A Doctor's "Secret" Health Notes

July 22nd Dr Nsisi performed a Herniorrhaphy this night and I assisted. A Herniorrhaphy is the surgery done to repair a Hernia, of which the commonest is the Inguino-scrotal Hernia. This is the type that we performed. The man has been living with it for over twenty years, it being at the Reducible stage. In other words it would collapse back spontaneously, off and on, or the patient would push it back himself. So we say then that it is a Reducible Hernia. I talk about a Hernia collapsing back. This is possible when you understand that a Hernia is an abnormal protrusion of organs (usually a part of the intestine) outwards, through a weak point on the wall surrounding the cavity within which the organ is found. The abdominal cavity and the abdominal wall, in this case. I'll give a clear and common example. Children with big navels. It is a part of the intestine that pushes out through a "hole" found just above the navel area. So we call it a Para-umbilical Hernia. Umbilicus...

April 9th Appendectomy performed successfully on my young patient, this p.m. No other noteworthy occurrence today. Booked-down a Caesarean Section - I shall be assisting Dr Nsisi tomorrow on this one. O.k, a confession. I was solicited for an unwarranted sick-leave paper by this pretty female patient of mine; a Banker. Not the least bit ill, she only needed the time-off to travel out of the country for a brief, personal business dealing. I obliged! April 8th A surgical incision through 7 layers of anterior abdominal wall, is what I shall be making on this young female patient tomorrow at Theatre,who suffers Acute Appendicitis. This would bring me into her abdominal cavity, where upon I shall begin the manoeuvre of removing her infected, troubling Appendix.