My First Week of Surgery

Things haven't quite gone how I expected, but hopefully this next week the kinks will all get ironed out. I'm working with a really nice general surgeon named Dr. H. He is NOT the typical arrogant asshole who I imagined I'd be working with. He's hilarious, kind, and teaches me lots each day. The great part about this rotation is that I get to wear hospital scrubs everyday. This means way less laundry and way less thinking about my clothes. Oh yeah, and I get Wednesday afternoons off so he can go golf. Works for me.

Most of the surgeries this week have been cholecystectomies (gallbladder removal). I'm really interested in them mostly because I had my own out when I was 17. The coolest part about this surgery is that it is laparoscopic and it is JUST. SO. COOL to see the inside of the body that way. But because it's laparoscopic I don't really get to help. So that's a bummer. On Tuesday afternoons, we go to the wound clinic. Let me tell you, nothing can prepare you for these wounds. They are big gaping holes in flesh. Then you take a currette and debride the inside of the wounds. I was told this week, that is all me. Sweet. Actually, it will be good to do that by myself.

There was a little snafu this week regarding a surgery center that Dr. H goes to on Friday mornings and Monday mornings. I wasn't able to go with him so instead I went to a different hospital to go work with Dr. P (the dr who took me to Brazil) and was able to scrub in on all of her surgeries. We repaired a rectocele, did a laparascopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy, and a vaginal hysterectomy. Oh yeah, I also got to catch a baby! I love it. It seriously is a very fun thing. It was a girl and she was perfect. The mom had some issues with her placenta though and we had to take her to the OR to get it all out. Unfortunately, it came out in about 30 pieces and she lost a lot of blood. It was very messy. I didn't get home until 2 am and then I had to walk the dog that I am currently dogsitting. It was a long day.

Tomorrow, I'm scrubbing in again with Dr. P on some c-sections! Then I'll be heading back to the other hospital to see patients with Dr. H in the office.