll never forget being at school while my hair was growing back and a “friend” turned to me and said, “How come sideburns on boys are bad, but on girls they’re even worse?” That stuck. It’s funny how some comments from childhood stay with you longer than the pain from surgery.
In 2011, I started experiencing symptoms of what I now know was POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). At the time, it was misdiagnosed as migraine-associated vertigo, and I noticed it was worse when I wore my hearing aids. Eventually, the decision was made to fit me with a cochlear bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) on the left side – another operation, but one that made a difference.
And then in 2019, my life changed again. I became seriously unwell with sepsis. I was just 15 minutes from not surviving. It’s hard to explain the trauma of that. I had life-saving surgery and drains placed in my neck. The days that followed were a blur, but I’ll never forget the sheer relief of waking up and knowing I was still here.
You’d think that with all this experience, surgery would become second nature – but oh my goodness, they still scare me. Every single one. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been in a hospital gown, how well I know the routine – it always feels daunting. The nerves never quite go away.
But the most important surgeries I’ve ever had weren’t for me – they were for my daughter, Amelia.
At 23 weeks pregnant, Amelia needed a blood transfusion while still inside me. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I had to stay completely still and even breathe shallowly, because anything more could have risked her life. That experience haunts me to this day. And when the time came for her to be born, I had a C-section to give her the best chance possible. I just wish I could’ve had that golden hour with her – the skin-to-skin moment you dream of. But she had to be whisked away to intensive care before I even got to hold her.
All surgeries are stressful. But some stay with you forever.
Surgery has never been something I’ve feared in a logical way – it’s something I’ve had to face out of necessity. Each scar, each shaved patch of hair, each recovery period tells part of a story that I’m still living. And I’ve learned that recovery isn’t just about wounds healing – it’s also about the emotional bruises, the fear, and the way it all lingers.
If you or your child have been through surgeries, I want you to know you’re not alone. It’s OK to feel scared, it’s OK to carry the weight of those experiences, and it’s OK to take your time healing. You’re doing better than you think.
Let’s keep the conversation going
Have you or your child had surgery that left more than just physical scars? I’d love to hear your story – feel free to share in the comments or message me directly.
💜 If this post resonated with you, please like, comment, and subscribe to The Good, The Bad, and Your Parenting Journey. Your support helps us keep sharing these real-life stories that matter.
surgery story blog, born premature UK, tympanoplasty recovery, cochlear baha implant, grommets complications, hearing loss and surgery, neurodivergent chronic illness, POTS syndrome UK, surviving sepsis story, c-section NICU baby, intrauterine blood transfusion, parenting with medical trauma, premature baby story
References:
NHS: Tympanoplasty and Ear Surgery – https://www.nhs.uk The UK Sepsis Trust – https://sepsistrust.org POTS UK – https://www.potsuk.org Tommy’s UK – Blood transfusions during pregnancy – https://www.tommys.org
Have you ever had surgery? What for?
The bad and your parenting journey 