Sooner or later, we all have to go into the hospital for some prodding and tests. This morning was my turn. At one test, the technician was explaining, more clearly than the doctor had, what the test was going to show. A conversation developed, and pretty soon we discovered that we were both former operating room people, a bond, believe me, a bond.
During the conversation, it came up that outsiders always envisaged the OR as being a quiet, dramatic place. We recalled that it depended on the case, the surgeon, and the day. OK, trust me on this, lots of docs bring in their playlists. Yup, with Doctor Anderson, it’s sing-along arias ( ugh!) and Doctor Paul likes the Grateful Dead. It could literally be the flavor of the day!
Conversations can be somewhat “interesting” too. Monday morning discussions on love life, sports, hobbies, movies, celebrities, it’s all there. Now the surgeon will almost always set the tone and topic. But interns, residents, nurses, and technicians chime in. In my experience, the quiet person in the room has always been the anesthesiologist – watching blood pressure, respirations, monitoring the airway, and other vital signs.
One other thing we talked about. Identifying folks outside of the OR. There you are masked and gowned and gloved. Your hair is covered, and sometimes the only things you have to go on with a new person are the muffled voice. So outside of the OR, you might see a curious ritual as people take a hand and cover the lower part of their face. “Oh, Doctor Smith, I didn’t recognize you!”
So there you go. A bit of the insider’s view, for the next time they wheel you in.
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You made me think about the (wonderful, funny, skillful and iconoclastic) ortho who replaced my left hip in 2018. We bonded over an obscenity. He stuck the yard-long needle for the cortisone shot into my joint and I yelled, “HFS!” not abbreviated. I thought he was going to die laughing. When I went in for my surgery one of the people working there said, “Doc said to show you everything before we start, that you’d like it.” Oh I did. It was science fiction then I was gone for however long… I liked that doc but I don’t know where he went. I think it might have been a little too far out there for the hospital where he worked.
I always thought that the ortho guys tended to have the best sense of humor. the plastic surgeons ( especially the boob job club) had the least.
My ortho guy was great. Plastic surgeons? No experience. Why mess with perfection?
absolutely!
Hey Lou I just sent you a message on FB re: RDP.
I was always curious about the OR. I have only been under 2x but was worried about what I may say.
If you were under general anesthesia you probably were intubated and couldn’t have spoken.