surgery

13.01.2011


Giant swollen scrotum, elephantitis, burned face, burned body, beaten women, skinny man, cycst on head (for 10 years) whew! All before lunch.
I followed Olen and Danae on rounds this morning then watched Danae and Samedi (who had worked for 30 years at the hospital as a janitor who now is the head surgen) fix a hernia. I wasn't grossed out, so Danae let me help on the next one. (see one do one) They ran out of clean scrub gowns, so they just told me to not get too close to the table. His foot was huge (elephantitis), I was wondering what we were going to do for him, but apparently he wasn't in for that. I walked into the OR and he was sitting naked on the table and I realized his scrotum was the size of a small basketball. I had no idea what we were going to do. He had two absests on each side, so we took out the first one, Danae said we had to be careful so we didn't burst the sack otherwise fluid would go everywhere, I suctioned right when he cut a hole and it was perfect, turned it inside out and put it back. Then he did a few layers of stitches, then the skin.
The second side was more difficult. He cut a hole too big and liquid went everywhere, we managed and finished up.
I can't believe I was helping with SURGERY! Was this fair to the patient, was this fair to me. I am resolved with thinking it was better to help then not to help at this point....