Over the knife...
Alright, it seems I am once again long overdue for an update. It's the story of my life... my time moves just a bit slower than the world around me. Good old smalltown living taught me that. Medical living, however, has a different rhythm and will not slow down for anything. Surgery in particular is a blur. Everyone has their specific job and they all work like a Nascar pit crew. Since the last time you heard from me I have moved back to Jerusalem and started work in the operating room. Here's my review...
Many of you know what it is like to go under the knife for an important surgery or procedure, but it's that period of time when you were blacked out on the table that few people know much about. In fact, most of you probably recall only a cold room with bright lights just before the anesthesiologist counted to three. Believe it or not, several hours passed in that room full of sharp objects and I'll bet you have the scars to prove it. For the past three weeks I have been watching over those patients unfortunate enough to need an extra hole in them. Today I want to tell you about my experiences over the knife.
It's fascinating to me in this day of lasers and beams of all kinds, that we still rely on a sharp piece of metal to cure disease. It gives me great satisfaction that the world's most educated men and women use a tool we all know how to use. Obviously the catch is knowing where to cut and when, but there is little more to know since the goal is only to find what you are looking for and cut it out. In the operating room last week the surgeon spent a good 30 minutes just rooting around in some guy's abdomen with his hands looking for a tumor. Along the way he would point out the various vital structures and tell me to hold them off to the side. You don't need to know much to hold a man's liver up... just a strong set of arms since you are likely to be that way for several hours.
Surgery takes much patience and, in my opinion, the mind of a mechanic more than an academic. One of the docs in the OR actually reminds me of my dad in his hangar fixing planes... He takes his time, says very little unless speaking to himself, and is meticulous about the end product. Even the room itself brings back pieces of my childhood memories in the air shop. For starters, there is a central table that can hoist the patient up, down, left, right, or even upside down and hold him there. All kinds of colored fluids eventually cover the floor in the same mosaic pattern that an uncovered engine leaves behind. Tools, and even a few power tools, lie everywhere in the room. Sharp ones, blunt ones, and some that I still can't imagine what they could be used for. Finally, the music...
One of the most profound things in life is the way music can enhance even the most forgettable of memories. In surgery, music... any kind of music really... steadies the tempo of a hectic operating room. It places everyone in time with each other, even the patient's heart monitor seems to match the beat. Everything outside of the room disappears. What kind of music can do this you say? Well depending on the type operation, we've gone with everything from Bach to Abba, and Norah Jones to Britney Spears. (I've got to tell you, there's nothing more entertaining than seeing two very serious ex-Soviet surgeons rocking out to Britney's "Oops, I did it again." Oh the irony.)
My time in surgery has passed by all too quickly, but I won't be sad to move on to something else. The chance to see something entirely different was a much needed break. However, getting caught up in the ultra-competitive, long-hours lifestyle can be tempting... But I want something that will take me to the ends of the Earth, not the grand medical centers of the western world. Life as a surgeon would only pin me down, and I've got to follow my dream. It is hard to pass up the opportunity for all the power, prestige, and money, but if there is anything I have learned from cutting people open...
it's what is on the inside that matters.
Many of you know what it is like to go under the knife for an important surgery or procedure, but it's that period of time when you were blacked out on the table that few people know much about. In fact, most of you probably recall only a cold room with bright lights just before the anesthesiologist counted to three. Believe it or not, several hours passed in that room full of sharp objects and I'll bet you have the scars to prove it. For the past three weeks I have been watching over those patients unfortunate enough to need an extra hole in them. Today I want to tell you about my experiences over the knife.
It's fascinating to me in this day of lasers and beams of all kinds, that we still rely on a sharp piece of metal to cure disease. It gives me great satisfaction that the world's most educated men and women use a tool we all know how to use. Obviously the catch is knowing where to cut and when, but there is little more to know since the goal is only to find what you are looking for and cut it out. In the operating room last week the surgeon spent a good 30 minutes just rooting around in some guy's abdomen with his hands looking for a tumor. Along the way he would point out the various vital structures and tell me to hold them off to the side. You don't need to know much to hold a man's liver up... just a strong set of arms since you are likely to be that way for several hours.Surgery takes much patience and, in my opinion, the mind of a mechanic more than an academic. One of the docs in the OR actually reminds me of my dad in his hangar fixing planes... He takes his time, says very little unless speaking to himself, and is meticulous about the end product. Even the room itself brings back pieces of my childhood memories in the air shop. For starters, there is a central table that can hoist the patient up, down, left, right, or even upside down and hold him there. All kinds of colored fluids eventually cover the floor in the same mosaic pattern that an uncovered engine leaves behind. Tools, and even a few power tools, lie everywhere in the room. Sharp ones, blunt ones, and some that I still can't imagine what they could be used for. Finally, the music...
One of the most profound things in life is the way music can enhance even the most forgettable of memories. In surgery, music... any kind of music really... steadies the tempo of a hectic operating room. It places everyone in time with each other, even the patient's heart monitor seems to match the beat. Everything outside of the room disappears. What kind of music can do this you say? Well depending on the type operation, we've gone with everything from Bach to Abba, and Norah Jones to Britney Spears. (I've got to tell you, there's nothing more entertaining than seeing two very serious ex-Soviet surgeons rocking out to Britney's "Oops, I did it again." Oh the irony.)
My time in surgery has passed by all too quickly, but I won't be sad to move on to something else. The chance to see something entirely different was a much needed break. However, getting caught up in the ultra-competitive, long-hours lifestyle can be tempting... But I want something that will take me to the ends of the Earth, not the grand medical centers of the western world. Life as a surgeon would only pin me down, and I've got to follow my dream. It is hard to pass up the opportunity for all the power, prestige, and money, but if there is anything I have learned from cutting people open...
it's what is on the inside that matters.
posted by Medpilot at 4:47 PM
2 Comments:
Tanner,
I just wanted to congratulate you on the successful completion (and passing) of the Pediatric section of your exam. Over the knife was great. I had never thought about the person over the knife when I’ve had surgeries. You bring insight into what going on when we are asleep under the knife and lights. Tanner, you are in our prayers daily, and what’s on the inside of you, seems to be a heart that reflects HIM.
Tanner,
Keep up the good work! Enjoy your blogs-takes me back a few decades. I would guess the surgeons haven't changed that much. "Never let the skin stand between you and the diagnosis" "to cut is to cure" "What is in the bucket can't hurt you"
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