mE, MySeLf & GOD

Wearing my green scrubs, I felt both excited and nervous. ‘This is it… the real thing — just like in Grey’s Anatomy!’, I thought to myself. I would be able to witness REAL operative procedures and REAL people REALLY being cut open! I would be able to see and touch real scalpels and surgical instruments — this is it… This is sooo cool! Plus I would be able to scrub in on both minor and major surgeries and I need those to be able to qualify for the board exam.

But then, I realized the OR is far more than "cool" surgeries. Like in Grey’s, there are real surgical instruments that I should quickly memorize… Plus real procedures that I should strictly follow — one simple mistake such as putting a finger on your face would result to a scrub out. Then there are real ‘Dr. Baileys’ (the Clinical Instructors and the surgeons) who would literally shout at you (and pinch you… peace tayo, Ma’am Ebora) when you couldn’t give the instrument in a blink of an eye…. seriously! And if the surgery lasts for, let’s say, 4 hours, one would have to stand handing instruments, threading sutures and holding retractors for 4 hours straight — no thouching your face or your nose especially when it’s itchy and definitely no peeing!

But one thing is for sure — the shouts and the gruelling hours of standing up are worth it… I observed a Cholecystectomy (removal of the gall bladder). I got to be a circulating nurse in a TAH (Total Abdominal Hysterectomy), where the uterus was removed. I saw a real uterus! I also assisted in an appendectomy where the young surgeon joked ‘Kabait mo namang magbigay ng instruments.’, which was really not good because in giving instruments one must sort of slap it a little bit on the surgeon’s hand so that he woukd know if he’s got it. Then I scrubbed in a myomectomy (uterine myoma removal) and the patient has Hepatitis B so we had to wear double gloves. But the coolest one was the CS (Caesarian Section) where I saw a real newborn baby and a real CS incission. Well, the doctor irritatedly told me: "Ineng bilis-bilisan mo naman!", as I was threading a suture. But when I got the hang of it, I was able to act a bit faster and hand the mayo scissors and tissue forceps and the OS in a quick and almost precise manner.

I still have a lot (and I mean a lot) to learn. But I loved the experience. Imagine, at 19 years of age, I got to see a uterus (and a cute surgeon as well)!