tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post5658205163822505380..comments2024-02-18T13:53:30.168-08:00Comments on Surgeonsblog: Faint PraiseSid Schwabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-57434537630673078132008-05-28T15:02:00.000-07:002008-05-28T15:02:00.000-07:00Maybe being a surgical PA isn't such a great idea....Maybe being a surgical PA isn't such a great idea. I don't know who to talk to about it. I saw a therapist on campus who was clueless. I mentioned it to a few people and no one has anything to say. What am I supposed to do... Interview for a job and say, "Oh, BTW- I am a great PA, but I'm not sure if I'll faint while I'm assisting you-- but will you give me a try anyway? Maybe over time I'll get over it". No doc is gonna say, "sure, let's see what happens" LOLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-48626577025836765182008-05-28T13:45:00.000-07:002008-05-28T13:45:00.000-07:00JAM: I wish I had something brilliant to say. Lots...JAM: I wish I had something brilliant to say. Lots of people feel queasy when first seeing real surgery, and most get over it. That you had no problems as an EMT seems a good sign, and I'd assume that with time it'll be fine. If not, I guess you'll need to consider talking to someone about it.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-82268280260271062052008-05-28T13:04:00.000-07:002008-05-28T13:04:00.000-07:00I used to be an EMT. I saw everything and nothing ...I used to be an EMT. I saw everything and nothing bothered me. I'm now a physician assistant, (new grad) and I'm older. During my OB and surgery rotations, I had to fight off the feeling of fainting. I don't understand why or what to do about it. <BR/><BR/> A hot feeling would overcome me and I had to look away in order not to pass out. No one thing seems to trigger it. When I was actually doing something, like retracting, or suturing or if someone was pimping me on questions, I did fine. I can watch surgeries and laproscopic surgery and interventional stuff doesn't bother me. I had no problems in the Cadaver lab.It seems like since <BR/><BR/> I'm now looking for a job. There's tons of surgical PA jobs out there, but I don't know if this is something that will go away with time or will I always have this problem? Once a trauma came in and I started to get that feeling too. Am I just more nervous now that I'm older? <BR/><BR/> What's wrong with me? I don't mind blood, I don't mind giving injections, suturing, I&D and minor stuff. I really want to get over this. Am I the only one who gets like this? None of my classmates have this problem. Any advice? Help!!<BR/><BR/>JAMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-73153042318382747432008-05-21T20:21:00.000-07:002008-05-21T20:21:00.000-07:00BC: I think it's true -- in fact I think I wrote a...BC: I think it's true -- in fact I think I wrote about it somewhere on this blog -- that men are more susceptible. In med school a male classmate fainted when we were merely discussing blood, in a classroom. No pictures, even! The prof said it's no big deal: men are like that. Women, he said, are used to blood on a regular basis.<BR/><BR/>As to hands: I've thought the same thing. There's something so personal and human about hands. I never got sick or passed out, but seeing mangled hands bothered me more than about any other form of trauma.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-52755928458863421422008-05-21T18:26:00.000-07:002008-05-21T18:26:00.000-07:00I've always thought that men are more susceptable ...I've always thought that men are more susceptable to this--especially the sight of their own blood. It seems the reaction can be delayed by five or even ten minutes sometimes. Cuts to the hands may be the worst. Does this sound likely to you? It's anecdotal.<BR/><BR/>BCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-15356843332775815262008-05-20T18:50:00.000-07:002008-05-20T18:50:00.000-07:00My son in law grew up in a small town in another c...My son in law grew up in a small town in another country and is quite familiar with slaughtering and butchering farm animals, but had to be told to sit on the floor (rather than hit his head as he passed out) while my daughter had a c-section.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-24978707955912721532008-05-20T17:32:00.000-07:002008-05-20T17:32:00.000-07:00Interesting post. During my last C-section, the OB...Interesting post. <BR/><BR/>During my last C-section, the OBGYN asked my husband if he was alright. Knowing my husband-I am sure he was not but he got through it and I am sure more than happy to bolt out the door following our son. He gets squeamish around medicine and so does younger son.<BR/><BR/>I also have a friend who is at risk of passing out when they draw her blood.SeaSprayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906503090688697222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-13712104511129832802008-05-19T19:50:00.000-07:002008-05-19T19:50:00.000-07:00indian surgeon: as I've written elsewhere in this ...indian surgeon: as I've written elsewhere in this blog, I was in a multi-specialty practice. There were 35 docs when I joined, over 200 when I left, close to 300 now. Equitable distribution of income among specialists, primary care types, surgeons, etc, is typically a problem in all such groups, and there are many models. Our group went through painful changes every few years. Basically, because surgeons bring in more money it seems there's always a disproportionate shift, with surgeons "giving" money to primary care by way of overhead costs. Some methods are less onerous than others. Not all groups can be happy all the time!Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-92025748336523525632008-05-19T18:51:00.000-07:002008-05-19T18:51:00.000-07:00i am a general surgeon from india. the concept of ...i am a general surgeon from india. the concept of group practice is almost non-existent here. i would like to know whether you are/were in group practice or a solo surgeon? do you know of any such group practices? how to make it equitable and long lasting? can you provide some ideas?indian surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14846762625405513901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-5800166649026027852008-05-19T16:40:00.000-07:002008-05-19T16:40:00.000-07:00alison: I made that directive many times; sometime...alison: I made that directive many times; sometimes to nursing students or med students. <BR/><BR/>I think a short doctor is the perfect one to be doing a D and C. My dad, when I was in med school, for some reason suggested proctology. I told him I thought I was too tall.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-28137851552274667342008-05-19T16:33:00.000-07:002008-05-19T16:33:00.000-07:00Picture a quite-short doctor doing a D&C: I had be...Picture a quite-short doctor doing a D&C: I had been having a late miscarriage and had been in labor 20 hours, and he'd decided, enough already.<BR/><BR/>Picture a 6'8" husband towering over the doc by his wife's side, trying to be helpful, holding her hand, turning progressively more white, swaying...<BR/><BR/>...and just as he's about to crumple, the nurse, on top of things while the doctor's attention was anywhere but up above himself, telling my hubby, Uh, sir. Go. Sit. Down. Over *there*!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-28489788454149604212008-05-19T13:05:00.000-07:002008-05-19T13:05:00.000-07:00and one of my partners developed a bowel obstructi...and one of my partners developed a bowel obstruction when i was assisting him. i suppose the assistant bears the blame, so you're off the hook. unless you'd driven him to drink with worry.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-7792091987481958112008-05-19T12:56:00.000-07:002008-05-19T12:56:00.000-07:00i once blogged about this. http://other-things-ama...i once blogged about this. http://other-things-amanzi.blogspot.com/2007/10/swoon.html<BR/><BR/>but syncope aside, recently one of my assistants developed acute pancreatitis while assisting me. how weird is that?Bongihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12918640034313468627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-7837766663134926762008-05-19T12:54:00.000-07:002008-05-19T12:54:00.000-07:00dr bean: I wrote about self-surgery here.As to epi...dr bean: I wrote about self-surgery <A HREF="http://surgeonsblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/self-service.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>.<BR/><BR/>As to epinephrine: I have the visual. Trying to work out the syntax.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-75683009334735311952008-05-19T12:39:00.000-07:002008-05-19T12:39:00.000-07:00Another good reason not to do surgery on oneself (...Another good reason not to do surgery on oneself (drat!).Imagine the embarrassment of passing out, scalpel or suture in hand, while in medias res. <BR/><BR/>Your pronunciation of syncope reminds me of an anecdote my pharm prof was fond of, about the characterization of epinephrine. It involved the lab sinks being at the right height for the (male) principal investigator to use...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-771400115010869992008-05-19T11:03:00.000-07:002008-05-19T11:03:00.000-07:00I'm a thorough wimp.Last vaccination: had to lie d...I'm a thorough wimp.<BR/><BR/>Last vaccination: had to lie down in my GP's office (well, second to last - I had an MMR booster in Bath because there'd been a breakout of mumps).<BR/><BR/>First bloodtest: straight to the floor. Ditto first catheter.<BR/><BR/>But I seem to have learnt to cope now - at least I've become a blooddonor without much trouble (well - I'm quarantined at the moment since I'm pumped up on SSRIs).<BR/><BR/>I can still imagine that I'd pass out and/or panic in an emergensy, though. Very irresponsible of me not to have learnt first-aid.Jens Knudsen (Sili)https://www.blogger.com/profile/14078875730565068352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-9457716613244219372008-05-19T08:56:00.000-07:002008-05-19T08:56:00.000-07:00My husband does gets rather white/pasty looking wh...My husband does gets rather white/pasty looking whenever I have to sew up his cuts (twice now). He has always listened (to his credit) when I begin by telling him he has to lay down.rlbateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15236331355857884458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-38999761556703700522008-05-19T07:48:00.000-07:002008-05-19T07:48:00.000-07:00My partner, GPop, *loves* to tell the story about ...My partner, GPop, *loves* to tell the story about how I had to lie down when a nurse was explaining to me how to clean out GPop's mouth after wisdom teeth removal.Not Importanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18307127026012212518noreply@blogger.com