Just this past week at internship was the first time I sat in on an operation! Although I like being with the kids in the wards, talking, playing, and comforting them, I felt the urge to watch the type of operations the children go through. Also, being a biology major, watching an operation in general seems quite intriguing. Here in South Africa, it is much easier and there are less rules or regulations that would prohibit me, as just a student and intern, to watch or participate in an operation. Back in the US, I would probably need some qualifications or at least be a nursing student. I just asked one of the Sisters and she said I could the very next day.
The procedure was on a young boy's left foot, I'm not sure what his specific ailment was but it appeared that his foot did not sit flat on the ground and instead was somewhat curved inward toward the other foot. It may have been a less severe case of club foot - an ailment that many patients at Maitland Cottage are admitted for. Next time I think I will be more inquisitive but I just wanted to observe the first time. Plus I started feeling nervous as I waited for the operation to begin.
In the operating room, as the anesthesiologist readied the patient, the other doctors introduced themselves and I met some medical students. One was a young woman from Germany who scrubbed in and actually sat at the operating table with the surgeons. The other student was also a young woman but she was from the UK. She stood and just watched the operation as I did.
Once the patient was under, the doctors began marking areas where they would operate and pushed out much of the circulating blood from his left leg. So, when the surgeons made any incisions, to my amazement, there was no blood. I never thought I would feel faint watching an operation, especially such a small one, but I did. After watching the first incision, I thought I might get sick or pass out, I began feeling a bit dizzy so I had to look away! The incision was made on the backside of the left ankle, just above the achilles tendon. The surgeon cut and rearranged some tendons, which was really what started making me feel like I was going to be sick. At this moment, I thought to myself, 'well this was a nice experience, but I'm probably never going to want to watch an operation again'. I kept pushing myself to look back at the operation once I wouldn't feel faint anymore. Eventually, after watching the first two incisions, the third one became easier. And by the time the surgeons made the last one, and were rearranging tendons and sewing skin back together, I couldn't stop watching and I didn't feel faint at all. By the end of the operation, I couldn't wait for the next time I would watch. Getting past the initial cut and seeing what lies beneath the skin was the hardest part. I thought I would be fine after watching operations and stuff on tv, but it really is much different seeing it and being there in person.
What I thought was really interesting was how nonchalant and talkative all the doctors/surgeons, and nurses were throughout the operation. Very little of what they talked about was actually related to the surgery. It was crazy, it was as if they were all just sitting around a table sharing stories, conversing, laughing, talking about their weekends, meanwhile they are operating on someone. It was quite entertaining to watch and listen. About halfway through they began talking with me as well, asking me questions about where I'm from and what I study.
As we were leaving for the day, the German student and I were talking and she suggested I join the doctors at the operating table the next time, she was sure they would let me scrub in if I wanted to. I might want to watch one more operation before going to the table though
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