Disclaimer: Don’t read this post if you are easily grossed out.
Tim is in his fourth year of medical school and just finished his medical subinternship. This means that he was able to write prescriptions and do many procedures that he wouldn’t have been able to during his third year.
I like the fact that Tim is in medical school because I wanted to go to medical school but I didn’t since I don’t actually want to be a doctor - I just find it all fascinating. So when Tim comes home (almost always several hours after I’ve come home from work), I ask him how his day was and what he did, and I actually want to know – in detail.
He showed me this picture the other day that his resident took. Apparently he had a patient presenting with ascites (secondary to hepatocellular carcinoma). I don’t know what ascites is, but the interesting bit (or at least in my opinion) was that Tim had to remove 7 liters of lymphatic fluid from a woman’s abdomen with a paracentesis needle. Awesome!
Apparently the incidence of this (chylo-ascites) is 1:20,000 (very rare)… and, it happened twice this week (the other woman only had 4 liters of fluid to be removed).
My favorite aspects of these dinner-time conversations are Squiggles’ attempts to participate in the conversations. She is in a parroting stage of language development and repeats everything she hears, always in the form of a question:
“Oh, seven liters?”
“Oh, in her abomem?”
“Oh, with a needle?”
“Oh, I need to eat my peas?”
7 comments:
Ok, that is gross. So gross. But it is also fascinating! :) I'm with you, Laura, don't necessarily want to be a doc, but find all the info so interesting. Good job, Tim!
I wouldn't want to be around a needle, let alone remove anything from anybody using one...Tim, you're a very brave man.
Gross with a capital "G"!!! I am grateful though, that there are people the good Lord blessed with the fortitude and stomach for that sort of thing.
That is Awesome! We would totally have the same dinner table conversation if our work involved that kind of thing! Growing up on a farm, our dinner table had even worse topics, if you can imagine that ;)
Amelia is at the prime age for us to make a funny movie where she says inappropriate things without knowing what they mean. Whatcha doin' this week? :)
Ewwww. I am constantly amazed (and grossed out) at what can come out of the human body. Glad there are people like Tim, who may still be grossed out, but will take care of us anyway.
I find it all very fascinating. I would have made a great doctor! Next life. Good job Tim and nice work Laura and Squiggles!
Post a Comment