23/12/2025
A 23-year-old on the table.
A huge ovarian mass resting heavily over her o***y—smooth, deceptive, and full of unanswered questions.
Pre-op workup gave us no clear villain. Only 1 out of 4 tumor markers was raised.
Imaging sat uncomfortably in the grey zone.
The question that followed me into the operating theatre was not how to remove it—but whether the o***y could, or should, be saved.
At 23, an o***y is not just tissue.
It is time, possibility, fertility, hormones, future choices!
Every surgeon knows the weight of that responsibility.
Intra-operatively, the picture became clearer—and more complex.
What looked potentially salvageable also carried risk we could not ignore!
That moment—when data ends and judgement begins—is where surgery becomes deeply human.
I paused.
Made the intra-operative call to my gynae-onco colleague.
We discussed, debated, weighed oncologic safety against ovarian preservation. And then, together, we made the hardest call- to remove the o***y.
Not because it was easy.
But because it was right—for her long-term safety.
These are the decisions that don’t make it into textbooks.
They live quietly in surgeons’ diaries and late-night reflections.
Today was a reminder that
*Surgery is science
*Decision-making is art
*And teamwork is everything!
Grateful for collaborative colleagues.
Humbled by the trust patients place in us—often without knowing the battles fought on their behalf!
