Wow! Today was even better than yesterday, and I thought yesterday couldn't get any better! This morning I got the opportunity to shadow Dr DeNunzio, a consultant radiologist. I was able to observe him performing two balloon angioplasties in the leg. This is a treatment, guided by ultrasound and x-ray, to widen arteries that have become blocked. In order to find the blockage in the artery, a guide wire and catheter are inserted from the groin and dye that can be picked up by the x-rays is flushed through the arteries. It was a brilliant experience to be able to observe this so closely.
Later on in the day, I got the chance to go into one of the hospitals many theatres and observe some truly amazing and life saving surgery. After getting all scrubbed up, I entered theatre 2, where Mr Laugharne and his team had been operating on a woman with a tumour on her tongue. When I arrived, the surgeons had already performed a Tracheotomy to allow the woman to breath without her nose or mouth and they had made an incision from under her ear to under her chin and had began to remove her lymph nodes, where the cancer had spread. I was able to observe the removal of the lymph nodes and then the removal of the half of her tongue with the tumour on. After this another surgeon began to remove a section of the woman's arm, which would later be transplanted back into her mouth, to replace the part of her tongue which had been removed. Unfortunately, I had to leave before they had transplanted the flap onto her tongue, but nevertheless it was an absolutely unforgettable afternoon.
Thanks to all the doctors who made today possible and explained everything to me. I will never forget today! Tomorrow, I am observing a Trauma and Orthopaedic operation. I'll keep you posted!
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