Surgery 101

We arrived back in Nanyuki Monday evening to our home away from home, The Simba Lodge. This week we looked forward to a whole new adventure with FIMAfrica since we are no longer travelling for mobile clinics but experiencing medicine in the local community.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to observe a general surgeon in a government hospital in Nanyuki. The day started off by us dressing the part in oversized scrubs. We were so excited to finally observe our first surgery. Unfortunately when we arrived we found out that the general anaesthesia machine broke the day before so most of the 14 surgeries planned for the day were cancelled. We did, however, see some amazing sights.

To set the scene: the surgery facilities were not up to Western standards. The surgical room we were in most of the day was a very small clinic room with zero ventilation. It didn't help that there was at least 8 of us in this tiny room at any given time. The room was not sealed and cell phones were in use at all times. Gloves were worn, but hand washing was non-existant. To top it off, there were no towels in sight and also no toilet paper in the bathroom. This led to quite the predicament...

First on deck: a young male with a severe neck injury caused by a machete fight. The interior of his neck was fully exposed, and his trachea was cut so that air was escaping from the wound and he could not speak. As a first surgery experience, this was an overwhelming spectacle for all of us. Sarah started off the drama with turning white as a ghost and viewing the surgery behind a room divider. She couldn't stand up for more than a few seconds without feeling faint. Michelle and Aliyah seemed fine through most of the surgery until Michelle broke out in a cold sweat, ran out of the room, and practically fainted in the change room. Aliyah went to check on Michelle, and at the sight of her in such rough shape, felt a little uneasy herself. We felt like the biggest wusses and the nurses were having quite the laugh afterwards. From what we did catch of the surgery, we were uterrly impressed. By the end of it he had the patient talking and even making jokes.

We viewed two more surgeries which weren't quite as graphic. The first was a fibular biopsy on a 15 year old girl with suspected bone cancer. The second was a 4 year old girl with a dermal cyst very close to her left eye. We remained standing for these two events, but by the third one Michelle threw in the towel.

Overall it was an amazing experience that we wish our stomachs could have handled better! We have a greater appreciation for what surgeons do on a daily basis but are happy to stick with our profession of choice.

Up next: climbing Mount Kenya starting tomorrow morning! Stay tuned.