This is M*A*S*H, yesterday I was the nurse; today I am hawkeye! After a mere 2 days in the OR; I have done one thoracic drainage, incised a huge an abces, and operated on a inguinal hernia (with some help ...). Katie has seen her part of the action; and she will definitely tell you all about it in her next installment of this blog.
So in other words; we had a delicious but hurried breakfast on tuesday and cycled as fast as we could to the hospital. There we found our great friend Dr. Rittey; he brought us to the meeting room where the daily staff meeting is held. After this short ceremony we were dispatched to our own department. Traumatology for me and gynaecology/surgery for Katie. The day started with a ward round. The only difference is that the patients are cared for by their own relatives concerning food and hygiene. Medication and vital parameters are taken care of by the nursing staff. Some patients have beds, other just lie in the corridor. Broken ribs, arms, legs, collar bones, myositis, psoatic abcedations... just about everything you could imagine... After the round we head for the OR. Equipment is very basic but just about does the job. Sterility is a relative thing in Cambodia (like Prof. Pattyn warned us...). Rudimentary medicine, but medicine none the less...
After the first day our opions were divided on the subject. I had a great day, but Katie was convinced that she would always be three steps behind me (since she missed the pleural puncture ... which I did instead of her). She didn't feel like going to the hospital today at all... But a few hours later I saw her operating like a professional! Meanwhile I am hanging around the OR room N°2 when the surgeon enters and just askes me: do you want to do it? I of course said yes (not having the slightest clue what it was that I was supposed to be acquiescing to do...). A couple of minutes later I have the scalpel in my hand and I am incising the upper leg of a young man... nothing happens... "deeper!"... so deeper I go; when a huge flow of green and red lava (pus in medical speak) comes pouring out of the wound. And it keeps on coming; wave after wave while I push it out with a streaking movement of my other hand. The surgeons cuts up a surgical glove and sticks it in the wound that I have labouriously cleaned. "Drain!" he exclaimes; and I close the wound around it... It's quite hard to get used to the cambodian french names for the instrumentarium; "pince" is "pin'" and "pince courbée" is "pin' cou'" and so on...
But the day isn't over yet; Dr Kehn enters the OR and askes me to help with the hernia operation. Ofcrouse I agree, same scenario; I am using the electrocauter cutting through the layers... he does the tricky stuff and I close again. Done.
The anesthetist asks me if I want a beer after work and I say "baat" (yes in K'hmer). But while I am changing my OR scrubs for plain clothes dr Rada comes barging in " urgence, luxation!". So the beer has to wait for the shoulder to be put back in place. Looks easy enough; the next one is surely mine!
So it's after 18h but I'm done; dr Pow fetches me and guides me to a room full of equipment (OR tables, a dentists chair, tools, lamps...) where a table is set up. Three doctors, 2 male nurses (amongst other mr. Diamond) and a couple of new faces await me. Katie is there too with a beer in her hand. Jool mooy! cheers! And off drinking we go... light beer with lots of ice and tons of laughter! What a happy time!
After an hour of so dr Penh suggest to go have dinner in a restaurant he knows and promises to pick us up at the hotel in half an hour. So on to the bike; up to the room; back down to the lobby; on to two mopeds and off we whizz through the hot night air on the back of two scooters driven by doctors! Just 200m furthers we get off; no white face to be seen; just locals! Dr Penh's lovely wife is there and mr Diamond ( accually mr Pik ). Some more beer and the most delicious K'hmer food ever tasted. And ofcourse laughter, laughter and laughter. They seem to be thrilled with our visit (refering to us as "mademoiselle Katie and docteur laurent") . We are already invited to have dinner at Dr. Penh's house and to attend a wedding on saterday! What a busy schedule!
Well, off to bed, and up at 6.30 for breakfast!
PS: I hope to get some pictures of all these lovely people soon !!
L.
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