Monday, monday - and tuesday

Monday morning.... after an exciting long weekend work just did not seem extremely appealing, but there was one surgery to look forward to, one that I could hopefully assist with and do some cutting and closing, some real surgeon's work.... and there is also a need for all kinds of tubes before starting surgery.... The meeting in the morning was very boring, there are just some people in this world, who like to hear themselfes talk.... Very, very annoying! Once I was headed to the theater with 6 surgeries coming up Monday didn't seem to be all that bad anymore... I got to practice intubating patients again and was excited every single time I managed to do it and especially, becuase it has become a lot easier over the past weeks - it's all a matter of practice! Unfortunately the surgery that I had been looking forward to for almost a week (before I had let other students assist, who did only spend a few weeks here knowing that I would stay longer and hopefully get my turn....) didn't turn out to be quite as exciting for me as I was hoping. The shunt equipment hadn't been set up properly, which aggrivated the surgeon a little and teaching was then not the main priority anymore.... I was quite upset afterwards, because I had been hoping for a similar experience to what the other students had had in the past.... Oh well. The last surgery of the day (for me at least) was a very interesting surgery, the anatomy was that I got to see was amazing, and it just once again proved to me why I am loving this so much... I could have watched them forever find their way between nerves, vessels, important brain structures.... The skull base is just so very fascinating! But shortly after 12 I decided to leave and not stay for the last surgery. I knew I was going to be tired the next day if I stayed too long and I was still a little bit uphappy about the shunt surgery and the fact that I don't actually get to do quite as much as some other students in the past....
On the ward we don't have very many patients and there isn't much work I can help with (and appearently they don't really expect students to be there quite as much as I am...), so I sometimes get a feeling of being kind of useless up there and then going to theater is sometimes a little bit frustrating as well, because even though most of the surgeries are very fascinating and interesting and the teaching is usually really good, I sometimes wish I could get to do a little more.... but that's just what students have to deal with (unless you are in switzerland, you are usually only no 3 at the table with nothing much to do....

Today I went to clinic again and we saw patients pre- and postoperatively. Some are really impressive... and it is great to once in a while see a few patients, who are actually talking to you and are not asleep most of the time.... So today I felt a lot better than yesterday and not quite as frustrated.... Tomorrow will probably be another long day in theater again, but I love the team Charlie is working with, so it will be as lot of fun as well!