Update from Soddo Trauma and Obstetrics Center

So, it's been a few days since I updated the blog.  We've been busy, though it hasn't been a break-neck pace.  We've essentially had one emergency every night - no more, no less.  The weekend has been nice for catching up on rest (except I'm still staying up 'til 2am to email and IM people at home) and spending some time out of the hospital. 

    From a surgical standpoint, things are still going well... I'm still being stretched operatively and in managing disease processes which are usually part of other specialties at home.  It is sheer irony that the textbooks I keep referring to are "Campbell's orthopedics" and "Campbell's Urology."  There is also a book called "Short practice of Surgery" - it's 1523 pages long and dwarf's a New York phone book.  I'd hate to see the long version.  On Friday, I did a pediatric hernia, a bilateral hydrocelectomy, a urethral dilation, changed out a suprapubic catheter, and John and I reduced a compound humeral fracture.  It was nice that they have fluoroscopy (live x-ray) here, because our first attempt was way off.  John excised a sarcoma-looking mass off a kid's back and some other gyn procedures (I'm thinking he drew the short straw on that one).  We had a trauma patient that evening that needed to go the OR to wash out some deep wounds, but she really didn't need surgery.  She should be okay.

   Yesterday, we were able to make rounds pretty efficiently and discharged a bunch of patients.  The babies from the first two c-sections were doing well too.  Their fevers had broken and they were eating better, although one of them had butter caked on its head (? tribal thing ?).  We wish the butter had been there before - maybe the c-section wouldn't have been necessary.  After rounds, we headed back to the houses to change and go out for a day on the town.  I'll put that in a separate post, lest I be acused of being a bit verbose.... Hey, no comments from the peanut gallery!

    John came back from town earlier than I did and was rewarded with a few consults.  One of them involved placing a chest tube for a hemothorax which had resulted from trauma three months ago.  They guy can breathe now, but I'm sure we'll be doing a decortication on him come Monday.  This morning, we slept in.  We had well-laid plans to hit the wards and make speed-rounds, but were met half-way to the ward by Addis, the OB nurse (nice lady, great nurse, but NEVER the first person I want to see in the morning).  She had a lady who needed a c-section - she'd been laboring for almost 40 hours before she even got here.  I ran to the OR to notify anesthesia and the nursing staff.  They were already there and ready to go.  Apparently, we are the last ones who need to know... this may be true.

     All went well.  We got this one done much faster and with much less bleeding than the first two.  Either we are getting better at this, or this kid was just smaller and more aerodynamic (the last one head a head like Sputnik).  Again, we were thanking God for a living baby, a healthy mommy, and that the generator didn't poop out until we had the uterus closed (a very unforgiving organ in the dark).  We finished rounds, and now it's time for brunch!