Second Week
I have been working steadily. It is hard to know where to start. I spent Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the operating theater and Tuesday, Thursday in clinic. I definitely need to remain flexible as things change moment by moment here. Wednesday was a big day in theater. We had a large Carotid Body Tumor which is a benign mass that originates from the largest artery in the neck that runs up to the brain. These tumors are found at high altitudes so they are not uncommon here. What was unusual is the large size of this mass. It ran from the lower neck up to the base of skull. There was much preparation for this case. The patient was at risk for stroke and multiple nerve injuries. I consulted another visiting surgeon for his help during the case. We prayed a lot with the patient but eventually felt resection was her best option. Our first objective was to make sure she did not have a stroke as we were going to ...