I went to the Operating Room (OR) in LGH last week. I forgot to blog it. My mind was still reeling because of the incident that happened the same day (read April 8 post). Anyway I witnessed a real surgery. It was a laparascopic cholecystectomy (the surgical removal of the gallbladder). Using advanced laparascopic technology, the removal of the gallbladder is now possible through a small incision in the navel. (A laparascope by the way is a tiny camera.) There's no major incision but just three puncture holes. The surgeon inserts the laparascope through one of these holes. Other long instruments are passed through the other holes. The whole procedure is monitored and viewed by the surgeon on a television. The patient's abdomen is then filled with CO₂ to create room for the surgeon to carry out the operation. The blood vessels and the bile duct are clipped and the gallbladder is then detached, collapsed and drawn out through one of the punctures holes like an empty balloon. It was not as gross as I thought it would be. On the other hand, it was really fascinating. I couldn't get my eyes off of the TV. Things I know about the human body were limited to cadavers. To see a gallbladder LIVE and up close really made me appreciate the human body even more. Besides having seen a gallbladder and what it can mean if it's not properly taken care of made me even more motivated to maintain an active lifestyle. You should have seen the patient's insides! The stomach and intestines were barely recognizable amidst all the fats! Eww! I wouldn't want that to happen to me. Not in this lifetime.