My First Post-Autopsy
That was definitely an incredibly cool experience!
Please don't repeat anything I have written here. If you can read this, then I trust you not to repeat anything.
I got to the FH kind of late. I had to get my books at the college for this semester first. I had a late lunch but was starting to get hungry. I got to the FH and I told N*** before we started I had to eat, because it was one of those hungers that creep up on you that suddenly you are dying for food, so we had to wait for my food to be delivered and stuff (Subway) before we could begin. I was really hesitant to what I was going see and smell most of all.
I don't know the spelling but we started with the visceral bag (all the organs that was removed.) I have no problem with seeing and touching stuff but the smell was pretty foul. It smelled like...red meat juices. That's all how I could describe it. N*** went through all the organs and I was actually good at knowing what was what, and I was surprised the way some looked and the textures and all. The liver is heavier than I expected. We had to get the organs into another bag and make sure they were cut up (they pretty much already were from the ME's office) so they could absorb all of the preservation fluid. The worst part was going through the intestine, because those we did have to cut up and the smell was soooo foul. Just poop, basically. But nothing smells more offensive than poop that isn't yours! LOL Seriously though, it made me want to skip the red meat and ribs section of the grocery store the next time I shop. It looks TOO much like all the stuff packaged there. Brain reminded me of tofu. Not that I ever had tofu, but just the texture and color of it. Lungs feel neat. The liver grossed me out, only because I could just recall the disgusting taste of the chopped liver I tried at my final Holocaust class. That is the nastiest stuff!
N*** would refer to the body as a "canoe", and I could see why. It's just a hollowed-out inside. Looking at the muscles, I was trying to recall some of my human biology stuff...it was almost like it wasn't a real person. It was just, amazing to see. He pointed out the arteries, and I kind of liked how easily accessable they were from the inside of the body with nothing in the way, so he showed where the cannulas go and we injected her with the fluid, one leg and one arm at a time and finishing up with her head. She took the fluid soooo well. The thing with her being cut up, was that there would be little pin-sized holes (blood vessels) and the fluid would come shooting out, so he was having me grab clamps to pinch them off. Well the clamps are designed for right-handed use and I'm left-handed. I had a hard time with them and when I did use my right hand, I was too uncoordinated to get to the pin-hole exactly. I mentioned this to N*** and he brushed it off like, well, just start using your right hand. We had this discussion one before, because everything he showed me I'd have a hard time doing because he shows with his right but I try it with my left and it's all wierd and not right...and he offended me then with the whole: well it's a right-handed world and you need to adjust and this business is geared for right-handers and all that mess and it made me kind of offended. It made me think of the children long ago that had their parents and teachers force them to use their right hands if they were left handed. So anyhow, he went on how he can do stuff with his left hand easy and I explained that I could use my right hand, but when it comes to fine motor skills, like writing, stitching, or clamping a vessel it feels more natural to use my left. I told him telling me to "just use my right" is like telling a right handed person to "just use your left" and unless that person is ambidextrious (sp???) it's not that easy. I'm not saying I can't use my right, I'm sure in time I will adjust but right now it's just getting used to it and it slows me down.
With an autopsy, they of course cut open the skull, but her skull was in pieces. She had died in a car accident and it was obvious she had a head injury. I felt really sorry for her and her family, and was glad we could work on her. I mean, I know there is nothing else we can do for them when they are already dead, but it's nice to take care of someone's body in a way to give them some dignity and be able to have them presentable for their family to see them one last time.
N*** restored her skull and scalp and I stitched her back up. Oh my gosh that was sooo much work. Not to mention I'm not fast at it. N*** said I have student stitches...they are all even and perfect and they don't have to be. I told him that I cross-stitch and knit and it seems natural to make each stitch even with the next. Maybe in time I'll get over that. I was getting so frustrated stitching, because it seemed to get harder and harder to get the needle through, or maybe I was getting more tired. My hands hurt trying to push it through. I practiced the baseball stitch, the hidden stitch and the worm-stitch (which I'm still pretty bad at.)
I have to agree with N*** when he said last night when we were done that there is nothing more gratifying than taking someone that was in her condition as she was and making her look human again.
I got home about midnight...I had a long day yesterday. My right index finger is sore from either pushing the needle through or pulling the string tight. I mean, it looks bruised, and it's swollen and tender. I think I can see why N*** complains his finger goes numb now, and he has a callous from stitching. Guess I will soon, too.
So tomorrow we go to the anatomy board. I saw a little blurb of the title, it's called Anatomy Board Dissected and it looks like they just thought of a cute title but it's going to be about policies and procedures...to be honest it sounds boring and not worth having to be in the city by 7:30 am but N*** really wants to go and wants me to go, too.
I need a nap. *yawn*
Please don't repeat anything I have written here. If you can read this, then I trust you not to repeat anything.
I got to the FH kind of late. I had to get my books at the college for this semester first. I had a late lunch but was starting to get hungry. I got to the FH and I told N*** before we started I had to eat, because it was one of those hungers that creep up on you that suddenly you are dying for food, so we had to wait for my food to be delivered and stuff (Subway) before we could begin. I was really hesitant to what I was going see and smell most of all.
I don't know the spelling but we started with the visceral bag (all the organs that was removed.) I have no problem with seeing and touching stuff but the smell was pretty foul. It smelled like...red meat juices. That's all how I could describe it. N*** went through all the organs and I was actually good at knowing what was what, and I was surprised the way some looked and the textures and all. The liver is heavier than I expected. We had to get the organs into another bag and make sure they were cut up (they pretty much already were from the ME's office) so they could absorb all of the preservation fluid. The worst part was going through the intestine, because those we did have to cut up and the smell was soooo foul. Just poop, basically. But nothing smells more offensive than poop that isn't yours! LOL Seriously though, it made me want to skip the red meat and ribs section of the grocery store the next time I shop. It looks TOO much like all the stuff packaged there. Brain reminded me of tofu. Not that I ever had tofu, but just the texture and color of it. Lungs feel neat. The liver grossed me out, only because I could just recall the disgusting taste of the chopped liver I tried at my final Holocaust class. That is the nastiest stuff!
N*** would refer to the body as a "canoe", and I could see why. It's just a hollowed-out inside. Looking at the muscles, I was trying to recall some of my human biology stuff...it was almost like it wasn't a real person. It was just, amazing to see. He pointed out the arteries, and I kind of liked how easily accessable they were from the inside of the body with nothing in the way, so he showed where the cannulas go and we injected her with the fluid, one leg and one arm at a time and finishing up with her head. She took the fluid soooo well. The thing with her being cut up, was that there would be little pin-sized holes (blood vessels) and the fluid would come shooting out, so he was having me grab clamps to pinch them off. Well the clamps are designed for right-handed use and I'm left-handed. I had a hard time with them and when I did use my right hand, I was too uncoordinated to get to the pin-hole exactly. I mentioned this to N*** and he brushed it off like, well, just start using your right hand. We had this discussion one before, because everything he showed me I'd have a hard time doing because he shows with his right but I try it with my left and it's all wierd and not right...and he offended me then with the whole: well it's a right-handed world and you need to adjust and this business is geared for right-handers and all that mess and it made me kind of offended. It made me think of the children long ago that had their parents and teachers force them to use their right hands if they were left handed. So anyhow, he went on how he can do stuff with his left hand easy and I explained that I could use my right hand, but when it comes to fine motor skills, like writing, stitching, or clamping a vessel it feels more natural to use my left. I told him telling me to "just use my right" is like telling a right handed person to "just use your left" and unless that person is ambidextrious (sp???) it's not that easy. I'm not saying I can't use my right, I'm sure in time I will adjust but right now it's just getting used to it and it slows me down.
With an autopsy, they of course cut open the skull, but her skull was in pieces. She had died in a car accident and it was obvious she had a head injury. I felt really sorry for her and her family, and was glad we could work on her. I mean, I know there is nothing else we can do for them when they are already dead, but it's nice to take care of someone's body in a way to give them some dignity and be able to have them presentable for their family to see them one last time.
N*** restored her skull and scalp and I stitched her back up. Oh my gosh that was sooo much work. Not to mention I'm not fast at it. N*** said I have student stitches...they are all even and perfect and they don't have to be. I told him that I cross-stitch and knit and it seems natural to make each stitch even with the next. Maybe in time I'll get over that. I was getting so frustrated stitching, because it seemed to get harder and harder to get the needle through, or maybe I was getting more tired. My hands hurt trying to push it through. I practiced the baseball stitch, the hidden stitch and the worm-stitch (which I'm still pretty bad at.)
I have to agree with N*** when he said last night when we were done that there is nothing more gratifying than taking someone that was in her condition as she was and making her look human again.
I got home about midnight...I had a long day yesterday. My right index finger is sore from either pushing the needle through or pulling the string tight. I mean, it looks bruised, and it's swollen and tender. I think I can see why N*** complains his finger goes numb now, and he has a callous from stitching. Guess I will soon, too.
So tomorrow we go to the anatomy board. I saw a little blurb of the title, it's called Anatomy Board Dissected and it looks like they just thought of a cute title but it's going to be about policies and procedures...to be honest it sounds boring and not worth having to be in the city by 7:30 am but N*** really wants to go and wants me to go, too.
I need a nap. *yawn*