I am already in my finally week of my first rotation. Life is a whirlwind, and I am enjoying every moment. My first weekend was quite memorable, as the attending and I stayed busy covering for three other surgeons. On Saturday I was in on a good case, where a gentlemen came into the E.R. with acute abdominal pain. After a thorough work up and reviewing of films it was decided that the patient needed to be taken to the O.R. for an exploratory surgery to rule out necrotic (dead) bowel secondary to ischemia (lack of blood supply), and/or small bowel obstruction. We found that the patient had an internal hernia, which in this case meant his bowel had slipped through a hole in his omentum (fat apron over bowels), causing the bowel to be strangulated and on its way to dying. We were able to free up the bowel, and it was early enough that the bowel regained its blood supply and recovered. This was one of those cases that causes you to go home feeling that you have made a good decision about being in medicine. It is a great feeling to know that the procedure performed saved a life. The patient returned home 6 days later, with a fully functioning bowel, and a 8 inch scar down his belly.

Other than medicine....
I had this past weekend off, so I got up early on Saturday and washed all the windows to my house, then cleaned my garage out, before attending a pig roast that afternoon. I got selected to be the carver of the full size pig that was roasted on a spicket. I figured it was a good opportunity to pick up a useful "life-skill" of carving the meat for the feast. That evening I went to the Detroit Tigers game and watched the Minnesota Twins beat us. I have hardly been to a pro-baseball game since high school, so it was fun to be back in a park. However, I was surprised at how boring a game is when you don't know any of the players. Back in high school there was hardly a player I didn't know, now I don't know anyone on the field. It was quick reminder that 10 years have gone by.