I’ve been in theatre with this one case since 8 am; it’s now nearly 10 pm, and we still aren’t done.
Don’t feel too sorry for me, though. I’m in the private hospital and this is the dinner they’ve given me.
In the public hospital you’d be lucky to get a piece of cheese on toast. I snuck out to the staff room to eat my meal a few hours ago, leaving the patient in the capable hands of my tech. To be fair, the anaesthetic has been very smooth, almost on autopilot for most of the day.
This is referred to as a tram track anaesthetic, and is highly prized. Sometimes your trend graphs look more alpine I.e. like a mountain range.
Another plus is that my theatre has windows, and I’ve been able to watch the entire day pass by outside. The view is of hills and distant houses. I’m hoping it’s one way glass.
My day has really been pretty relaxed. The hard part is trying to avoid being recumbent on my chair for too long, since sitting is the new smoking. Also, my iPad charge is down to 10%. In the meantime, the nurses are working hard but are taking sensible breaks and taking turns to be scrubbed in. As usual it’s the surgeons who I really feel sorry for. You’d have to be mad to do it. Good on them, though, of course. The patient will be very grateful, and I’m just pleased to do my bit as an enabler.