I think today was a pretty great start to an amazing winterim experience. I was definitely not prepared for the array of body parts I would be viewing; however, I quickly grew accustom to them. Today was an office day, meaning Dr. G (referring to the plastic surgeon) would be checking up on her patients and not performing surgery. I met tons of people who had received (or wanted to receive) everything from breast augmentations to tummy tucks to face lifts. It is hard writing this without describing some specific cases, but I feel as though the patients deserve some confidentiality. That being said, I learned the complications smoking can cause during surgery and the healing process. Smoking restricts the amount of blood that can reach the tissue in your body. While getting surgery done, it is necessary for the tissue to be able to heal nicely and if there is a restriction in the blood flow there is a higher risk of infection, inability to heal completely, and even death of the tissue completely (as I had witnessed on one patient). I have also picked up on a lot of the lingo used around the office. Dr. G really takes time to help me understand what has actually been done to each patient and what each incision is for. The nurses were really kind and always made sure I was comfortable. Before Dr. G would come in and speak with the patients, the nurses would ask if it was alright if I watched the visit. I was surprised at how many people were willing to let me in and just whip off their clothes. Fortunately, the majority of her patients were female and the men only came in for face lifts, so I had not seen anything particularly scaring. ^_^ Actually, I realized I was not as squimish as I had thought. One patient came in who had previously had some work done on her abdomen; however, during the healing process, she contracted a staff infection in the incision and Dr. G had to re-open part of it. I walked into the room and in front of me was a woman whose lower side of her abdomen was sliced open and completely exposed. All I could see was the raw, blood red, freshly cut meat on her stomach and what amazed me was that I was actually intrigued and not somewhere puking in a bag. I now think I am prepared for the operating room tomorrow. Having lunch in the office was a bit awkward because I hardly knew any of the nurses and when we did try to have a conversation it was full of long pauses while people chewed their food. Also, I kinda burnt my popcorn a little so the whole kitchen smelled of it. Glad to get back to the patients, I quickly finished my lunch and got back to shadowing. I also read a lot of magazines today. When a patient preferred to not have me in the room, I was met with a lovely stack of Us Weekly, People, and Lucky. Note to self: Bring reading material next office day and absolutely no heels (ouch). Overall, I had a great time in the office and cannot wait to see what it is like in the hospital operating room. I loved seeing the different types of body shapes and how accepting Dr. G was. Plastic surgery is always cast in a very superficial, vain, and overall negative light by the general public. It was nice to see how positive it actually is and how it truly made people feel better about themselves. Dr. G made it a priority to stress how this surgery should be for nobody else's benefit but the patient's and how having unrealistic expectations can be really unhealthy. I love working with her. She is very laid back and chill and the overall office style is very chic but not overly formal. I will try to post some OOTD as I come up with some professional outfits from my overtly causal/ hobo chic wardrobe. Also, I doubt I will be taking a lot of pictures around the office because of the nature of this profession. I can't wait for tomorrow!!
