Today morning rounds was going fine till that bad news came, the patient who underwent resection anastomosis developed an entero-atmospheric fistula. This young guy had undergone 3-4 laparotomies in the past and came to us with multiple entero-cutaneous fistulas. Adding to that his histopathology report has come positive for cancer with positive margins.
Another young lady, who is the mother of two small kids has got inoperable rectal cancer with rectovaginal fistula, she underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and we did a diverting colostomy for her.
For some people, normal life is never meant. This is the raw truth of life. A visit to pediatric surgery or oncology ward can make one depressed. They just get crushed before they know what life is like. But these young people, they have tasted the life, they have just grown up and started their independent life and then suddenly it is all shattered.
Well, seeing patients with stomas and fistulas daily had started to make me think, that it is not that difficult to live with it. But two days of severe gastro enteritis made me realize how tough it is. The embarrassment they has to go through every day. Compelled to live with the smell of stool from unnatural sites and the incontinence, make life tough for the patients and the near ones.
So what can I do? Direct them to stoma clinic and advice on proper stoma care. Give them motivation and comfort. Try to create good stomas. Yes, there are so many things these patients teach us during these years of residency.
Another young lady, who is the mother of two small kids has got inoperable rectal cancer with rectovaginal fistula, she underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and we did a diverting colostomy for her.
For some people, normal life is never meant. This is the raw truth of life. A visit to pediatric surgery or oncology ward can make one depressed. They just get crushed before they know what life is like. But these young people, they have tasted the life, they have just grown up and started their independent life and then suddenly it is all shattered.
Well, seeing patients with stomas and fistulas daily had started to make me think, that it is not that difficult to live with it. But two days of severe gastro enteritis made me realize how tough it is. The embarrassment they has to go through every day. Compelled to live with the smell of stool from unnatural sites and the incontinence, make life tough for the patients and the near ones.
So what can I do? Direct them to stoma clinic and advice on proper stoma care. Give them motivation and comfort. Try to create good stomas. Yes, there are so many things these patients teach us during these years of residency.
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