January 20, 2006

The miracle of anesthesia is a beautiful thing. An advantage to rotating through BSES hospital is the opportunity to observe surgeries. They have a few surgery rooms and offered to let me watch a cesarean section. Never had I witnessed a surgery or a birth before, so overall it was a good first experience. While the doctors cut through skin, tissue and muscle, the mother lay calm and cool. She was a bit more attentive when the doctors showed her the beautiful baby girl, and quickly fell asleep while they began to patch up her uterus. Respect for women isn’t something I lack, but witnessing the birthing process brought about newfound awe for this aspect of womanhood.
As the doctors began to finish their last pass of the suture, a technician rushed me off to the next surgery where a man was having his prostate laproscopically removed. Although the removal would not improve his cancer, it would bring new comfort to his daily needs. Unlike the cesarean, this operation was a more time intensive. It took two hours for the surgeon to feel confident that everything was removed. As I watched intermittently between the screen and the man’s legs I was once again amazed by modern anesthesia. Having a laparoscope followed by a catheter shoved through your urethra isn’t a pretty picture. Nor is having your abdomen cut and stretched to let a baby out.
Before the surgeries I spent the morning in clinic just as I had the rest of the week. A little boy came in with the complaint of a bump on his wrist. His father said it would come and go with fevers and that his schoolwork was suffering, that his handwriting was getting worse. The doctor also said he had a murmur. It was an amazing feeling to recognize this child had rheumatic fever. After studying this disease for two years it was inspiring to know that my work will help someone. Someone other than myself. It’s a strange feeling. My work exists because there is a disease that endangers children, and India has a high incidence of this disease. How do I reconcile my excitement with my sympathy?