Monday’s procedure was relatively simple. The patient had been diagnosed with complex endometrial hyperplasia with atypia. I had heard this term in the past but was unsure of its meaning, so I did some research. The surgery itself was performed by Dr. Heffernan’s fellow, Dr. Dennard. She made a few mistakes, but it was a good learning experience for both her and I, as I could grow even from her minor failures. The end result of the procedure went exactly as planned, the uterus, tubes, and ovaries taken out successfully.
Wednesday’s procedure was a simplified version of Monday’s case. Instead of a hysterectomy/BSO, it was simply a BSO (bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy). The patient had undergone a prior hysterectomy with a different surgeon several years ago. She came to Dr. Heffernan after being diagnosed with clear cell carcinoma, an incredibly rare kind of cancer. Dr. Dennard conducted this surgery as well, and did an outstanding job, successfully removing her ovaries.
Every mentor visit and surgical observation is a learning experience, and the learning I have acquired from this week in particular is of entirely unique content. Regarding my Original Work, Dr. Heffernan and I will continue to work on our paper in future weeks to come.
