Week 7: Chone week 2

This week was a lot less structured than last. We have become mini celebrities in the hospital, and have gotten to know some of the doctors so we had the freedom to go wherever we wanted. We spent some time in pediatrics with Dra. Diaz and in her external consults, but most of the week was spent in Surgery and the ER.

On Tuesday Maddie and I watched a surgery to fix a broken tibia and fibula. The surgeon inserted two metal plates with pins into each bone. You know that unspoken rule at dinner: "what you touch is what you take"? Yeah, I would assume that would apply to the medical pins during surgery. Or at least, if you touch one then decide not to use it, you don't put it back! I am telling myself they re sterilize all the pins after the surgery but I have a bad feeling that's high hoping. Here are some pretty pictures.

Remember that foot from the motorcycle accident last week? Well the patient ended up needing the big toe amputated and it was very obvious why after the surgeon removed the medical nail. The toe was literally holding on by a piece of skin. This surgery was one of the craziest for me to watch. Not because it was gross, but because the fact that one minute this guy had all his digits and the next he is forever missing a toe. Just a really weird thought.

And this is me totally keeping my cool during the amputation.

There was also two laparoscopic  gall bladder removals, a hernia operation, a busted kneecap and a skin grafting on another foot wound.

Surgeries usually ended by 1 or 2 every day, so in the afternoons we wound hang out in Emergency. There is a lot of down time in Emergency so we had the opportunity to get to know the ER team. They really got a kick out of trying to speak English to us. We had some impromptu language classes which were pretty hilarious. Most of them know some of the common phrases and simple words so they like to shout at us everything they know and nod their head like "yeah? yeah? I'm speaking English, right?!". At one point one of the nurses kept telling me "guur affshoe" and it took me several minutes to realize he was saying "good afternoon".  Scary because, that's probably what we sound like to them! 

One afternoon in the ER it was really slow and we were about to leave early for the day when an ambulance pulled up and two stretchers were rushed in. The moment they pushed though the doors, the whole atmosphere in the room changed. Everyone went from joking and hanging out to serious. It was a big adrenaline rush. The accident was two high schoolers who were in a motorcycle accident on their way home from school. The girl was 14 and the boy was 16, both still wearing their school uniforms. The boy only had some road burns and cuts on his legs and arms but the girl was pretty messed up. The whole right side of her face was missing skin, her knees had huge gashes in them, and her right arm had bad road burn. I was fascinated by the methodical and focused way the doctors handle the situation, even while the girl was wailing and resisting treatment. 

I still am really enjoying Chone. Because it was the second week, we are starting to get recognized around the hospital so it felt a lot more welcoming and more like we belong there. Even if we still get stares and pointing wherever we go!