The surgery itself was fascinating. The patient had undergone a hysterectomy 3 years prior, yet somehow continued regular, cyclical menstrual bleeding. This was baffling to my mentor and I – how can a 43-year-old woman, who has had her uterus removed, continue to bleed from her vagina monthly? The human body is utterly astounding, and to me, medical mysteries are the best kind of puzzles.
During the surgery, the first pass with the da Vinci endoscope revealed a small unusual mass embedded in her cuff. Dr. Heffernan took a biopsy of the mass, worried about the potential for a malignancy. We followed the specimen to pathology to diagnose it using a frozen section. The pathologist eased our fears by confirming the tissue as “classic endometriosis,” meaning it was entirely benign.
Regarding the paper, Dr. Heffernan and I had been going back and forth on the case-series for a few weeks now, working on completing the discussion and conclusion section. When I met up with him Wednesday morning on the way to the OR, he told me his ideas for the setup and progression of the paragraphs in the section. I took detailed notes while he dictated to me the main topics to focus on and the essential points to include. Later that night I finished the section and am currently awaiting his feedback. The goal is to submit the paper for publishing as soon as possible, hopefully within a couple weeks.
