I wrote this post in the style of a spoken word performance. It is Part 3 of 3 about my stance on surgery, but it is meant to stand alone. Continue reading My Hands Shake
Tag Archives: surgery
Laparoscopic Magikarp
For the past month, I have mostly played Pokémon GO standing still in the same place: in the operating room hallway during spare minutes between surgeries while I wait for patients to arrive. The ORs are right on the East River, which means all day (and I mean all day) I only get to catch water Pokémon, mostly Magikarps that are flopping around. This is pretty ironic on many levels, but it also got me thinking. Continue reading Laparoscopic Magikarp
Pet Peeve: Surgeons Who Can’t Type
They bother me more than they should. Surgeons who can’t type. Continue reading Pet Peeve: Surgeons Who Can’t Type
Hemithyroidectomy
INDICATION FOR PROCEDURE: The patient is a 29-year-old gentleman who presents with a large left thyroid goiter, visible in the neck and shifting his airway to the right. After considering his options, he elected to proceed with a left hemithyroidectomy. Continue reading Hemithyroidectomy
Swiss Surgery
In the past four weeks in my surgery clerkship, I’ve seen several different surgeons operate in their distinct own styles. They’ve ranged from the calm and meticulous vascular surgeon to the loud profane but courteous trauma surgeon to the high-velocity efficient bariatric surgeon. Each was effective in their own methods and I admired them all. However, on Tuesday, I watched Dr. Saldinger, the Chairman of Surgery at NYP Queens, perform two masterful operations, and his surgical style was awe-inspiring. Exacting, precise, and particular. He trained in Basel, Switzerland before coming here, and he is stereotypically Swiss in the best possible way. Watching him operate was the first time I felt like I truly witnessed that mythical surgical precision. Continue reading Swiss Surgery
First Death.
Yesterday, Monday July 11, 2016, at 8:43 am, an unfortunate young man was declared dead. Continue reading First Death.
5:30 am
It’s dark. The air is hot and heavy with moisture. The nine of us are pressed against each other in that small space in silence, resigned to sharing the torpid air conditioning. All of us sleepily wish we weren’t trapped there at such a bizarre time of day.
Yes, it’s the 5:30 am shuttle that takes medical students from Cornell to the NYP Queens hospital a 10-mile drive away. Just starting my surgery clerkship, I’ve only taken it on three mornings, but it really strikes me as a… surreal kind of commute. Continue reading 5:30 am
GERD is hungry
Today in the OR, I had a crummy revelation. As you might know, I have GERD (aka reflux, aka heartburn). It’s been developing for years, but I was officially diagnosed in December; since then, I’ve been treating it diligently with medication and avoiding things like eating too late, eating before exercise, or eating spicy or drinking hot foods. It’s been going well, but I just learned that my GERD has a new enemy now: hunger. Continue reading GERD is hungry