Is This Really Happening???

Thursday was a pretty surreal day. 

Andrew helping me get into my apron.

     It all began when I decided to stop in the delivery room after rounds in the pediatric ward to see if anyone was about to pop. There was a women there who needed a C-section, so my friend Elise and I asked Dr. Agullo (the only surgeon here) if we could watch. On the way to the operating room I was asked if I wanted to scrub in since I hadn't done that yet. I said "sure" because it sounded fun and I was planning on doing that at least once while I'm here. I'm not quite sure I realized then that the person who scrubs in assists with the surgery. Once I realized that, I kept thinking that I probably shouldn't have scrubbed in on my first surgery. I did though! I needed quite a bit of help scrubbing in because there's a lot to do (scrubbing for 5 minutes with your hands a certain way, putting on your gown just so, holding your arms up, etc.) and if you mess up (like I did) you have to start over. Anyhow, eventually I was all ready and was just standing in the operating room, not even daring to move, holding my hands clasped and at my chest like I was told to. An anesthesiologist named Alice, who is starting med school next year and did most of the C-section, was super friendly and helpful, and kept giving me pointers together with James from our program.

Waiting for Dr. Agullo to arrive with Alice

My friend Elise from Gordon, who took all the pictures,
all ready for surgery

     I'd sort of thought that I would pretty much just be observing the surgery, albeit from a bit closer than the other students, but once Alice had cut down to the uterus, Dr. Agullo handed me the edge of the retractor and had me hold the skin back. Once  they started trying to get the baby out I kept thinking that the hole was too small, and sure enough, it was. They had to cut it a few more times before they could finally fit that kid out, and it seemed to take quite a bit of pushing and pulling (I don't recommend a C-section if you can avoid it). When the baby was out, most of the other students left, and I thought maybe I was supposed to be done too but it turned out that my job was just beginning.

The new baby!

     As Alice reached in and grabbed out the placenta, Dr. Agullo handed me a suction hose and said simply "suction." I wanted to say, "are you kidding me?" but I found some pools of blood and started sucking them up, just praying that I wouldn’t suck up something important (an unlikely, but highly unnerving possibility). When Alice started stitching the mother back up, I was given scissors and instructed to cut sutures when she finished. At one point I had the retractor in one hand and the suction hose in the next, sucking up blood and holding back the skin as Alice stitched away. Dr. Agullo left to do another surgery, so for a while it just the scrub nurse, Alice and I. Alice actually apologized at the end for not letting me suture and promised to let me do it next time. I just sort of stared at her and then insisted I would need lots of help. Apparently she was fine with that, so we'll see what happens next time.

     The whole experience was just so crazy, even before I started helping. From the first incision, especially when the blood started, the whole idea of surgery just seemed so absurd. Obviously it works now and there are some pretty amazing things that surgeons do, but at first all I could think was "whose idea was this?" Seriously, the first few times people did surgeries they probably ended really badly, so who had the perseverance to keep trying until it worked? Once I was actually assisting, things just got weirder. I wanted to ask people if they realized that I had never been to a surgery, let alone assisted before. When Dr. Agullo handed me the suction hose I kept thinking I was back in my room at Gordon with my roommate because I wanted to just turn to someone and say "can we just talk about this for a second?" It just all seemed so absurd. It was an absolute blast though, and I cannot wait to do it again sometime.