Let me introduce you to Ghandi Hospital. Named after one of the most influential leaders of all time, it is a government owned state of the art hospital where patients need not pay for treatment.
Dr. Srikant (one of Ammama's tenants) so graciously arranged for me to actually view a surgery. Of course, I was thrilled to get another opportunity to see doctors at their prime. We got all suited up for surgery, and entered the operating theatre.
The surgery that I got to witness is called an Exploratory Laprotomy. Basically, this is a surgery in which doctors cut an incision in the patients abdomen, and carefully examine the stomach, and intestines looking for a hole. This hole is caused by eating spicy foods, smoking, and a high alcohol intake. This hole secretes stomach acid and a variety of other fluids that ultimately result in inflammation of the abdomen. Unfortunately, there is no technology that can pinpoint the exact location of the hole so the doctors must search for the hole during the surgery. The doctors carefully searched every surface while cloterizing the blood vessels so that excessive bleeding did not occur. They finally found the hole on the patients stomach and sutchered it. The surgery took approximately one hour, and absolutely every second of it was captivating. I was amazed by the beauty of surgery. The precision, accuracy, and intricacy the team of doctors had while performing the surgery was stunning. I was so impressed by the efficiency and skill of the doctors. I was also impressed by the various factors that must be monitored during the surgery. There is anesthesia (the levels of nitrous oxygen given to the patient must be monitored at all times), the heart rate, blood pressure, and amount of oxygen in the lungs. I had the opportunity to watch the surgery from start to finish, and got to see the doctors wake the patient up from the anesthesia. They asked him his name and to do a variety of actions to see if he was alert. The whole thing was so interesting, and I am so happy that Ammama and Dr. Srikhant coordinated this for me. It is again, one of those experiences that makes me sure that I want to be a doctor. They are so skillful and careful about every aspect of the surgery, and I was so grateful to have been a part of this outstanding surgery that was so well done.
Talk about squeezing all this in a month. Just an awesome opportunity for you and how lucky that you got to check out work of so many incredibly talented physicians.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that the surgeons can provide such high tech services, pro bono to the millions of poor Indians. Hope you get to offer similar services to India once you graduate.
Love you and again proud of you,
Mom
Hi Chands,
ReplyDeleteWe are in awe of all your talents. From your dedication to pursuing medicine, to your compassion and ability to connect with people of all ages, to your infinite enthusiasm for so many diverse activities - whether it is surgeries or photo shoots, learning physics, singing or teaching salsa dancing.
How much your ammamma has managed to squeeze into these weeks is mind-boggling. But what stands out above all is your ability to embrace each experience completely. And you've done a great job recording it all through this blog. Kudos for taking the time to write about it all and write so well.
In our minds you are already a successful individual - someone who can form relationships with people across ages, cultures, languages. It's obvious that we're so proud of you and love you very much! We look forward to enjoying all your future achievements.
Love and all our best wishes!
Kavita and Nagesh