"I am on the edge of mysteries and the veil is getting thinner and thinner." Louis Pasteur
I am alive today and so are my children because of modern medicine.
Almost thirty years ago, in spite of my desire for natural childbirth, my oldest daughter was born via C-section, (as were my son and second daughter.) There was no question in the room that day about what the outcome would have been only a few decades earlier. There would have been a note somewhere in the family history stating, "Neither mother nor child survived."
Last week I had surgery. The good people at University of Utah Medical Center performed an inguinal hernia repair with mesh placement. Unlike that first childbirth experience, no life-threatening condition prompted this surgery. Instead, a defect was repaired -- something that had been bothering me, causing minor aches, twinges and worry about the future. This relatively simple intervention prevents potential serious problems later in my life.
I could go on and on about this subject. For instance, I am amazed with something as simple as intravenous Ancef given pre-operatively -- an antibiotic medication timed for the moment when a surgeon's scalpel initially breaches the natural barrier of the skin, the moment of greatest risk for introduction of pathogens into the sterile environment beneath. This practice was initiated as a result of careful observation and tedious research surrounding post-operative wound infections. As a nurse I am continually awed by the beauty and mystery of the human body with its perfect and complex structures, chemicals, processes and their harmonious interplay. I am equally awed by the evolution of science in the areas of anatomy, molecular biology, physiology, pathophysiology, immunology and all the other ologies. There is beauty and mystery in modern science equal to the beauty and mystery of humanity. Every day all over the world new discoveries are made, old discoveries are re-examined, greater knowledge and understanding is gained about the intricacies of the human body. I feel grateful for this today. And for ibuprofen.
Thank you, modern medicine. You're still saving my life.
I am alive today and so are my children because of modern medicine.
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| 2010- Luke, Sara, Lauren (Connor in Lauren's belly) |
Last week I had surgery. The good people at University of Utah Medical Center performed an inguinal hernia repair with mesh placement. Unlike that first childbirth experience, no life-threatening condition prompted this surgery. Instead, a defect was repaired -- something that had been bothering me, causing minor aches, twinges and worry about the future. This relatively simple intervention prevents potential serious problems later in my life.
I could go on and on about this subject. For instance, I am amazed with something as simple as intravenous Ancef given pre-operatively -- an antibiotic medication timed for the moment when a surgeon's scalpel initially breaches the natural barrier of the skin, the moment of greatest risk for introduction of pathogens into the sterile environment beneath. This practice was initiated as a result of careful observation and tedious research surrounding post-operative wound infections. As a nurse I am continually awed by the beauty and mystery of the human body with its perfect and complex structures, chemicals, processes and their harmonious interplay. I am equally awed by the evolution of science in the areas of anatomy, molecular biology, physiology, pathophysiology, immunology and all the other ologies. There is beauty and mystery in modern science equal to the beauty and mystery of humanity. Every day all over the world new discoveries are made, old discoveries are re-examined, greater knowledge and understanding is gained about the intricacies of the human body. I feel grateful for this today. And for ibuprofen.
Thank you, modern medicine. You're still saving my life.
1 comments:
Great post. I feel often take these simple wonders of modern medicine for granted. We don't know what it was like without them.
Love you my practicer of modern medicine friend.
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