Week 2

Week 2 comprised of bread-and-butter surgery. I scrubbed into two laparoscopic cholecystectomies ("lap chole") for symptomatic cholelithiasis and acute cholecystitis. Laparoscopic surgeries are fun to watch since everything is done by camera and can be seen on big screens. Although now they are quite routine, laparoscopic surgeries are built on an interesting concept: can you manipulate tissue, remove organs, and dissect out vessels and nerves all using tools from the outside of the body under camera guidance? The patient really benefits because of faster recovery and smaller scars.

We also did an indirect inguinal hernia repair, a good lesson in male pelvic anatomy. I actually felt an external inguinal ring as if I were doing a hernia exam, which was good since I honestly avoid doing male pelvics as much as I can. But really, reading in a textbook about the inguinal canal is confusing, and seeing the open anatomy and its relevance helps a lot.

On the ward service, I took care of a poor patient that I really feel sorry for. This is a patient with no past medical history or risk factors who developed pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers. She went through a Whipple procedure, probably the most involved general surgery procedure and likely one of the deadliest as well. Her recovery has been really rocky, involving sepsis, liver necrosis, coagulation crises, and most recently, respiratory distress. I really hope she can get out of the hospital; every day, her husband is at the bedside and they are such kind, appreciative people. There's something important about being there for people during the toughest times of their life, even if you're just a medical student.