Last week was packed with so many stories and adventures. Sadly, I can´t remember most of them and I was too busy to jot something down last week. There were a few highlights that I will write about.
The biggest highlight I´d have to say was when I scrubbed in on an orthopaedic surgery with Dr. Murata. Lisa, one of our volunteers met Dr. Murata last week and she mentioned that I was a medical student and would love to see an operation. He was very open to the idea of me watching the operation and said I could come any time. In fact, he had a surgery the next day operating on a guy´s leg from a motorbike accident.
So the next day Brinja and I went to the Ana Stahl hospital, an Adventist hospital that has probably the best reputation in northern Peru for it´s facility and care. I was expecting a really nice hospital since it was the best one, but when we arrived I was a little disappointed. The hospital was beaten down and very old looking. We entered the hospital and looked for Dr. Murata. He found us and luckily he was able to speak English. He was in the States for about 5 years and was very happy to be practicing his english with us. He told us that he would be cutting the guy´s leg up and placing a metal stabilizer, basically an internal fixation of the guy´s leg that was fractured. He told us to scrub in. I was really excited putting on some scrubs, a face mask, and getting all geared up. We went into the surgery room, and the guy who was about 50 years old was completely naked.
But then Dr. Murata, told me to lift the guy´s leg so he could take off the bandages. I was quite surprised, wondering why I would be doing this. So then I lifted leg, and then Dr. Murata told me to kind of pull it and make it straight. As i was pulling on his leg, I felt a few bones of his crush and pop. Then, Dr. Murata told me to go with him to wash my hands. He showed me the correct way of washing my hands. Then the nurses put on some overshirt and put gloves on my hands. This was when I knew I wouldn´t just be watching the surgery. The operation was fascinating, with blades and drills being used. It was also pretty nerve’rackking because I didn´t know what I was diong but Dr. Murata would tell me to gauze up his wounds, hold his leg straight while he was drilling holes in his bone, grab this and use the suction for that..by the end of the surgery I was sweating up a storm. It was successful and we put a big metal thing that stabilized his knee and the fracture. I was wondering hwo he would ge tthrough airport security with that huge chunk of metal in his leg. Anyways, I was really happy to see the whole surgery and actually perform a few tasks here and there. It was amazing and only increases my aspirations to be a doctor, and perhaps a surgeon in the future. At the end of the surgery, Dr. Murata took out his cell phone and took pictures of us three in the operation room. (Unfortunately, we didn´t bring our camera because we thought it would be unprofessional). After we cleaned ourselves up a bit and put back on our clothes, Dr. Murata bought us some pop and ice cream and asked us to come anytime, which I think Brinja and I will be doing again very soon because it was quite the experience.
