what a week...

Surgery truly started this week. I scrubbed in for the first time on the removal of a clot from a common femoral artery (kind of quick and low-key. I did get to feel a femoral pulse... by actually touching the femoral artery!). Next was a "total thyroidectomy and modified radical neck dissection" that lasted almost 7 hours. I then discovered that my expensive "doctor shoes" are not all that comfortable for standing so long... I have since switched to sneakers and crocs with more success.

I'm doing my best to seem interested and show that I'm reading and learning, so I hope I can overcome my personality and be assertive. The doctor that I normally follow was not working the day of the neck surgery, so I approached the doc doing it and asked if I could come in because it sounded cool. Hopefully I get bonus points for doing that instead of just sitting around and reading. Plus, I got to feel a thyroid tumor and a breathing trachea!

(Side note, I'm doing great with incisions and blood and stitches! I guess I didn't have to worry about being the person who passes out in the OR.)

I had my first on-call experience this week too. I was called out of dinner around 6 for a surgical consult for a guy with pancreatitis, and then nothing again for the whole night. Borrrring. Though I suppose most people would have been grateful for that. But this turned out to be a benefit because at 6am, someone came in with a huge cecal volvulus that needed to be cut out asap.

It looked like that ^ on x-ray (not actual patient). Basically, this is a part of the colon that twists on itself (probably congenital in this lady) and obstructs the intestine.

One of the residents told me that it was against the rules for me to stay any longer since I'd been at the hospital 24+ hours, but I slept as much there as I would have if I went home! So I decided to hover in the OR near the patient and wait for the surgeon, who happened to be the doctor I am working with anyway. When he got there, I explained the situation, at which point he said the resident was ridiculous and that I could certainly stay for what would be a cool surgery. And a cool surgery it was! (The colon was HUGE and practically popped out of the abdomen when we opened it up.) So that was my first 30 hour hospital shift. 

I'm actually really liking surgery... this needs to stop. hahaha