Surgery is for the dogs

Took the dog in for a surgical consult this morning, and all good news. The tumor's benign, so until it affects him for reals, play it like Paul and let it be. He wanted to show me pictures of his own dog's tumor, which was remarkably similar. That guy has about 40 little tumors, all over his body; the vet described him as "a really lumpy dog." The doppleganger tumor is growing slowly, so he's planning to cut it out in the fall.

A surgeon operating on someone he or she knows is the ultimate act of getting personal. That's really getting under the hood, seeing literally what's in you. I wonder what's going on in that head of yours, let's take a look. Let's see what makes you tick, then clamp its brachiocephalic artery. Can I really ever know my wife if I don't remove her appendix?

(A surgical strike about actual surgery: 10 points.)