I was on call on Wednesday as you know from my previous post and this was the most demanding day in my whole time in surgery. I assisted in two surgeries and it was hell. both of them were open abdomen surgery, so I had to work with really large instrument and being small it was a very difficult task.
During the 1st surgery the surgeon was pretty much mad at me. Taught I was doing a rubbish Job retracting but I was doing my best, and as the surgery went on and he kept complaining I started to get frustrated. Here I am, operating table as high as my chest (duh, d surgeons were both taller than me), couldn't see a thing, arm paining me from retracting, its 3pm, been in the hospital since 7:30am and he just didn't appreciate my effort, oh psst. at least the other surgeon told me I did a good job. I needed to hear that.
At 6pm the phone in the call room rings telling me there is a surgery, come to the OR in about 30mins. I'm scrubbing in and the surgeon on call comes in, I ask what surgery is it, and he is like its a case of colon cancer. Oh no another open abdomen surgery. By the time we were all prepped and ready to start, my legs had began to fail me, they were tired from standing and walking around all day. Then we started the surgery I was retracting and then my sides were like it was on fire, and at this moment, I realized I can never be a surgeon, I'm not just cut out for the job, don't hv the inner core strength for it. well I did what I had to do, bared all the pain in my body and tired legs.Didn't leave the hospital till 10pm that day.
I checked with the porta (don't even know what it is called in English,lol) only to see I had been schedule for surgery the next day again.. This people are Kidding me. Something funny happened on my way out, The Porta followed me, so thinking I had dropped something I stopped to answer him, and he asked me If another student had come to take over from me. Meaning if no one had come I would hv had to stay, and my friend who took over from me, had a six hour straight surgery that day..lol. I would have been dead if I had to stay the night.
Thank God I'm done with them, Phew!!!!
A glimpse of the surgery department here
Whats next? two weeks of internal medicine.. watch this space!!!
Love
