Blood and Guts

Today was yet another wonderful day at Hospital Civil.  I honestly cannot believe what I've been able to see there.  This morning before we started our rounds, there was a hospital meeting that all the doctors and med students had to attend on HPV and cervical cancer.  This is me and Andy before the lecture started.  (We got there kind of early.)

The doctor that gave the presentation did a really great job and he spoke slow and clear enough that I was able to understood most of what he was saying.  It ended up being a really interesting presentation and I actually learned quite a bit.  I wish I had jotted down some notes.

After the lecture Doctora Mayda dropped us off on the surgery floor where we changed into our scrubs.

Leslie and I before surgery

I got to see parts of a couple hernia surgeries and a cataract one. In the hernia surgery, we actually saw the doctor pull the intestines out of the body which was kind of crazy to see.  Then his phone rang and he didn't even hesitate in answering it.  It's a little odd but the doctors joke around, listen to music, and talk about things totally unrelated to surgery while the patient is lying there on the table.  It was a lot more like Grey's Anatomy than I would have expected.

Hernia surgery

Leslie watching the doctors

The cataract surgery was pretty neat also. The patient was awake for the surgery, though obviously they gave her a local anesthesia. I got there just in time to see the doctor insert the artificial lens. The doctor said she was kind of nervous because the lady she was operating on was completely blind in the other eye so this was her one chance to be able to see again.  It reminded me a little of my Grandpa. Love you, Papaw. <3

Before I left the hospital today, I decided to run back up to Gynecology. I wanted to see if the patient whose hand I held yesterday was still there. I was really regretting not getting a picture with her and her daughter but unfortunately, it looked like she had already been discharged. That's too bad.  I did, however, run into one of the doctors I was shadowing yesterday and he was nice enough to give me a one on one lesson on how to hear the baby's heartbeat with this metal trumpet thingy.  It's really hard to do.  You have to figure out what position the baby is in, find it's shoulder, and then you've got to figure out how to position the trumpet thing so that you hear it correctly.  The doc was really nice though and he took me from one patient to the next so I could practice. As I was saying goodbye for the day, he said the one thing he's really sad he didn't get to teach me was how to receive the baby. Can you even imagine?!! Maybe next week. I think I'm going to skip my rotation next week so I can go back to Hospital Civil. I feel like there's still so much to see!

On the way home, I met up with Helen at the mercado in El Llano.  I bought a pirated version of Monsters, Inc. for $1.50 USD. Can't wait to watch it! Also, I got a slice of this delicious cookie and cream cake and Helen convinced me I had to try one of the tacos from a stand she knew--it was amazing. I wasn't one bit hungry for lunch by the time I got home but of course I still ate a ton.  Goodness, I really am going to come back 20 pounds heavier! Haha.

Also, all the festivities are really getting started for Dia de los Muertos. This afternoon there was a parade of kids in costumes that marched down our street.. right past our door.  They stopped all the traffic.

Taken from our front door

This evening Helen, Linda, Leslie, and I went to el Zócalo.  There was music and dancing, lots of street vendors, and some of the largest most amazing tapetes (designs made in sand and traditionally put in front of the altar for Dia de los Muertos).

My favorite tapete we saw--it's not yet finished!

When Leslie and I got home, we walked into a huge party. The whole fam was over, kids and everything.  It felt like Christmas--that kind of exciting.  We sat down to hot chocolate and pan de muerto with everyone.  Ale, one of the 2 year old twins, was being really cute and showed us how she can move her eyebrows up and down as if she were flirting with someone. So adorable. It's really nice to feel like part of a family here.