Member

…

…

You know, I am hearing a lot about March Madness from my American friends on twitter and facebook. I am not knowing what that really means, but I am thinking it must have something to do with their healthcare reform bill which I am growing sick of hearing about. So I was thinking I will use this March Madness thing as a theme for this edition of SurgeXperiences. Since I am already telling you that I am not knowing anything about what this March Madness is about, I am going to let you guess how I am using it as my theme. *

My good friend Jeffrey, the Creator of this Wonderful Blog Carnival, who is doing subinternships (that sounded very much like submarine ships to me, hee hee, I am just joking) in Neurosurgery and Upper GI Surgery in Down Under, asked me by email to host this edition of SurgeXperiences on short notice just a few days ago. It seems the poor chap could not find anyone else to host. So I am telling him not to worry, because I am not doing anything this weekend, of course I am doing all the usual work stuff, but I am not doing anything important, so I will do the hosting for this week. He was so happy and relieved and thanking me so profusely that I am almost feeling bad for him. Let me be assuring you my good friend Jeffrey, that I am honoured and humbled that you found me worthy to do the needful.

Only after accepting I started getting some doubts about whether this would be possible. Especially because the wonderful blogging team from Down Under at Life in the Fast Lane lead by my very good friend Dr. Mike (alias sandnsurf in twitter) were doing such a fantastic job with the last episode that they were hosting. I would like to apologize to all the regulars for not calling out for submissions. I also would like to apologise in advance for not putting my hundred percent effort into making this a memorable edition, blaming the lack of time and my own inadequacies.

Now without further much ado and wastage of time, I would like to be presenting to you, dear readers, the best of blog posts related to surgery:

…

The esteemed Professor Bruce Campbell, is giving an example of how the small things that some of us are doing routinely as doctors actually are turning out to be very big things in the lives of some of our patients.  I am not personally agreeing that Dr. Bruce is doing a small thing. He is taking time out from his busy schedule as a Professor in a University and going all the way to El Salvador in Central America to helping people who are less fortunate and are not having the proper medical facilities. That is very noble and I am thinking, very fulfilling.

“¡Muchas gracias Profesor!”

The good Dr. Bruce, his wife and their group are being inconvenienced by an airport delay caused by bad weather on their return journey back home. They are spending the time in the airport lounge chairs exchanging stories…

…the extra time in that airport offered me both the opportunity to hear some more stories and the possibility to be grateful for a bit more of the healing that is best experienced by, sometimes, just living in the present.

Dr. Bruce is also sharing some of his thinking on “What Every Medical Student Should Know …“

That they should never be satisfied with how much they know about either the science or the art of Medicine.

…

The highly respected blogger and general surgeon from South Africa, my good friend bongi is realising the sad truth that you can’t win them all.

bongi is also sharing an exemplary story of a surgical registrar who performed dharmic duty as a righteous man and a surgeon. I am thinking  The Great Lord Krishna is shaking his head in approval from the high heaven above at someone who is following to the letter what he was expounding to the reluctant Arjuna in the first day of The Great Mahabaratha War in the Bhagavad Gita.

“To action alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive; neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction” (Bhagavad Gita 2.47)

…

One of the most beloved of surgical bloggers, my respected friend and elder sister Dr. Ramona, from Arkansas, is gigantic in stature, but is sometimes being forced to use standing stools in the Operation Theatre. I know some of you are thinking I am being guilty of exaggeration or generalization, but I am finding in my limited experience that most great surgeons, like great warriors, are short people. Emperor Napoleon was a short person, I am reminding my readers. One notable exception to my theory will be my great South African friend bongi, of course. He is tall like a giraffe in stature and status.

Dr. Ramona is also giving us a nice little funny poem about counting skin lesions. I am remembering my kindergarten days when my esteemed teachers were teaching me and my little friends, one two buckle my shoe!!

I am also reminding to everyone that Dr. Ramona will be hosting the GrandRounds Medical Blog Carnival in her blog this week. I am hoping all of you all are remembering to sending your submissions early by email.

…

Expatriated South African anesthetist Viva Tiva (I am wondering why they are not using the terminology NRSAs, like to our NRIs, i.e., Non-Resident Indians) is writing in his (it could be her also, I am not knowing for sure) blog,

…never ever to underestimate the power of the midnight angels watching over us…

…

Dr.J, from amchi Mumbai, is not going to be thinking about water balloons for sometimes.

…

Dr. Joseph Sucher, a general surgeon and surgical critical care specialist from Texas, who was spending some time as a US Army FaST (Forward Surgical Team) surgeon in Afghanistan is telling us about A Few Good Men, NO, not the movie starring the great supreme star Jack Nicholson, but about two civilian surgeons who joined the US Marine Corps after their sons are enlisting to fighting the good fight.

…

911Doc, one of the good doctors in the blogging team M.D.O.D, is writing about David Beckham (the football super star who was immortalised in Gurindher Chadha’s movie Bend It Like Beckham) and the Thompson test for diagnosing Achilles’ tendon rupture.

…

My good friend, Øystein Horgmo, a medical photographer-cum-videographer in Norway, is giving us a first-class post about Jan van Rymsdyk, the Drawer of Wombs.

…

The Distinguished Surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Parks is offering another gem fit for the Annals of Dumb Science. This is a study that is being published in the JACS that is attempting to solve the historically vexing surgical conundrum of whether double gloving has a negative impact on manual dexterity. I am agreeing 100% with my friend Jeff’s closing lines…

I realize these journals have to fill their content quotas every month but sometimes it gets a little ridiculous.

…

Almost one a year ago till date, Steve Jobs was undergoing a liver transplant and that ended up creating a lot of hullaballoo in popular press and among my fellow medical blogger brothers and sisters. I was putting some of them on the record in a previous edition of this blog carnival that I had the honour of hosting. Here is a video of Mr. Jobs talking about his liver transplant and the need for everyone to joining the organ donors registry. His speech is occurring about 13 minutes after the video is beginning. I am thinking it will be worth your valuable time to see the video from the beginning to hear some excellent points made by the Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger.

…

Dr. Peter Allely, another member of the Life in the Fast Lane team, is giving a good review of occult scaphoid fractures. I am wanting to place on record that unlike what he is alleging in his post, may be with his tongue in his cheek, I am not receiving any sexual or other favours for giving appointments for MRI scanning. That is possibly because our hospital is not having an MRI scanner. I am thinking it is high time I have to initiate a conversation in this regard with our beloved hospital management.

…

Dr. Cris Cuthbertson, surgeon from Australia, PhD student, Mac lover and author of the blog Scalpel’s Edge is being blessed with a son. I am sure other surgical and medical bloggers will be joining me in wishing her and her family All The Best.

…

*Explanatory Note: I had very few submissions in hand and I did not have time to go hunting for surgery-related posts. So I tried to liven things up a bit by trying my hand at writing in  authentic Indian style Queen’s English. Hope I didn’t overdo it. In my defense, and in the defense of my fellow countrymen, I’d like to remind Her Highness that English is as much our language as hers now. My blog friends know I don’t usually write in this kind of bombastic twisted prose. I assure any new comers that this post is an exception. My apologies to my friend Jeff for sounding patronising in the second paragraph and to my friend bongi for comparing him with a giraffe!

…

There is no host yet for the next edition

SurgeXperiences 320

to be posted on April 4, 2010.

If you are interested in hosting, contact Jeffrey Leow

Deadline for submissions is on Friday, April 2.

Please send in your submissions early via this form.

You can subscribe to SurgeXperiences via RSS feed or email.

An aggregated feed of credible, rotating health and medicine blog carnivals is also available.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite