# Proactive Appendectomy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454 "2014-09-14T03:33:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/1 "2014-09-14T03:33:31Z")
I’m 60 years old, and still have my original appendix. Let’s say that I’m planning to move to interior Alaska and live off the grid in the wilderness. Since I am going to be at least an hour or two from the nearest hospital, depending on the time of year and the weather, I want to completely eliminate the chance of suffering from an acute appendicitis. If I go to a general surgeon and asks him to remove my perfectly healthy appendix would he do it, or would that be considered unethical? I realize that my health insurance won’t cover it, but hey, money is no object. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/2 "2014-09-14T03:54:55Z")
It’s not considered unethical to remove a healthy appendix. Prophylactic appendectomies are commonly performed as an adjunct to other surgical procedures, including those that might result in development of fibrous adhesions in the abdominal cavity, making later appendectomy more difficult. It might be hard to find a surgeon who would do a stand-alone prophylactic appendectomy. You could of course emulate [a famous Soviet surgeon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Rogozov) and do your own, if need be. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/3 "2014-09-14T04:59:06Z")
Out there in the outback, you gotta worry about kidney stones too. Better get your kidneys taken out while you’re at it. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/4 "2014-09-14T12:27:11Z")
[Dian Fossey](http://johnhawks.net/weblog/topics/history/leakey/dian-fossey-appendix-2013.html) appears to have found a surgeon who would do one, although of course that was almost fifty years ago. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/5 "2014-09-14T19:05:56Z")
IIRC, some long distance solo sailors have done things like having some or all teeth removed, as well as the stuff noted above and also had meds just for specialty problems that they could use to gain enough time to get to help. Now days with GPS, Sat. phones, transponders, & automatic or manual emergency beacons of various types, getting help can be done much faster. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/6 "2014-09-14T20:23:32Z")
I know someone who had intestinal surgery, and they took his healthy appendix out too - the reason being that they were in there anyway, so let’s get it over with. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/7 "2014-09-14T21:54:36Z")
I gather that the appendix isn’t as useless as thought before, apparently it stores gut bacteria for repopulation after events such as diarrhea or antibiotic use. It seems the lifetime appendicitis risk for women is 6.7% and men 8.6%, and a risk factor is a diet low in fiber and high in refined carbohydrates. Compared to cardiovascular disease and cancer that’s not too bad… maybe you’re considering the wrong organ for an -ectomy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TNWPsycho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/47e85d/32.png) [@TNWPsycho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TNWPsycho)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/8 "2014-09-14T22:33:28Z")
Another thing that hasn’t been touched on, is that appendicitis isn’t an instantaneous thing. My girlfriend suffered from appendicitis for a couple weeks before they took it out. I have several friends that went a few days to a week before getting it removed. Being a few hours from a hospital probably wouldn’t be a huge issue for that affliction. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/9 "2014-09-14T22:54:01Z")
Sorry, I am short on details here - but about 20 years ago I knew someone in her early 40s who went in for surgery to have a large ovarian cyst removed. The surgeon noticed she still had an intact appendix and removed that at the same time. Something, reasons, something, but the end result was she successfully sued the hospital and the surgeon for…[battery, I think](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohr_v._Williams)? Because she did not give informed consent. Sorry that’s not a direct answer to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/10 "2014-09-15T00:13:43Z")
> [@TNWPsycho](#): > > Another thing that hasn’t been touched on, is that appendicitis isn’t an instantaneous thing. > > My girlfriend suffered from appendicitis for a couple weeks before they took it out. I have several friends that went a few days to a week before getting it removed. > > Being a few hours from a hospital probably wouldn’t be a huge issue for that affliction. When mine came out I had an episode earlier in the year(April maybe?), that the ER doctor diagnosed as silly female tummy ache. It was mid-to late August when I went back. I was admitted Thursday night, the surgeon went in Friday morning(after dozens of inconclusive tests and wagering it was an ovarian cyst), when it was hours from bursting. It was also extremely scarred over, so it had definitely been bad for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![BaldDudePeekskill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@BaldDudePeekskill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldDudePeekskill)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/11 "2014-09-15T22:03:14Z")
I remember my grandmother saying that the surgeon “threw In an appendectomy form free” when she’d had her gallbladder removed. She liked that… I actually requested and was allowed to have my gallbladder removed when undergoing gastric bypass. Most people with major weight loss have a much higher risk of developing gall stones necessitating future surgery, so it wasn’t an over-the-top request ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/12 "2014-09-15T22:11:09Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Now days with GPS, Sat. phones, transponders, & automatic or manual emergency beacons of various types, getting help can be done much faster. But it’s still an option for folks wintering over in Antarctica, expedition travel in very remote areas, and solo sailors. It’s still being done. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/13 "2014-09-16T04:24:21Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > But it’s still an option for folks wintering over in Antarctica, expedition travel in very remote areas, and solo sailors. It’s still being done. Perzactly. But, a jaunt across the Gulf of Mexico is not as dangerous due to medical emergencies of these types as it used to be. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/14 "2014-09-16T06:37:20Z")
> [@TNWPsycho](#): > > Another thing that hasn’t been touched on, is that appendicitis isn’t an instantaneous thing. \ I’d beg to differ - I usually slept late, so I usually am awake until the wee earlies. The day before my birthday was no different (I was still living at home - luckily, I had some healthy types handy). I awoke about 4 hours after going to bed (around 06:00) with the worst pain I’d ever had. Acute appendicitis. Surgeon said it was ready to pop by the time he got to it around 8-9. Happy 21st! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/15 "2014-09-16T12:40:52Z")
When I had my gallbladder removed (18ish years ago) I asked my surgeon if he could remove my appendix and vasectomize me while I was out. He declined. Although he did all three procedures as part of his surgical practice, what I requested was totally not OK. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/16 "2014-09-16T14:01:13Z")
What you are asking is different than an incidental appendectomy which is performed when the surgeon is more or less in the area anyway. Used to be routine, now almost unheard of, as any complication arising from that otherwise unneeded surgery would be hard to rationalize. I cannot imagine any physician doing intra-abdominal surgery to remove a body part known to be healthy. I would imagine your risk of dying from that surgery is considerably greater than the calculated risk of your dying of appendicitis you do not currently have. I do not think that when we send people to Mars it would be a good idea to remove anything not necessary (reproductive organs, 1 1/2 kidneys, one lung, etc.),for short term survival on the off chance it could become diseased later. ---
**Author:** ![Dana\_Scully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@Dana\_Scully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dana_Scully)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/17 "2014-09-16T14:11:43Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > I gather that the appendix isn’t as useless as thought before, apparently it stores gut bacteria for repopulation after events such as diarrhea or antibiotic use. > > It seems the lifetime appendicitis risk for women is 6.7% and men 8.6%, and a risk factor is a diet low in fiber and high in refined carbohydrates. > > Compared to cardiovascular disease and cancer that’s not too bad… maybe you’re considering the wrong organ for an -ectomy. 🙂 My appendix burst when I was 59 so my risk was 100% (and it was excruciatingly painful too). I think the OP’s reasoning is sound even though, theoretically, his risk is low. It doesn’t hurt to ask and even if the first doc says no, s/he might be able to steer you to someone who would be willing to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/18 "2014-09-16T14:16:00Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > I do not think that when we send people to Mars it would be a good idea to remove anything not necessary (reproductive organs, 1 1/2 kidneys, one lung, etc.),for short term survival on the off chance it could become diseased later. They still do it today for people on are traveling to very remote and inaccessible areas, but only with things that have a propensity to fail in rather messy ways and are otherwise not useful (appendix, wisdom teeth). No one is going to remove a lung since two lungs are not just for redundancy. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/19 "2014-09-16T15:10:27Z")
Ok, so two lungs. But certainly they do not need gonads to survive. Or a gallbladder, or two kidneys. Or even your colon. Actually most people do not think it is a good idea, although if you are Australian, and going to antarctica you are required to have your appendix removed. A recent and well thought out analysis: > **[Prophylactic surgery prior to extended-duration space flight: Is the benefit...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3310768/)** > > This article explores the potential benefits and defined risks associated with prophylactic surgical procedures for astronauts before extended-duration space flight. This includes, but is not limited to, appendectomy and cholecystesctomy.... ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454/20 "2014-09-16T15:56:23Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > Ok, so two lungs. But certainly they do not need gonads to survive. Or a gallbladder, or two kidneys. Or even your colon. Understood. But I think things are based on the likelihood of catastrophic failure - it’s not uncommon to have appendicitis where if left untreated could kill you. The likelihood of kidney failure with no warning signs is quite low. But I don’t think we’re saying anything different, just emphasizing different aspects of it. The medical study you quoted seems to be a thorough analysis with respect to when it pays to do so. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proactive-appendectomy/698454.md?page=2)