A Doctor's "Secret" Health Notes

July 30th I discharged the Herniorraphy/Hydrocelectomy patient today. He still walked funny, his scrotal sac still baggy from the over-stretch, off and on, of over twenty years. Like a pregnant woman's abdomen that shrinks to normal size after delivery, so will his big scrotum. The man grinned when I informed him so. I smiled back within me. The Hysterical patient admitted few days back and who "convulsed", has remained sedated ever since and calm when she arouses a bit. I began tailing off her medication today. We shall see how she fairs by tomorrow. July 3oth A patient, let's call her Mrs B, who I admitted about a week ago with a nagging lower abdominal pain, is quite better today. After 3 previous Casarean Sections and an Appendectomy, my working diagnosis as I admitted her was Post-operative Intra-abdominal Adhesions. Occassionally, long after extensive intra-abdominal surgery, the intra-abdominal organs may get loosely attached by cobweb-like fibrous strands or e...

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...