We open this edition of SurgeXperiences with an explanation and an apology: Apparently the software behind Blogcarnival.Com – the company that gathers submissions and forwards them to the carnival host – had a hiccup and vaporized all of the SurgeXperiences submissions.
So most of the posts that appear in this edition were selected from the blogs that appear on Jeffery Leow’s blogroll. If you sent in a submission and it does not appear here, I apologize. And if you did not submit, or submitted something else, again I apologize.
Our first post is CHD is my life, an account of life with a Congenital Heart Defect written by Lauren, a 22-year-old Survivor who blogs at Lauren’s Heart. Every day she sees her scars – and is reminded that without those scars, her voice would be silent.
Over at Joey M.D., Joey’s mom was unfortunately cartwheeled by a motorcycle and needed hip replacement surgery. She’s fine, thankfully, but it got Joey to thinking about the different types of hip replacement surgery available.
Mike over at Adventures in Anesthesia (get Funky with it, Mike! Put an exclamation point on the end of that title!) reflects about his job on the night shift at a Level One Trauma Center. Some nights are busy while others aren’t. There’s no rhyme, reason, or pattern; that’s just the way it is. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
ERP, who usually blogs at ER Stories but is working a shift in Whitecoat’s Call Room, is working on the first Ice Day of the year. Foot meets ice; arm meets pavement, patient meets ERP. It’s a logical progression, just like day follows night and indigestion follows a spicy meal.
Gizabeth of Methodical Madness attempts to reassure a patient, but it backfires. As my father is fond of saying, “Minor surgery is any surgery that happens to someone else.”
Grab your Phaser, blaster, ray gun, or whatever you happen to have lying around, the Israelis are going to show us how to close an incision with a laser. Dr. Rob of Plastic Surgery 101 is still scratching his head about it.
Josh is back! His blog The Alley finds him in Afghanistan, healing both injured military and local citizens. A wounded Airman needs blood and he needs it quickly, and within minutes the donors are lining up. No one stands as tall as the one who kneels to help.
“It’s bad, Doc,” the Paramedic tells StorytellERdoc. He was wrong; it’s not bad, it’s horrible, and the only thing StorytellERdoc can really do is to hold the phone for the most important call of a burn victim’s life.
Orac of Respectful Insolence takes a look at the new USPSTF guidelines concerning Breast Cancer and Mammography and makes a point that has nothing to do with healthcare reform or politics: They don’t work for African-American Women.
Button, button, who’s got the button? Oystein of The Sterile Eye has the button, and he uses it as a “Child Distraction Device” to get the perfect photograph. I wonder how you code that for billing.
Ramona Bates of Suture for a Living submits a case report of cystosarcoma phyllodes that includes an eye-opening photograph. You almost have to ask: Farmer Jones, didn’t you notice something about your wife that wasn’t quite…. normal?!?
One pissed off dude. One loaded shotgun. Bongi of Other Things Amanzi is there to pick up the pieces.
Dr. Alice, who blogs over at Cut on the Dotted Line, receives some “friendly” advice while she’s in the middle of a laparoscopic case. A lot of advice! Thankfully her back seat drivers didn’t distract her too badly!
Don’t you just hate school reunions? At least you can quietly smirk when you realize the sports hero now has quite a bit of a waistline. Dr. Cris of Scalpel’s Edge attended her medical school 10 year reunion and realized that achieving your goals could mean a lot of compromise.
KC of Mothers in Medicine gives us a moment by moment look at an (average?) day in the life of a Neurosurgeon… and at the end of the day, wonders if this is the life for her. She sounds like an excellent doctor. Hang in there, KC; the world needs more like you.
And finally, Steve of Adventures of a Funky Heart! invites you to step into his Time Machine as he takes you into a 1967 Operating Room. But not just any Operating Room – Steve is the patient! Stand close and watch as Dr. Vincent Gott shows you they did heart surgery in the good ol’ days.
The archives of SurgeXperiences are stored here (Season 2) and here (Season 1), along with a schedule of dates and host sites. You can also subscribe via RSS or email to SurgeXperiences over at this link. And of course, you can submit your best VIA THIS FORM.
As the curtain comes down on this special CHD edition of SurgeXperiences, your host would like to remind you that 1 child out of every 125 is born with a Congenital Heart Defect… but through advances in Congenital Cardiac Surgery and Congenital Cardiac Care, we’re living longer and more productive lives!
We thank you so much for all you and your colleagues have done for us;
Adventures of a Funky Heart! 