Bellybuttons

You remember when I started this blog I promised that my postings wouldn't be regular?  Well, I lived up to that this quarter.

This past quarter (I took and passed the final today!) was dealing with med-surg, as in caring for people before, during, and after surgery, caring for people with medical illnesses, and learning to care for the specific needs of the elderly.  This quarter my clinical site was about 50 minutes away, which gave me lots of time for prayer and letting my mind wonder.  (By the way, the iBrevary app is awesome!)

During the quarter, we each had an opportunity to observe in a surgery unit.  I was fortunate to be able to observe two gallbladder removals during my day in surgery.  As someone who had their gallbladder removed at the tender age of 11, I was eager to see how this happened.

While the patient was being prepped for surgery, my fellow student nurse and I observed the surgery team cleaning the patient's abdomen and paying particular attention to cleaning the patient's bellybutton, including pulling lint out that I'm pretty sure was older than me!

My classmate and I were watching and silently trying to figure out why they were paying so much attention to the bellybutton, when, just as my classmate asked me if I knew what they were doing, it dawned on me.

They were prepping it for an incision! 

Typically, this surgery involves four small incisions; one just below the breastbone, one on either side of the abdomen, and one at the very bottom of the bellybutton.

The rest of the surgery was uneventful and the whole day, and quarter, went smoothly.

God bless!