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Karen and I got ready for surgery, ensuring we disinfected and covered ourselves properly. I took off the scarf around my arm because we couldn't have any outside clothing on. Dr. Al-Sawi picked up the scarf and asked, "May I?" I nodded. He took it to the Operating Room door and tied it onto the window so that it showed to the other side of the door. "Protection," he said.
The day went without a hitch. We were able to change four lives that day, and Karen helped me perform textbook surgeries that would give the patient the best chance of a full recovery. After the final surgery, she and I collapsed in the staff area for a few minutes to try to refresh ourselves with a snack and a break.
"Amazing surgeries, Dom. I'm proud of you," Karen said.
"I couldn't have done it without you, Karen. Thanks," I murmured as I slumped in the chair, my eyes closed.
"Only four more days to go," she chuckled.
"Tomorrow is the kids, so we'll need to rest up as much as we can. Everything is smaller – the patient and the equipment - but somehow it always feels like the stakes are bigger. I don't want to make any mistakes tomorrow."
"If you did what you did today, you won't. You did an amazing cauterization in that third surgery. That could have been bad."
I nodded, my eyes still closed. "Thanks."
"By the way," I added, "have you been in touch with the family?"
"No, I haven't. I warned them that I wouldn't. I want to be focused on the job here. And if I'm not on the job, I want to be sleeping or resting. They understand. Besides, since we left the airport, I haven't had a connection. But honestly, I haven't really tried to find one."
I nodded again, and murmured, "Uh-huh." If every day felt like today, I was going to do the same and just be present here with these patients. It's the least I could do.
Sitting up, I stretched. "Well, rest time is over. They should be finished cleaning the room. We can set up for tomorrow and then hit the hay."
"I'll set up and you go do the patient pre-surgery reviews. Dr. Al-Sawi mentioned he would be in Room 16 when you're ready."
I took a deep breath and pulled myself out of my chair. "Okay, thanks Karen. I'll do that and then come back to see if you need any help. But maybe this is killing two birds with one stone. Or maybe using two birds with two stones." I laughed. "You know what I'm trying to say."
"Yes. You're saying that we're both stones. And the way my feet feel right now, I think I might be a boulder. But you got it. I'll be here. And if I'm not, that means I'm done and I'm in the room."
I laughed, gave her a thumbs up, and we both headed out of the staff room, re-energized just ever so slightly.
When I walked near to Room 16, I started to hear a rumble of conversation created only by a large amount of people. As I walked in, I saw that people were everywhere, some even standing along the walls. We were operating on three children tomorrow, one of which was quite complicated, so I could understand why both parents and some extended family would want to be there to talk to me prior to the procedures.
When my entrance was announced, everyone turned. And then I saw him again. The little man from the airplane. He saluted me, and I nodded in his direction. He was sitting with a woman who I could only guess was his sister and his nephew, Abdi.
We started the discussions, one by one. When it came to Abdi and his mom and uncle, I could sense Dr. Al-Sawi stiffen up a bit and become a lot more nervous. This man with the gold tooth was having a huge effect on him. But besides that, the interview went well. The man motioned to my wrist with a questioning look and I pointed him to the surgical suite, where he could see the scarf on the window. He nodded.
All the discussions went well. Questions got answered, and the parents were feeling more confident about tomorrow. I was hoping that all would go just as well as it did today.
The day was going fast. The first two surgeries went without a hitch and the children were in the recovery room, being tended to by the nurses and their families. That was one thing that was different from our American hospitals. I can't say it was a bad thing either. Perhaps the touch and voice of a loved one has bigger benefits than trying to reduce infections. The jury was out on that one.
We were in the middle of the third surgery; Abdi's. It was an experimental surgery to try to stop the child's seizures. I tried to inform the family that it was indeed experimental, but it was the latest technology we had available in the world. I had specially ordered probes for the surgery. We would insert these probes into his brain to provide information on when the child was going to have a seizure so that the family could react faster. Its placement should also be able to reduce seizures altogether, as we could stimulate that part of the brain when the seizure was detected.
Khadija had been learning how to assemble and prepare the endoscope. It was a long tube with a camera and an eyepiece that helped us do the operation. As she attempted to pass it over to Karen, she somehow fumbled it and, as she grabbed it, the camera became dislodged. Karen took a look at it, but something was wrong.
She came around to my side of the table, allowing me to take a look.
"Dom, this isn't going to work. Did we bring a replacement?"
"I think so. Check box 36."
She went to the corner with the supplies, looking through the list to locate box 36. "I don't see it, Doc."
Khadija looked nervous, but I reassured her. "Don't worry, Khadija. Things like this can happen. It's not your fault." She nodded, but didn't seem convinced.
Karen came back and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Dom. It's not there."
Before I allowed myself to start panicking, I needed to calm down. I took a few calming breaths, trying to keep my heart rate down. The patient had been prepared, and we were ready to go besides this freak accident happening. Karen knew the risks we were facing.
