A harrowing C-section, performed on a close friend

We chat about the day, as I use a sharp knife to cut into her. We joke about my kids, as the blood is spurting. We reminisce about our friendship, as I rip open her tissue. For most surgeons, their patients are asleep as they perform their surgery. In obstetrics, however, we want our patients awake, not only to witness their baby’s arrival, but also because it is safer. When I step back, it is a surreal moment, to be inside someone’s body while also talking with them. It is particularly challenging when it is one of your closest friends, and it is one of the hardest deliveries you have ever performed. When she came for her first appointment, I performed an ultrasound. I struggled to see around a fibroid the size of a grapefruit to see the heartbeat of her 4 mm fetus. In the first trimester, her hormones were raging and so were her emotions. Doubt, panic, fear reared its ugly head, but steadily she made it through. In the second trimester, she began to enjoy the pregnancy and had a glow about her. Unfortunately, as her baby grew, so did the fibroid. By the time she was halfway through the pregnancy, it had grown to nearly 10 centimeters. In the third trimester, she now looked like she was carrying twins, the fibroid growing with the same speed as the baby. We joked about the fibroid and her naming it George, but the doctor in me became fearful of the complications this fibroid could cause. By the time she was near her due date, the fibroid was bigger than the babyâ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Conditions OB/GYN Source Type: blogs