Cancer, Right Breast

I'm somewhat in-human it seems when mechanically, I go about on the job, some of the time. Or to put it more aptly, more detached from the normal feelings lay persons would feel at certain instances.

This of course comes with the terrain and in spite of sometimes having short spells of feeling besides myself, it's become second nature to me.

These were my fleeting thoughts as I dressed the extensively sutured wound, left behind on the chest-wall of the 54-year old, after her right breast and all of the relevant surrounding tissues had been surgically removed completely, nine days back. She would wince and cry-out softly whenever I dabbed with EUSOL gauze.

For many years she had suffered cancer of the right breast up until surgery. And a radical mastectomy indeed it was, that had been the procedure at theatre - leaving no room, hopefully, for any metastasised cancer cells to remain present. Now, she was able to move her right arm with less pain since after surgery, exercising her right shoulder through slow motions as I tended to her surgical wound, while she moaned in painful protestations occasionally punctuated by quick, thankful words from her mouth, for her salvaged situation.

I may have mumbled a few words back at her.

I was on full-throttle mechanical mode, with several cases still waiting to be attended to by me at the out-patients, downstairs. 

Comments

  1. Chuma OnyejizuApril 9, 2011 at 1:34 PM

    Enjoyed what I've read so far. Hope u have more inspirations to write. Particularly like the Training day article on Samuel. Reminds me of some experiences in med school- people who became friends but eventually died.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Surgeon GeneralApril 13, 2011 at 3:16 AM

    Glad to share my thought, here. I'll upload more personal anecdotes, soon, in "Training Day".

    ReplyDelete
  3. ninnieAugust 12, 2011 at 12:27 PM

    HI,I AM A DOCTOR IN NIGERIA,FEMALE,MARRIED,,MEDICAL OFFICER,GRADUATED 5YEARS AGO AND SUDDENLY I REALISE I DONT THINK I MAY WANT TO GO TRU RESIDENCY,I FEEL LIKE I HAVE A HIT A DRY SPELL,YOUR PPOST HOWEVER ARE ENCOURAGING,PLS ADD ME TO YOUR BB IF YU HAVE ONE 30C42258,weeanne.francis@yahoo.com.pls dont post my comment publicly ththanks

    ReplyDelete

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