My first intubations!!!

What a day! We had 13 surgeries today and everyone was moving. I decided to give the Chinese students some space and surgeries so I followed the supervising anesthesiologist. He has a sort of scowl on his face so I thought the day would be dull but I was dead wrong. He turned out to be a great teacher! First he explained the finner points of intubation and told me that I would get to try one soon, then he let me push medication into an infant's IV to reverse the paralyzing effects of a minor over dose of anesthesia medication. The baby started to breath better right away, it felt like I saved his life. Then we went back into the OR and he started explaining how the very young and the elderly are the most challenging to intubate and as he did this he had me holding a mask over an 11-year-old boy's mouth slowly putting him to sleep. Next thing I new he handed me the laryngescope and told me to go for it. Of course everyone (the med students) heard him say this and came over to watch me. I fumbled a bit and he helped me find the right position to hold the mouth open and then I saw what looked like vocal cords and I inserted the tube. Then I listened for breath sounds... I didn't hit the stomach! After that I assisted in removing the boy's extra thumbs and got to close on one of his hands all by myself! Next I was asked to intubate an adult. He was a large man and I could see all the way to the bottom of his lungs so getting the tube in was a little easier this time. He was an ORIF (Open Reduction Internal Fracture) case. We tore into his forearm like a bull in a china shop with blood squirting left and right, his hand twitching with ever little tug and cauterizing shock, we crushed, cut, and manipulated bones, the we hammered and drilled in pins and screws...OH! It was so fun. I am now leaning towards orthopedics! I think the docs like working with me because I keep getting picked to assist in the elaborate cases. I will try to post pics soon!