Surgery Posting

Hey people! 

Long time . No see. My blog . Topic change.

I was excited about surgery postings. Not because I wanted to get into specialisation but because the sight of cutting open human body and handling the viscera amazed me since forever. All I wanted to do is stare till the skin sutures are done. Cut -open- suture - cut ! Amazing sight! 

                                         

Everybody gathered near the H.O.D.s chamber for unit allotment . After hours of suspense we were allotted the units and were told that mutual exchange of units would not be entertained.I was allotted the unit last and to my horror I got unit 6!
I begged the H.O.D.  to change the unit since I had to attend classes . He was unmoved.

                                 

I took a cab home , called up a friend cried bitterly . Remember Kangana Ranaut's scene from Queen ? Lol , quite literally something like that. To add up to the drama , it was a pool trip . There was this 50 year old lady sharing the cab.

" All weekends are gone . Coaching gone . What the hell! I know what almighty plans is for good ... Every Saturday ... When am I going to study ? Its all over . My plans .. Bla bla bla "  

My friend kept consoling me . And after a while she asked , Its ok . May be it was not 

meant for now . Take it easy . By the way ,where are you right now?

-Cab mein...

What?! Cab me you are on with this drama?
-Ola share hai wo bhi . And the weeping changed to uncontrollable laughter . The lady seated

next to me thought I lost it totally.
The coolest person on the planet (mom) that she is consoled me saying..

Thats not even a issue .Just see that you don't sit idle . Just give some fodder to your brain. There has to be some progress . See that you don't stand still. You'll miss alot may be. You'll grab ample amount.

A cointern who had joined classes with me told me that there is no way like 

noway. Exchanging duties is possible and other things also could be sorted .

So yeah! Day 1

In the wards ,Everybody is young . Moving . Running . Fighting. It was difficult to figure out

who was a intern or PG ?Who was senior pg who was junior pg ?The wards  stinked . But guess its the same in surgical wards 

everywhere irrespective of the hospital you work in.  Day 1 just passed . We did nothing.

Day 2 

Somebody had asked me for an exchange. I immediately agreed since I had a class to attend that weekend . I was not at all prepared for one though.

I rush to the A.S.C. After lunch . Quite clueless yet curious of what it would be like.
You know how to insert foley's?  The PG asked.

- Firstt...

Ok . Ill show you .
 Eventually, I learnt nothing and the Foley's was in the bladder.

Many blood draws . But there was something nice and surprising. No comments on the pride of osmania ( The Nurses) , Her Majesty won't draw the blood . So very expected. But the post
graduates were doing it while we got busy doing other jobs . Till medicine , orthopedics , pediatrics . It was just us , house surgeons who would do it .

The attitude was amazing. Division of work that was done. Patient care was what was darted irrespective of who does what , the patient was made ready for the anaesthetist to come and examine.

After the anaesthetists gave clearance ( they were so much like the typical Indians who hunt for brides for their sons, haan par ladki thodi moti hai , height kam hai , hiv positive hai... Lol! ) the patient would then be cut open.

So ... The hour and stuck and the bell had rung. 

ENEMA

The PG asked me to give enema to a patient.

I don...

Ill direct you . You follow it . Its simple.

( This was the first time I was doing it . A girl in my head ...Vomited twice and said NOWAY!

Another girl hit my head and said no other go.. Do it! Challenge samajhle! )

Its just some hole . Push the contents of the pack there. It seemed quite simple.

All I had to do is clear my mind of the fact that I was doing a shitty job. 

Blood

Go get the blood . These many packets of xpositive blood . Say the patient is very serious and will die if not given stat. They will overact . Stay stern and stubborn . Go... get it!

Aah well! 

Reaches blood bank. The blood bank officer acts like the most eligible bachelor of the hospital and cannot give blood for some faltu reason. After many attempts of repeating the same fact in 5-6 voice tones he agrees to give . Yaay! Achievement ! 

You go handover the blood to the PG like a labourer hands over his salary after a day's hardwork.

Fluid for bed number 4 . Blood for the new case . The cycle goes on and on. 

After the shifts are done . I head to wards. Clear stuff almost dozing off. Rush to the class .
Listen a quite a bit . Doze off for half an hour , continue  the rest .

2 days later ,  My unit PGs were on duty. Super excited I insist on being in M.O.T. I didn't have big plans but all I wanted to do is learn to suture as it was my day 1 there . I kept waiting for my turn but by the time we had sorted cases , it was 2pm and my substitute had come. Rush back to class!

2 days later , I beg for substitute and get one. So the duty is with another unit . I chose to go to M.O.T. again because there is lot more effective work other than giving enemas and foley's. The PG let me do debridement. Then assisting him for secondary suturing. All those who have done surgery rotations can totally relate to the statement...

Don't touch me . I am sterile . Hold the lignocaine a little down . No ! No! You will make it unsterile !

Then assisting in avulsion of mucous cyst , then sebaceous cyst. 

Then back to ASC clearing cases ...ya ya.. Enemas , ryle , foley.. Acute abdomen.

Back to wards , it was getting Omnipaque  , urograffin and getting CECT done. All the ground work. Including the nurses job and complimentary doctors job here and there.

Soon the 2 weeks got over and I was posted in male wards. 

The PGs taught me to do the dressings. The job was satisfying , no matter what I was dressing ... Be it exploratory laprotomy wound or Fournier's gangrene. But then taking the stinky odour home was something I could not save myself from. I resorted to wearing my grannys clothes at a point of time to avoid spoiling my clothes 🙈.

The wards were hectic but the workplace was cordial . So , I never got fed up. 

Diwali duty

This duty was amazing! The cases kept pouring. From knowing not to stitch at all . I was doing it like never before by the end of evening. 

I was taught step by step . From local lignocaine to final knot. Rule of halves. 

The night had severe cases like you can expect on Diwali. So many wounds . Deep wounds . People slitting their wrist , showing up with a bandage and when you open it . You are soaked
 in blood . Like they show in typical Bollywood flicks. Drunkards show up with head injuries .Young guys get people whom they drove over and try to escape or some responsible souls will ask you about the prognosis. 

No duty is complete without entry of highly unco-operative patient with a lethal cut who will pull away the iv cannula . You seriously have doubts whether to give the snappy head a local lignocaine or spinal bupivacaine.

The MLCs

Aaah ! I loved it . The policemen . Fat ,tall , stout running behind you lean , larky 20 something . Madam , iska pehle kardo . And you show your attitude " Because baby! Its your homeground! " You don't get to do this anywhere else . You are so busy , that even if you see people retorting to your arrogance , you don't give a damn! 

The all time dudes of M.O.T. , the ward boys. The regular song being We have been here since forever , tum to paida bhi nahi hue hoge tab!

Few days later another exchange

On this duty day , I got to do a sebaceous cyst , a corn , assist a fasciotomy and some regular stuff. 

Foooood!

The best thing about surgery duties was food! Being foodie , it was the best place to be. The entire unit dines together in contrast to other departments where you leave in batches . And the food! The starters , the main course and the mandatory biryani! Yes , I had to mention it! I miss it all !When I thought this would not be enough... Swiggy!

OTs

In OTs , I felt like pingu ( the penguin)  , wearing that mandatory maxi gown . I kept roaming from one table to other observing what was happening. It was one experience in its own. Watching laproscopic appendectomy , assisting during skin grafting or merely observing what was happening is ilebzgxjsg-stomy and xvvdhdh-anastomosis. 

Making your way in between so many people and stooping to see whats going on till your nose almost touches the abdomen. It was all fun! 

PAC

The nightmares. Searching for lost patients in the osmanian galaxy. Their twinkling reports . Times were their BP would reach the sky up so high , that you would stand near the anaesthetist saying Oh God Why!

It felt like getting your notebook corrected near your maths teacher, 

What were you thinking when you got this case? Bla bla bla. PACs were physically exhausting. 

Post Operative duties 

The most annoying ones . I used to trade MOT duties for PostOp duties. Enemas , foley's , BPs , treatment. All no brainer , robotic job. 

I think I survived it sometimes because of great company and great food from Swiggy!

Last 2 weeks were for anaesthesia , which I spent enjoying a cousin's wedding.

That's all folks!

Have a great day!