SurgeXperiences #109: The Wierd Ones and Others
Welcome to the 9th edition of SurgeXperiences, the one and only surgical blog carnival in the medical blogosphere.
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Rules:
- If you’re in a hurry, skip on down to the bold links below
- If time is in abundance for you now, read on and enjoy.
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Initially i thought having a theme might do good.
First of all it could inspire some to write a post in line with it. Spark something off in the middle of a working day. You might think, “Hey, ‘SurgeXperiences‘ is asking for submissions with regards to weird things seen at surgery. Now surely this would qualify if i blogged about it!” and there you go, a juicy post that attracts lots of readers. As fast as flies flock to wounds. (Editor note: Make sure you have a strong stomach before you link on. Link credit) Does it actually work this way?
Anyway, below are several submissions and collections for your perusal, and hopefully, more pleasurable reading. (Editor note: the theme is not strongly adhered to; i seek your kind forbearance)
Featured Weird SurgeXperiences (3)
Over at Bright Lights, Cold Steel, something kinda weird happened. I strongly urge caution the next time anyone eat sandwiches. Link on to find out why.
Bright Lights, Cold Steel is a fantastic blog by a 5th and final year surgical resident. It is relatively new, so i am taking this chance to formally introduce her. While new, the posts so far have been nothing short of quality. (photo credit)
“Middle aged guy with some right lower quadrant abdominal pain and acute appendicitis on CT scan.”
That is how the above case started with, as you may have read. Aggravated DocSurg, a general surgeon, said his piece as “to CT or not to CT?“, imparting “Aggravated DocSurg guidelines” for diagnosing appendicitis, with and without CT.
Surgical resident Dr Jon, over at Unbounded Medicine, contributed nothing short of what we have come to expect from him, with pictures and a video about a successful surgery in a girl with 8 limbs.
Weird SurgeXperiences (7)
Another weird occurrence that General Surgeon Dr. Bongi accounted was that of spoonerism. “Seriously?!” Link on, and you be the judge.
One might be skeptical, wondering “How did this really happen? Is the patient telling the truth?” Once again at his highly popular blog “other things amanzi”, Bongi advised us to maintain “a healthy degree of skepticism”, perhaps even “don’t believe a word“, “not one single word“, because they are “lies, lies, all lies“. All 3 are great reads; personally i think as an innocent newbie, I’ll choose to believe first, and doubt later should things indicate otherwise.
A most disturbing and shocking experience Bongi shared (excellent contributor, isn’t he?) stemmed from racial hate. It abounds of pangas and crime.
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Talking about cutting things off, Gruntdoc, an ER doc hailing from Texas with some surgical grounding, “cut off a finger the other day“. It wasn’t pleasant doing it, as he concluded, “I don’t want to do that again, though.”
Gloomy as it has seemed so far, the importance of family and relationships seemed to be subtly stressed, as Plastic Surgeon Dr. Ramona Bates tells us that “Things Happen“, wherein the incident of how something else almost got into a GIT is described. Not nearly as far as some predecessors in this post have traversed, though. 
SurgeXperiences… on a lighter note (3)
Some braille tattoos? I wonder what the physician readers here think about this..
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Terry, a nurse anesthetist, wrote an excellent poem at Counting Sheep, giving “Ode to Hat Hair“. I had a good chuckle. 
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Urologist Dr Keagirl also tells us from her fascinating blog Urostream “What’s up” at the ER restroom.
# above 3 photos credited to corresponding posts
SurgeXperiences… on a serious note… (11)
Needlestick. Injuries. Ouch. Lightning strikes twice for Scalpel or Sword, another ER doc at Texas; i pray you will be fine, sir.
With foresight and vision, Dr Bard Parker at “A chance to cut is a chance to cure” wonders about the future of general surgeons in the US. Welcome back to the med/surg blogosphere.
At “Notes of an Anesthesioboist”, Dr T. highlights the situation of returning veterans, and their mental & physical health ,whilst writing a beautiful story about a patient she named Job, for a good reason, i personally feel.
Good ol’ Dr. Sidney Schwab blogs about weight loss surgery, advocating lap-band surgery. Mr Chris Oliver, an orthopaedic and trauma surgeon who recently underwent lapband can attest to its effectiveness. He keeps a personal blog about his experiences as a physician/patient, and recently shared a little about Scuba diving and adjustable laparoscopic gastric banding.
Dr Bruce Campbell, an otolaryngologist blogged about “Tasteful Cancer Treatment“. I am reminded of the importance of being thankful for my taste buds, the complexity of matters with the special visceral taste sensation we are blessed with. I pray your patient will do fine in time to come.
Buckeye Surgeon lost a patient to neutropenic enterocolitis in a difficult surgery. Condolences to all involved.
The gift of pain. Yeap, you got that right. The 4 types of pain: nociceptive, neuropathic, psychogenic, and somatic. A priceless gift nobody seems to want. Something Dr. Paul Brand (1914-2003) certainly did understand, with his tireless work involving patients afflicted with leprosy (Hansen’s disease) during his time on earth as a hand surgeon. Dr Ramona Bates over at “Suture for a Living” tells us more about him and how this legend inspires and influences her practice.
Dr. Paul Brand’s advocacy clearly caught on, as she, amongst other surgeons clarified certain matters about informed consent being obtained by the operating surgeon instead of the family doctor, for the surgical community. Read all about it at “Now this takes balls“ where #1 Dinosaur blogged about this at Musings of a Dinosaur, this time perhaps an angry one.
SurgeXperiences… from a patient’s perspective (2)
Finally, Doris Chua submitted two quick posts about Lasik Complications and Tummy Tucks.
Concluding thoughts and thanksgiving
It has been my honour to maintain SurgeXperiences and host the 9th edition. To be able to read and share the various surgical experiences each contributor blogged about through this carnival has greatly enriched me. While tiring and difficult, I deeply believe this is a worthwhile endeavour. I sincerely thank one and all for your support and participation thus far, especially Bongi and Ramona.
That concludes this edition. The next edition of SurgeXperiences will be its 10th. It will be hosted 2 weeks from now at by Dr Alice at Cut on the dotted line on 9 December. Further details can be found there.
Hey thanks for my inclusion! Very nice edition, and fascinating reading!
Good job!
Awesome Jeffrey! Sorry I couldn’t come up with a contribution, I seem to be in a blogging slump.