Under The Knife
A first person surgical perspective
I stare down at my gloved hands. They appear nearly translucent as the moisture remaining from my surgical scrub adheres my skin to the latex. The bright white light from above contrasts with the relative dull of the surgery suite. The surgical lights bathe everything in front of me in an artificial glow. Shimmering skin visible underneath the surgical drape. The instruments on the tray next to me glimmering with anticipation. The sharp glint catching my eye from the scissors, the forceps, and everything else. All neatly arranged; if only for a moment.
I look down at the task before me. Everything is ready for the next step, the first in what will likely be a long, taxing procedure. The whine of the blood pressure cuff as it begins to fill meshes with the rhythmic beep of the ECG as my patient lies stable, deep under anesthesia. My task today is to remove a gigantic tumor. A common task for us in the veterinary world. This mass popped up about a month ago per my client, but over the last few days began to grow rapidly. We scheduled this surgery as an emergency to attempt to solve it before it became a more serious problem. My grumbling stomach reminds me of the lunch break I was supposed to be having.
The scalpel blade clicks into place on its handle, and I position my hand to make the cut. Beginning the…
