Forbidden Fruit

Me : So how is it in the hospital? must be full fun na..
Friend : No yaar, gets boring max times.. we're not allowed to do anything major, just assist the docs.. (talks more similar stuff, indicating that internship in a hospital is not really that much fun!)
Me : So what exactly do you do these days?
Friend : I'm posted in anaesthesia, so we have to watch in the OT (operation theatre) how they induce it etc..
Me : Wow.. you know what - I have this crazy fantasy of going inside an OT someday!
Friend : Do you wanna come? You can come till I have my posting! My last day of posting is on Saturday, so this is really your last chance of doing something like this!
(There was a wide 100W smile on her face! And no, she wasn't insane!)
Me : Are you mad?! I mean, you can't really just take anyone inside the operation theatre, can you?!
Friend : Arre it's ok, no one cares! If anyone asks, just say you're an intern or extern, and they won't ask anything else!
Me : But they know you all, and so they'll easily know if someone is extra na? And what if they ask me to pass something to them - I don't even know the instruments and other stuff you use! They'll easily make out something is wrong! What if they ask for ID?
Friend : Arre no one is bothered, the docs and assistants are doing the surgery, and we'll just stay a bit back, and they rarely ask for our help - interns are not valued much re, so we're just watching things only, not doing anything at all - we read books, msg etc, inside the OT, so it's all a relaxed environment!
Me : But if they find out something like this, we both will be in trouble yaar!
Friend : They won't find out, and if they do, max they'll kick you out! Just stick with me, and do everything I do and nothing will happen.. My batch mate has smuggled one non-medico inside once before also!
Me : oh.. let's see..
(Except for the language and detailing, the convo is pretty accurate to what took place!)

This conversation took place between a medico friend and me last Wednesday. This was big - she was offering to covertly sneak me into an OT! Too tempting to resist; I did give in!

Yesterday morning, as decided, I met her at the hospital gate, and we drove inside, parked, and were walking towards the hospital building. In 10 mins, I was in a corridor, leading towards the OT area. We removed our shoes, and she took me to the MOT - some place where they just dump their bags, have cupboards etc - sort of like a retirement room. So far so good - in case someone doubted me, I could still just say that I've come to meet my friend and cook up some explanation as to why I was meeting her in the MOT and not the canteen! She then asked me to wait while she arranged for the OT gown, mask, cap and slippers. Ironically, and conveniently, all this became my cover for sneaking inside, rather than the patient's protection against infection! Now I was fitting in the crowd - no one could even see my face, and I could easily pass off as one of the interns. I just had to keep my mouth shut, and stay behind the crowd with my friend.


Then the guided tour started. We went straight inside an OT where a surgery was in progress. I was bit unsure at first, but everything was more reassuring in a few minutes. The surgeon and his team were quietly doing their job, the nurse assisting them, few interns simply sitting in some corner chatting, talking and texting on their phones etc.. It was true - no one cared or even noticed my presence! My friend and a couple of her friends started discussing something about the surgery and why it was done etc (there was a hilarious turn of understanding in some time, read ahead) She then told them I was a non-medico and they gave a surprised "aha?!" smile! I clicked a few pics of the room with my cell. I was watching the surgery on the LCD on the far wall, and at times going closer to the table and looking at it. I then asked my friend what it was all about. She said it was a vaginoplasty and that they were repairing and reconstructing that area etc.

Then after a while we went to the adjacent OT, where some poor guy was being operated upon for oral cancer or something, and they were operating his mouth and lip area. Funny part is, there was music playing in the OT - yes, music! either the radio or someone's cellphone was singing some hep hindi song! I couldn't resist laughing behind my mask!

We returned to the first OT. My friend and her colleagues picked up the case file and again started discussing something in little-understandable medico lingo! She came laughing towards me and spilt out the new understanding - the patient was a guy (!), who had testosterone intolerance, and hence his male organs were removed, and now they were constructing a vagina! She said even she hadn't seen such an operation before, and it was uncommon, if not very rare.

After sometime we went to see a couple of other patients being given anaesthesia prior to the surgery. One of them was an old woman and the other a young man. On the whole, the experience was great! One of the reasons, admittedly, is also that few people get to see the inside of an OT unless they are on the table themself (!), or are of medico background. Indeed forbidden fruit is sweetest!