Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 34

34. Keep Your Wits About You

“Hold the uterus (womb) carefully. I’ll operate in the meantime.”

“Yes!”

Lee Chan-hee held the uterus carefully, looking as disciplined as a new recruit in training camp.

“Think of it as your own life and hold it carefully, Doctor Lee.”

“Yes, sir! Understood.”

He felt a little bad for making the first assistant, a resident, just hold the uterus, but it was unavoidable for the surgery.

Of course, it wasn’t about dramatically lifting the precious uterus attached to the body. It was about slightly lifting it to the side to improve the field of vision.

In fact, in past surgeries on pregnant women, there had never been a case where the appendix wasn’t visible like this. That was why Tae-kyung was so flustered earlier.

They had looked at the ultrasound beforehand and had a rough idea of the location, but no matter how much they searched, it wasn’t there. So, they had no choice but to resort to this last resort.

‘Me, holding the uterus…….’

Unlike Tae-kyung, who felt a bit guilty, he didn’t feel that way at all.

‘Keep your wits about you.’

He had observed surgeries on pregnant women before, but this situation felt different.

Lee Chan-hee couldn’t fully concentrate on the surgery right now, nor could he focus on Tae-kyung’s fingertips.

Right now, not only his frontal lobe but also his hands, eyes, and all his nerves were focused solely on the uterus.

‘Why is my heart even pounding…….’

His concentration was so intense that the tension he had felt until just now was gone, replaced by a singular focus on the uterus.

‘Don’t even blink and handle it carefully.’

That’s because Lee Chan-hee didn’t think he was simply holding an organ right now.

‘Why is my heart so full and in awe?’

He felt like he was holding the most precious life itself, preparing to come out into the world from its mother’s womb.

“Doctor Lee is playing a big role.”

As Lee Chan-hee focused on a life more precious than his own, the surgery began to pick up speed.

“Thanks to Dr. Lee holding the uterus, we can see inside well.”

“I agree.”

Tae-kyung, with a now wider field of vision, began to push the small intestines aside and look for the appendix.

‘Appendix, where are you? Stop playing hard to get.’

After searching for about 3 minutes, the main character of the hide-and-seek finally appeared.

“You…… I found you.”

“Is it because the patient is a mother? This is the first time I’ve been so happy to see an appendix.”

“I feel the same way as Soo-ssam [Soo-ssam is likely a nickname or term of endearment used for a colleague].”

Upon finding the appendix, Doctors Euijin and Lim Jeong-sook chimed in with brighter tones.

“Wet gauze, please.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

First, they wrap the appendix with wet gauze. This is to prevent the contents from bursting out and causing complications in other organs.

“Doctor Lee? Are you holding the uterus well?”

“…….”

“Doctor Lee? Lee Chan-hee!”

“Ah, yes. No problem.”

“Keep your wits about you. What should we do after finding the appendix?”

Tae-kyung asked Lee Chan-hee while diligently moving his hands.

“We need to find the artery that supplies blood to the appendix.”

“Correct. Focus on the uterus again. Shine the light closer.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Tae-kyung, who had been focused on finding the appendix, now set out to find the artery.

This artery is buried in the fatty membrane around the cecum, where the large intestine begins.

“Give me something to tie (suture for ligating blood vessels).”

Tae-kyung, having carefully checked the course of the artery by shining a light, makes a hole in the fatty membrane and ties it with thread.

Afterward, he carefully cuts away the fat around the appendix.

“Hemolock, please.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

While pulling the long, slender appendix upward, he clamps the boundary between the cecum, where the large intestine begins, and the appendix with a hemolock (a plastic clip that holds blood vessels in place, mainly 5mm).

“One more.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Tae-kyung clamped the end of the appendix with two clips in a row and then strongly ligated it with thread. As he resected the appendix, the smell of feces disappeared.

‘Whew! I feel so relieved.’

Tae-kyung feels a sense of joy that others don’t notice the moment the smell disappears.

This is because the cause that was troubling the patient has been accurately removed.

“I’ll disinfect it.”

After resecting the appendix, the large intestine side is disinfected with 10% povidone [an antiseptic solution].

“Now, all that’s left is to close it up. Let’s put the uterus back in place. Doctor Lee, the uter…….”

Tae-kyung, turning his head, was speechless with a surprised expression.

“Oh my goodness! Doctor Lee?”

“Doctor Lee, are you okay?”

“Is Doctor Lee crying?”

Doctors Euijin and Lim Jeong-sook were also surprised.

“C, crying? No.”

He wasn’t exactly crying, but tears were welling up in his eyes. However, Lee Chan-hee was too embarrassed to say that he was overwhelmed by the life he was holding in his hands.

“It must have been tough.”

“No. I’m fine.”

Unlike his words, Lee Chan-hee didn’t look fine at all.

His hands, which were supporting the uterus, were trembling like aspen leaves.

“The uterus is quite heavy.”

“Indeed, that weight is not easy to handle.”

Come to think of it, it made sense. Although it was a precious uterus, it was heavy with the placenta and amniotic fluid.

“No, it’s not heavy at all.”

Moreover, he had been holding it in an uncomfortable position above the abdomen, with his back bent and his arms outstretched, so it must have been very difficult.

It was also heartbreaking to think that he had been struggling so much without saying a word.

“Doctor Lee was holding it very safely. Shall we put it back in?”

“Yes, Doctor. You have to put it in carefully.”

Lee Chan-hee handed over the uterus, concentrating until the very end with his trembling hands.

“Doctor Lee protected this mother’s baby well.”

Tae-kyung held the received uterus and placed it back in its original place.

“I feel it every time I operate on a pregnant woman, but the uterus is so precious.”

Everyone nodded at Nurse Lim Jeong-sook’s words.

All lives are precious, but the fetus in the womb is always especially precious.

“Doctor Jung, did you say the baby’s nickname is Blessing?”

“Yes. They said it came like a blessing after 10 years, so they named it Blessing.”

“I heard that the fetus’s hearing develops enough to respond to external sounds at 24 weeks, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Around this time, they can respond to external sounds.”

“Blessing, I’m sorry for making it noisy with the surgery sounds. Grow up healthy and strong in the future.”

Tae-kyung, wishing for the baby’s health, closed the abdomen with Lee Chan-hee and finished the surgery.

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“You’ve all done a great job.”

* * *

“Ah~ Mr. Tasseu [Likely a playful mispronunciation of ‘Maestro’ or a similar term], why is the world like this?”

“You’re singing a tune again today?”

The intensive care unit nurse greeted Oh Gye-soon, who was standing in front of the meal cart.

“I can’t live without my songs. I don’t know how our Huna-ssi [likely a term of endearment] sings so well.”

“That’s right. My parents love it so much.”

“They say that when you get old, trot music [a genre of Korean pop music] is ‘We Are The World’.”

“I think that’s really true.”

“By the way, I’ve brought finely ground beef porridge for that patient Gye-hoon, so tell him to eat a little more today.”

“I’m sorry. The patient said he really wanted to eat beef porridge.”

Oh Gye-soon made a special meal separately for the intensive care unit patient who had been asking for beef porridge for days.

“Why is that Nurse Go feeling sorry? It’s okay.”

“Still.”

“It’s okay. The guardian also buys the ingredients, and our hospital doesn’t have as many patients as a university hospital.”

“That’s true, but it’s still a hassle.”

“And when people are sick, their appetite disappears, so they should eat what they want to get better quickly.”

“You’re the best, Ms. Oh.”

“Feed the patients.”

Oh Gye-soon, passing through the intensive care unit and the guardian waiting room next to the operating room, stopped again.

“Please, let Seon-i’s surgery go well.”

It was because of the man who was sobbing with his hands together.

“He was crying earlier, and he’s still crying.”

“Please let him wake up well from anesthesia after the surgery. I pray.”

“If the guardian cries like that, all the energy will be drained. Wipe away your tears quickly.”

The man looked up because of the handkerchief that Oh Gye-soon had placed in his hand.

“I’m the hospital chef. I came in because I was passing by and you were crying so sadly that it reminded me of my youngest son.”

“Th, thank you.”

“It seems like a family member is having surgery. Is your wife having surgery?”

“How did you know…….”

“Usually, when a young man cries seriously, it’s mostly his wife who’s having surgery, isn’t it? I’ve been working at the hospital for a long time, so I can tell roughly at a glance.”

“Now that I hear you say that, you’re right.”

“It seems like you’re newlyweds, is your wife very sick?”

“That’s…….”

Oh Gye-soon said to herself as she watched the man, who was choked up again at the mention of his wife.

‘Does his wife have cancer? What a pity for a young person.’

“Actually, my wife is pregnant right now.”

“Oh my. Is she having surgery while pregnant?”

“Yes, so I’m very worried.”

“Why wouldn’t you be? I don’t know what kind of illness it is, but the surgery will go well.”

“Yes, I think so too, but it’s my first time with appendicitis surgery…….”

“Did you just say appendicitis surgery?”

“Yes, my wife is having appendicitis surgery right now.”

“Oh! Don’t worry, baby’s daddy. I was crying so sadly that I was worried it might be cancer.”

Oh Gye-soon suddenly changed her expression and started to speak passionately, getting up from her seat.

“I had surgery when I was pregnant with my youngest son.”

“Oh, really? You’ve been through a lot.”

“I had breast cancer. I had my right breast removed, so it’s gone.”

Oh Gye-soon lightly tapped her right chest and continued to speak.

“Back then, medical care wasn’t as developed as it is now, so the doctors told me to have surgery and chemotherapy quickly. But that meant giving up our child, and I couldn’t do that. I stubbornly insisted that I would give birth and then do it, even if I died.”

“You must have had a hard time.”

“No. I didn’t even know it was hard because I was only thinking about my baby in my belly. Maybe the wife who is having surgery right now feels the same way as I did.”

There were many labels such as person, woman, foul-mouthed grandma, and restaurant owner, but Oh Gye-soon was also a mother.

She already knew that the courage and love given by the label ‘mother’ were so great that they transcended the universe.

“That’s right. My wife doesn’t care about herself when it comes to Blessing.”

“See? Korean mothers are this strong. And Korean doctors are so skilled that appendicitis is nothing. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you. I feel much better thanks to you.”

“Here! Drink this bottle.”

Ms. Choi handed over a bottle of fatigue recovery drink from her pocket.

“No, it’s okay.”

“I don’t give this to just anyone. The guardian has to be healthy to take good care of the patient.”

“Thank you.”

“The surgeon is coming over there. Looking at his expression, the surgery must have gone well. Cheer up, Blessing’s dad.”

“Thank you. ”

Ms. Choi pointed to Tae-kyung, who was coming in, and left the waiting room.

“Were you very worried?”

“No. Doctor, the surgery…….”

“What you see here is the problematic appendix that was in the patient’s body. As you can see, it has been removed well. The surgery also went well.”

“Really? Is our Blessing okay too?”

“Of course. There are no problems with the fetus either. You must have been more worried because of the patient’s underlying disease, but you don’t have to worry now.”

“Thank you. Doctor. Thank you so much.”

Only then could the husband, hearing Tae-kyung’s words, let go of his worries about his wife.

* * *

“Patient…… patient!?”

The mother barely lifted her heavy eyelids at the sound of someone constantly waking her up.

“Patient, patient, open your eyes? Can you hear me?”

“Where…… am I?”

The mother, with the anesthesia wearing off, seemed to be in a daze.

“The surgery went well, and you’re in the recovery room now.”

“Surgery…….”

“Oh my, patient!?”

The nurse was surprised by the mother’s sudden action and stopped her.