Week 2

     Week 2 began with meeting my clinical mentor in person and having patients come into the office for check-ups. Patient visits went like usual with a smattering of post-op updates, consultations, and quick Botox sessions. I was surprised to see several patients visiting a plastic surgeon to treat pressure ulcers. Back in high school, I was in a summer program where I had shadowed many different doctors in different fields- one of which was a wound care clinic. Patients with pressure ulcers were a common occurrence here. As such, I expected patients seeking wound care to be directed to the wound care facility in the hospital instead of plastics. While treating these patients, I learned that if part of the body is left under pressure for over half an hour, that area will lose proper blood flow and may experience permanent damage if left unnoticed. This is why we unconsciously move around so much and shift our body weight. For patients in wheelchairs or who have diabetes, pressure ulcers are more common due to a lack of sensation in the affected areas. 

    Later in the week, I was able to see an interesting surgery involving an irradiated patient with damage to the jaw. Skin from the forearm was removed to reconstruct the oral cavity and replace the damaged tissue that was removed. This operation required delicate work and took two surgical teams quite some time to complete. The next day, I was able to see the patient post-op during our rounds. Despite my previous shadowing experiences, I have not gotten the opportunity to visit a patient the day after surgery before, so this was a valuable experience for me. The patient was in some pain and showed swelling at the surgical sites but was in stable condition and looked good. 

  Another case involved a patient who also had revisional surgery on her jaw. This patient had previously taken bisphosphonate to treat osteoporosis. While her osteoporosis had improved, the bone in her mandible had eroded- a rare side effect of bisphosphonates. Her medical journey was rather unique to listen to as well. 

    Lastly, I worked on figuring out my research project for Immersion. I will hammer out the details this weekend and will hopefully start working on it next week.

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