Yes. Eleven years ago I had brain surgery. I had an acoustic neuroma removed - that's a usually benign tumor on the hearing nerve. I am now deaf on the right side. I had lost some hearing in that ear, which is how the tumor was discovered. I was in the hospital for a week, away from work for four weeks. I had to relearn how to do things like roll over in bed, sit up, stand, and walk. One's balance is controlled by the same nerve as hearing is, so my body had to compensate for losing half of my balance.

I've also had my wisdom teeth out - had general anesthesia for that, as they were deeply embedded, and pointed 90-degrees off of what they should have been. I got lucky - my sister's were so bad they had to crack her jaw in one spot to get the tooth out.

And, third and most minor, I had a ganglion cyst removed from my wrist. That was only local anesthesia, but they wouldn't let me watch or anything - I was very disappointed.