I'm doing my best to keep a log of all the cases I do here. It's good for my own information, good for any presentations I may do back home, and also important for potential future jobs, etc. I thought I'd give a run-down of the cases I've done so far:
Inguinal (groin) hernias: 3
Open cholecystectomies (gallbladders): 3
Laparoscopic choles: 3
Removal of a shoulder mass on a young girl: 1
Removal of a supraclavicular (above the collar bone) lymph node: 1
Removal of a stone from a patient's ureter (the tube that connects the kidney and the bladder): 1 + assisted other surgeons with 2-3 others
Removal of a stone from a patient's bladder: 1
Burn debridement and skin graft: 1
Release of a scar on a patient's finger that kept it in a permanently flexed position, and then skin grafting the resulting defect: 1
Emergency tracheostomy: 1
C-sections: 5
Appendectomies: 2
Incision and drainage of muscle abscesses: 2
Emergency suprapubic catheter (tube into the bladder through the abdomen): 1
Removal of a breast lump: 1 (which turned out to be an infection not a tumor)
Pinning of broken bones in hands: 2
Tendon repair in hands: 2
Salpingectomy (removal of fallopian tube) for an ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy that lodged in the tube rather than the uterus and then ruptures and causes major internal bleeding): 1
This has been in the last 2 weeks. Of these, roughly half were things I'd seen or done before, and the rest I hadn't. It's also interesting that none of these have been cancer cases. Back home, a huge percentage of what we see is cancer, especially breast and colon cancer. Here, the one patient who I thought had a breast cancer - she was the right age and it sure felt like one - ended up having an abscess instead. Which is good for her, obviously! But it just highlights the fact that I'm dealing with many different things here compared with back home. Which keeps me on my toes, and keeps me depending on God for help, strength, and wisdom.
Someone sent me this picture a few months back, and I've been aware this week of how much I need His help in what I do. I'm grateful that He is with me, guiding my hands as I do my best to care for the patients that are entrusted to me.
Inguinal (groin) hernias: 3
Open cholecystectomies (gallbladders): 3
Laparoscopic choles: 3
Removal of a shoulder mass on a young girl: 1
Removal of a supraclavicular (above the collar bone) lymph node: 1
Removal of a stone from a patient's ureter (the tube that connects the kidney and the bladder): 1 + assisted other surgeons with 2-3 others
Removal of a stone from a patient's bladder: 1
Burn debridement and skin graft: 1
Release of a scar on a patient's finger that kept it in a permanently flexed position, and then skin grafting the resulting defect: 1
Emergency tracheostomy: 1
C-sections: 5
Appendectomies: 2
Incision and drainage of muscle abscesses: 2
Emergency suprapubic catheter (tube into the bladder through the abdomen): 1
Removal of a breast lump: 1 (which turned out to be an infection not a tumor)
Pinning of broken bones in hands: 2
Tendon repair in hands: 2
Salpingectomy (removal of fallopian tube) for an ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy that lodged in the tube rather than the uterus and then ruptures and causes major internal bleeding): 1
This has been in the last 2 weeks. Of these, roughly half were things I'd seen or done before, and the rest I hadn't. It's also interesting that none of these have been cancer cases. Back home, a huge percentage of what we see is cancer, especially breast and colon cancer. Here, the one patient who I thought had a breast cancer - she was the right age and it sure felt like one - ended up having an abscess instead. Which is good for her, obviously! But it just highlights the fact that I'm dealing with many different things here compared with back home. Which keeps me on my toes, and keeps me depending on God for help, strength, and wisdom.
Someone sent me this picture a few months back, and I've been aware this week of how much I need His help in what I do. I'm grateful that He is with me, guiding my hands as I do my best to care for the patients that are entrusted to me.
