Back to blogging!

So much has gone on here, and I have been keeping busy, so it is hard to find time to sit down, process it, and write about it!

I think I might stick to some shorter posts for now--observations, interesting patients, etc, and realize that to cover it all would be impossible (and certainly boring for readers), so I'll concentrate on sticking to the highlights!

Last week I had two days in the OR with Dr. Wu. It was fun! I assisted her on Thursday, and it was nice to see her operate up close, as she does a few things differently from the way I was trained. She is an amazing surgeon! Regarding phaco, she sits superiorly almost always (I usually sit temporally). She also makes her main wound before inserting viscoelastic as long as she can tell the anterior chamber is deep. It seems to work well for her... Otherwise not too many variations in surgical technique. We are still  working on the Chinese medical license...will cross my fingers.

Cassie, me, Dr. Wu, and Mandy with our final cataract patient of the day!

They have a LenSx here! It is pricey for the patients, so it isn't used all that much, but we did have three cases on this particular day.

That evening, my friend Rosie wanted to take me out for American food. She had been wanting to do this for awhile, so Thursday was the day! She and I caught a bus from the hospital and took it across town. The bus was PACKED! (It was rush hour, after all). I love Sichuan food, and hadn't particularly been craving American food (or so I thought).

She and I met up with her fiancée, Tony, who was so nice! The three of us went to Peters, which is a Tex Mex chain here (I don't know if it exists in the US). It was really fun, and after dinner, I realized that "American" food totally hit the spot! Rosie knew exactly what I needed. It was really fun to meet Tony too.

Texas style! Tony and Rosie (they are getting married this coming weekend!)

Brewskies

Sign to the Ladies' Room. I took this one for my dear Texas friends, Anne and Cat!

Me and Rosie

Afterwards, we went out and a car was waiting for us... Tony had used Uber to get us home. It seems that Uber came to Chengdu about 8 to 10 months ago, and apparently it is quite popular. I had never used Uber before, so that was also a new experience.

We had a great time and they were so nice to me. Everyone wants to pay for everything here! I told Rosie and Tony that it was MY treat, and they INSISTED over and over that I couldn't pay. Argh. Next time!