Busy Yet Happy

It's been quite a few days since I last wrote here. Have been busy when it's time to be busy and lazy when it's time to be lazy :P

Anyway, it was supposed to be a long weekend for us here (public hols today, Anzac day - the day where they commemorate the ppl who died in the war) but I had to go into hospital on saturday so it kinda became like a normal weekend for me.

Before I get too ahead of myself, let me give a summary of the week.

Watched a laparascopic cholecystectomy, a parotidectomy, had a suture workshop (I need more practice!! I wonder if I will get the chance to do?), multiple tutorials, ward rounds, went on my 1st on call, clerked someone with an acute abdomen, took blood from an inpatient, learning how to function like a junior doctor and probably other minor things that I'd forgotten.

But suffice to say, surgery rotation is certainly a busy one. But I'm certainly learning and enjoying being busy. :P

Anyway, so yeah that was the week. And my saturday was supposed to look like this. Liver transplant at 4am and ward round with resident at 8am. [the resident called me and said the consultant specifically ask a med student to help with the ward round. HELP? Us?? I reckon it's because the rest of the team will be in theatre. but still what can I do to help? carry files? lol.]

But here is how it turned out instead. News of cancelled liver transplant received b4 sleep.

And suddenly got a text and call at 9 smtg in the morning saying the liver transplant is going to happen soon. Tried my best to rush to hospital but alas I forgot it was a public holiday and the bus only comes every hour. Wasted half an hour waiting at the bus stop with Debbi. (I invited her to go see see also ma haha) In the end, she drove us there. thks :)

When we arrived, the surgery was already well and underway, couldn't get to see much coz there were 3 surgeons, 1 assistant and my grpmate already scrubbed in around the patient. Lucky for me, after sometime, another consultant approached me and asked whether would I like to scrub in to assist when the donor organ arrives.

I must admit, in my mind, I though: "Err I thought it comes in a box right? Need to do what woh?"

And boy was I wrong. Apparently, the surgeons who harvest the organ really just simply chop out the organ and then send it. And the surgeon here hvta clean up the fat, diaphragm etc and ligate unncessary vessels before putting it in the patient.

And that was where I come in. I hvta help by holding out the important vessels while the surgeon works his magic. And being so close up with the liver means I got to see lots of anatomy. And he quizzed me on the vessels too, which I must admit, I failed terribly. :P Well its not that easy to see when it's all a pile of gunk floating in the basin.

But it was a really cool experience. Being able to hold the vessels and touch the liver (which feels very firm btw). And this time, I felt like I was really helping. Really doing something as part of the team. It was awesome!

And that was the medical stuff for the week. Lucky I get 2 days to relax and recharge. really need it. And tomorrow it starts again, but the funny thing, I'm happy being busy for once!

Maybe I'm slowly adapting to life here or maybe it's just a turn of things for the better.

And notice that I finally used the word "happy" since I got here. :)