Snapshots
Women here swim in the sea, but only on private beaches that are away from men. They swim in t-shirts and pants. Even if there're only women there: t-shirts and pants.-----
It's my first D&C (see other post) and I'm standing behind the doctor, angling the lamp so that it shines through the speculum and illuminates the cervix. The doctor is below me, hunched over, curette scraping the inside of her uterus. The scene is very solemn; this is serious work. The nurse is frowning. The patient is biting her forearm to keep from crying out.
Suddenly: Deet-do diddle-da didi didi deet-da deet deet diddle-da!
Circus music. Under his surgical gown, the doctors cell phone is ringing. The caller is persistent and we sit through seven missed calls of Barnum & Bailey.
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Internet banner ads in the States say things like, "You've won a free iPod! Click here to claim your PRIZE!" Here, they say, "LIVE and WORK in the USA! Congratulations, you've got one FREE YEAR! Click here for your USA Green Card!"
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We're in the operating theatre for my second c-section. This one was not scheduled. The patient came in this morning complaining, as far as I can tell, of high blood pressure. She returned in the afternoon dripping blood from her vagina. She's 32 weeks pregnant. We have to operate immediately.
Nurses bustle about, making final preparations. The surgeon and her assistant and ready, waiting. I've been tasked to help the anesthesiologist and we're having trouble. The bag of blood is clotting.
From behind one of the steel tables -- skeletal, industrial, as you'd expect in an OR -- a nurse pulls out a three-foot-long, neon green, plastic flyswatter. WHACK! She kills one on the end of the operating table. WHACK! Another, against the far wall.
I suppose it's very pragmatic, but the very thought of it -- the idea of this kind of thing happening in an OR in the States... I can't help but laugh. Someone from OSHA would be apoplectic.
posted by daviduri @ 9:29 AM
1 Comments:
If only I had found one of those banners to click on prior to applying for my "fiancee visa"...
Glad to read that you're enjoying the experience you've been getting. I bet these few weeks are going to feel more productive than an entire year (or years!) in school.
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