Today I spent the morning in clinic and the afternoon in surgery.

We saw a bunch of different patients in clinic. For the first time, I saw two different patients who had had TRAM flap reconstructive surgeries. This is a type of reconstructive surgery that takes tissue from the abdomen (or other places, the TRAM means abdomen) and then makes a breast out of it. You also get a bonus because the removal of the tissue to create a breast results in a tummy tuck. So when women joke that they wish they could take the fat from their stomach and put it elsewhere... this surgery does just that! Except it's for breast cancer patients :( Anyway, it was really cool to see these patients and the surgery creates breasts that are much more natural looking than implants. However, today for the first time I saw a lot more cosmetic surgery patients than reconstructive surgery patients. One woman who had already gotten a tummy tuck now wanted liposuction around her hips and thighs. She also had complaints about baggy skin above her knees. A different woman had had a lot of plastic surgery done on her face. She had some bumps that were bothering her. They were from sutures beneath the skin that hadn't dissolved yet. Dr. Hansen didn't actually do this surgery, so she had to wait to hear from the doctor that did to decide what to do. Turns out they're a type of suture that take longer to dissolve so things can heal with sutures in for longer.  One thing I noticed today was that both Dr. Hansen and the patients use the word "bother" a lot. One woman came in seeking a breast reduction because her large breasts bothered her while exercising. Anyway, plastic surgery is weird. Moving on.

For lunch, I pretended I was a real surgeon today. I ate with Dr. Hansen in the nurse's lounge. She introduced me to her usual lunch there which consisted of a piece of toast, peanut butter and saltines. After that, we went to the OR where a woman was getting a tummy tuck. I was really excited to watch this surgery because the two surgeries I've watched so far were kind of similar. Anyway, tummy tucks seemed like a really invasive procedure considering how much you hear about them. I also got to see liposuction as it's part of the procedure. However, I had to leave before we were done. 

Also, I can't decide a few things. I dont know if watching surgery makes me more comfortable with the idea of getting surgery or less. I also don't know what I think about cosmetic surgery yet.