OR continued

It's crazy how easy you begin to get acclimated to a place. Everything is starting to become routine. It is almost like I have lived here forever, minus the fact that I don't speak the language. The food is less foreign tasting, the the smell is gone, and a warm bucket bath does not seem so bad anymore. We have been introduced to a place 5-10 miles outside of the city, full of palm trees, lakes, and birds. Those of us who choose start our day with a nature walk to stretch our legs and breath the fresh air. They say the reason the palms trees Re so far inland is that it is the location of the old coast line. I am not sure if that is true or not, but it makes for a great story. One one of the walks we were able to enter a village, meet the people, and see how they live. It was crazy to see 7 people living in a "home" the size of my kitchen, with all of their possessions in this one room. It was an eye opening experience, one that I am glad I was able to be a part of.

The operating room has started to run better. I have actually only run out of oxygen 5 times since the first 2 days, which is a vast improvement from 20 times the first day. The tanks a still not full but the Indian assistants are catching on and are looking to recognize the lack of oxygen before it happens. I had a difficult intubation on someone with a short jaw, and small mouth opening, which I successfully intubated over a bougie by myself. I have not only surprised myself, but those that I am working with, with my anesthesia skill set. I am by no means comfortable in this primitive setting with no equipment, but I am less scared. I have performed all of my cases from start to finish without the assistance of anyone else. It will be weird going back to the USA and having someone look over my shoulder with everything I do, however it will be nice to have proper equipment and drugs. I have learned a couple of Gujarati words, the language spoken here, so I am able to communicate with the patients a tiny bit. At least it is better than nothing. By the end of the week things were starting to run like a well oiled machine,which of course would happen when it was time t pack up an leave. I think the final count for surgeries is somewhere between 160-180. At the end the community got together to provide us with a celebration. We went to a hindu temple where we were presented with beautiful sarees by the head of the temple and then brought to a farm where we were provided with entertainment around a fire and a delicious meal. When we arrived back in town there was a stage set up in the middle of town, surrounded by 3000 local people in every spot they could occupy around the stage. Signers were brought in to perform, and we were called up and recognized on stage to a standing ovation. I was a spectacular moment, one that is hard to put into words.