Humbled..

Today was a fantastic day in the clinic. we got there early and I made the rounds saying "good morning" and "how are you" to all of my patients and the staff. Everyone is really warming up to me. We only had 5 surgeries scheduled but I ended up working on the two longest and most challenging. But before that I started with my favorite anesthesiologist I had been 3 for 3 on IVs and today my batting average was shot to hell. I must admit I was feeling cocky and asked to put an IV in a 1.5-year-old. Don't worry! They were asleep when I tried. I missed and but got it on the second try, then I attempted to place another in a man with "shifty" veins. I would insert the needle directly over the vein and then it would roll off to the side. I poked him 4 times before someone else tried. Then, I told the doctor that I wanted to intubate again, he brought me over to a 3-year-old and I could not for the life of me find her vocal cords (its that damn tongue that I can't seem to get out of my way). After an unsuccessful attempt he let me try on an adult. I could not get the tube in and felt terrible until he himself couldn't. All of the morning surgeries went off without a hitch and I was scheduled to scrub in with the chief of surgery in the afternoon.

Over lunch one of the Chinese medical students asked if I wanted to help her teach some of the kids, in the pediatric ward, origami. I leaped at the chance and we strode in and had a blast with the kids. The one in this picture still has my first sutures! We gave him a neck and it looks great! Soon the all of the other family members were standing around and laughing with all of the kids as they threw their new paper airplanes (the only origami I know) at me in a collaborative attack.

This afternoon was one of the scariest I can remember. We started with a humorus repair that got ugly because this patient had had 3 surgeries in the same location prior. Though the chief was always in good spirits and kept asking us (the Chinese medical student and I) if we agreed with what he was doing. The surgery was fascinating and time flew by (2 hours). Once the pins were set he began suturing the muscle and asking us if we knew how to suture. I said that I have done the skin quite a bit and the other med student hadn't done any so far. Once he finished the muscle and started the subcutaneous layer he asked if I had seen that type of suture before, which I had. "Ok! You finish now. One here, here, and here (indicating only 5 more until i could close the skin)". Then he stood up took of his gloves and gown and left! Only the nurse, an anesthesiologist, a young Chinese med student, and I were left in the OR. Of course as soon as he left I drew a blank as to how to do a continuous subcutaneous suture, so suture a layer of simple broken ones. But I didn't draw the skin close enough so I added another line of subcutaneous stitches, still no success. By this time the anesthesiologist told me I had 20 mins before the patient would wake up and all of the other Chinese medical students had wondered into the OR and were all watching me like sports announcers. On the third try I stitched more superficially and FINALLY the top layer came roughly together. Because the base stitches were terrible the skin was not perfectly lined up like I was used to so this made my "easy" skin sutures tumultuous. They looked God awful and I was in shaky panic mode the whole time but I finished. Sure it was 4 minutes before the patient woke up, 3 minutes before the chief walked back in wondering where I was, two minutes before the nurse was about to take over, and minute before I passed out from panic. As the title suggested, I was/am humbled. But what a day!