Pure Ecstasy

Highlight of the day: After the surgeries were over, Savannah and I joined the Dr. Hayfeld, his wife, and the anesthesiologist for a snack. They ordered us "ecstasy juice," which was basically just a mixture of fresh fruits, but jokes were still made about the drug, ecstasy, as well. 
    
     I have to be honest here: I was beyond nervous to watch a surgery. I had never been inside the operating room and not been the patient on the table. I had butterflies in my stomach, but once the first cut was made, I knew I wanted to be in that room. Dr. Hayfeld made the environment really comfortable for us. He spoke English, but I tried to speak to him in Spanish as much as I could. Sometimes it is hard when doctors speak English, because they want to practice their English as much as I want to practice my Spanish. Dr. Hayfeld played upbeat music during the procedure. While we were waiting to go in, Savannah and I heard classical music coming out of an OR for a cesarean section. Music seemed to be a big part of each doctor's OR.

The vacuum looking device
was used for the liposuction.

      The first surgery was a lipectomy on an older man around 60 years old. The surgery itself took less than 30 minutes from the first cut to the last stitch. I was surprised it went by so quickly.  Before I knew it, the next patient was entering the room. This patient was in his early twenties, and he was getting liposuction done on his chest. The fat in his chest settled unevenly, so he wanted it removed. This surgery took a little bit longer, but Dr. Hayfeld found it much more boring. He said he liked surgeries with more blood and that were more of a challenge. He has about four or five liposuctions a month, which I thought was pretty low considering he works at a private hospital. Dr. Hayfeld told me and Savannah that he used to work at a public hospital, and there he performed almost no elective surgeries.

I gave DJ my camera at dinner
and we had a photoshoot. 

     At Hospital Puebla, there is a decent amount of medical tourism. Often it is cheaper to go abroad to receive a treatment if insurance in the United States will not cover it. In the northern states of Mexico, medical tourism is much more prevalent because of the proximity to the United States. Dr. Hayfeld and his wife were telling us that sometimes tourists have bad surgeries by doctors who pose as plastic surgeons or another specialty to receive money. This has become a serious problem in Mexico. We were all discussing this at a doctors' only cafe outside the doctors' dressing rooms. The doctors can order any food or drink they want, and they don't have to pay for it! This is a prime example of the differences between public and private hospitals. The doctors are revered, and the work is much more relaxed. Dr. Hayfeld said he performs two to three short surgeries a day or maybe one long surgery. He is given plenty of time to rest, and he really seems to enjoy his job. I hope one day I find a specialty I love as much as he loves plastic surgery. 

     After we got back, Savannah and I got lunch at UDLAP and then met up with the guys to walk around and get dinner. I apparently have a problem because I can't stop buying things when we go out. Today my purchase was a 500 mL bottle of Mexican vanilla. I'm so excited to go home and make a homemade vanilla cake!