Day 23 - 25/1/10

Lidocaine... check.
Surgical gloves... check.
Second pair of surgical gloves since the first pair was too old and ripped in half... check.
Suture kit sterilized one year ago... check.
Scalpel... check!

It was a cooler day in Belize as we trekked out to San Jose (remember the hour long rocky, bumpy, safari-like van ride?). This time we weren't spending all day doing school physicals and instead we ran the clinic. Despite the fact that we hadn't been there in two months, it was quite slow. A 21-year old man named Criscencio strolled in around 1100 though and made my day. The only thing he complained of was a bump on his back that he had for a year and he just didn't like it. After very careful examination :) the diagnosis was a cyst and after explaining what the procedure was, he agreed to have it removed. So in a back area that was only closed off by two drapes that left a perfect viewing crack, I had him lie prone and I started. With Pete (the actual doctor) standing behind me, I administed a local, "sterile draped" him with iodine and gauze, and made the first cut. There were a few complications such as the suture breaking multiple places while trying to throw sutures, the sterile field not exactly staying sterile, and not the most ideal of surgical environments but he's still alive and in just a few weeks, he will be equipped with a sweet scar! I did tell him that if he has any problems or complications, he is going to have to come to Chicago so I can check it out!! :)

I almost forgot how much I love surgery...