When we got the hospital I was fairly worried as I hadn't ever watched a surgery before, and the outcome of it was going to be very influential on whether I would continue to pursue the medical field. Basically, this short trip was going to determine if coming on this medical study abroad was even worth it or not, as I would throw the entire medical route out the window if I hated it or became sick to the stomach just watching...
I didn't hate it. I didn't pass out, puke, or have to look away. I actually loved it.
We put our scrubs on and headed to the operating rooms. I was assigned to a group of 4 so I was prepared for a group experience, but whenever we got to the first operating room they said they only needed one to go in. The doctor pointed at me to go in, and I kind of panicked because I wouldn't have any support from my friends for something I was completely new to, but after a quick hesitant second I scooted on into the room. There they were preparing a patient for the room, putting him under, making sure he could breathe, positioning him correctly, etc. The anesthesiologist informed me that the patient was in a motorcycle accident a few weeks prior and already had a surgery on his arm and was now going to get a second surgery to repair tendons and ligaments in his lower hamstring. They then wheeled him in and after a few final preparations, they began the cutting. I thought I would be weak in the knees at this, but I actually began leaning this way and that to get a better view on it...It was just so interesting, seeing everything so close and like...I was looking at the inside of this dude's leg, it was all crazy to me. Anyways, the surgery came and went, nothing too eventful, and then the patient was rolled out and the next was rolled into the preparation room. This woman had shattered her pelvic bone on the right side. She had to have 2 separate surgeries to repair the damage, the first being a while back where they repaired the front and side of the pelvic girdle with plates and screws, and now this time she had to get the rear side of the bone plated. They literally cut under her entire butt and lifted it up to have access to the desired part of the bone. This particular surgery worried me a bit as the patient lost significantly more blood than the last, but the anesthesiologist assured me everything was fine and they only had to apply one bag of additional blood through an IV into the patient. It took around 3 to 4 hours but they ended up closing her up with just a small 3-4 inch incision mark left to prove the surgery happened at all. Overall, I was impressed with the staff and their professionalism and efficiency in the surgeries. They genuinely helped assure me that this is the route I want to pursue for a professional career.
2 days later we went to Cologne, Germany again, and this time I attended the cathedral tour. I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to heights...this didn't help whatsoever. 40 meters up and I could feel my butt tightening up while peering over a set of thin bars separating myself from a horrific fall. I mean I'm typing this so nothing happened, of course. But, it didn't change the fact that I swore the building was going to collapse and we would all go down with it in some movie-like fashion.
Once we got to the top the view was immaculate. The vastness of the city was calming and I got such an appreciation for where I was and what I was being able to experience. I'm very grateful that I've been able to attend this adventure for a whole 40 days and I intend on appreciating the very few weeks I have left before heading back home to Texas.
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