Today was another day in the OR with nothing really exciting to report. The only thing "exciting" that happened today was a 17 year old boy came in because he was in a car accident. I hadn't seen a trauma surgery yet and it was very intense. The boy was fine but he fractured his entire face and the surgeon had to reconstruct his facial bones. To access those bones he made long incisions right under each eye and then stitched his eyes shut to hold the other stitches in place. The boy had a breathing tube and a heavy dose of narcotics before surgery so I didn't get to talk to him, but his parents were there and very concerned. I found out the boy had been driving and fell asleep at the wheel and ran into a tree. He wasn't doing anything wrong, he just made a mistake that anyone could make. He did great through surgery and he was taken to the Recovery Room. I happened to walk past his bed when he was waking up and you could tell he was so confused because he kept trying to open his eyes but they were sutured shut. The nurse told him that he just had surgery and he needed to rest, he responded by nodding his head but he kept reaching up to touch his face.
Most patients don't really make me upset because for some reason when you are working it is easier to take the emotions out of the situation. But this guy really pulled at my heartstrings. He just looked way too young to have a breathing tube and stitches all over his face. It really makes you realize how dangerous cars are and how your life can change in an instant. His parents allowed his friends to come see him when he was in the ICU before surgery and apparently one of them said, "Wow, I guess we aren't invincible." I'm sure it was scary for the teenagers to see their friend in a hospital bed with a very injured face and body, but I bet it was a good wake up call for them. He is expected to have a full recovery but I'm sure this experience will stick with him and his parents forever. I know that I will never forget his face.
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