🇸🇮 (slovensko zgoraj) // 🇬🇧 (english below)
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🇸🇮
Marsikdo ob omembi lepotne kirurgije pomisli na plehke zahteve po ožjem pasu, večji zadnjici ter bujnejših prsih, polnejših ustnicah, ostrih ličnicah ter manj gubah. Ta knjiga razkriva, da temu niti približno ni tako. Iznakažen obraz. Mastektomija. Življenje brez nog ali rok. Amputiran nos. Kdo pa bi se s tem zlahka spopadel?
Dr. Uroš Ahčan nas s svojo knjigo povabi tako na svoje delovno mesto, kot tudi v svoje zasebno življenje (oziroma pomanjkanje le tega, če smo kruto iskreni). Knjiga me je vase posrkala bolj, kot bi si lahko mislila. Sploh kot študentki psihologije mi je odprla oči, kako zelo se naš zunanji izgled prepleta z notranjim doživljanjem. Med ljudmi v 'mojem fohu' prevladuje mišljenje, da je le notranjost tista, ki je pomembna. Sedaj na srečo (svojo in tisto mojih bodočih klientov) vem, da stvar le ni tako preprosta.
Knjiga mi je prav tako pokazala, da niso (vsi) kirurgi brezčutni roboti, ki jih zanima le meso, medtem ko pozabljajo na obstoj duše. S ponosom sem prebirala dele, kjer se je dr. Uroš Ahčan potrudil biti več, kot le gospod, ki vihti skalpel ter je s pomočjo svojih sodelavcev bolnikom zagotovil celostno oskrbo - tudi psihološko. Kot je sam zapisal na stoštirideseti strani: "tudi kirurgija mora imeti srce, dušo, in ne samo statistike in številk".
Res pa je, da me vsa poglavja niso pritegnila enako intenzivno. Čez določena (sploh tista, vezana na študij in poučevanje medicine) sem se prebijala s težkimi očmi. Vendar pa bodo morda nekomu drugemu ravno ta najbolj zanimiva, vsak ima namreč svoje preference.
V tej knjigi sem prav tako prvič zasledila imena mnogih slovenskih kirurških prvakinj in prvakov ter njihove revolucionarne posege in znanstvene dosežke. Ki so v tujini očitno dosti bolj ravzpiti, kot na domačih tleh. Že zgolj iz vidika informiranja o tem, kako priznana je slovenska kirurgija, se mi zdi, da branje te knjige obogati naše poznavanje slovenskih dosežkov. Ki pa ne pomembno, ker se lahko čisto vsak kadarkoli znajde na operacijski mizi in prav je, da se zaveda, da ni nobene potrebe po potovanjih do nemških, angleških ali turških bolnišnic - od tam prihajajo do nas, oziroma naše kirurge vabijo tja.
Ker seveda ne morem iz svoje kože, sem se v določene dele knjige poglobila celo preveč in se prepričala, da lahko iz njih razberem Ahčanove osebne poglede na svet, s katerimi pa se nisem strinjala v celoti. Dvoživkarstva, na primer, ne podpiram in njegovi razlogi zakaj je slednje dobro se mi zdijo manipulatorski in le poskus reklame za njegovo zasebno prakso (kakor lahko hitro začnemo dojemati celotno knjigo). Tudi Ahčanova žena je zaposlena z zdravstvu in se sooča s podobnimi, če ne kar identičnimi izzivi kot njen mož, pa ne odmisli otrok, zakona, staršev in družinskih ter gospodinjskih obveznosti, kot si to zaradi svoje 'pomembnejše' kariere dopusti avtor (tudi v zahvali, kar se mi zdi nadvse žalostno). Tekom knjige med vrsticami - vsaj po moji interpretaciji - prav tako nakaže na svoj v mnogo pogledih konzervativen, celo nazadnjaški pogled ne le na svet, temveč tudi na posege, vezane na medicino (splav ter spolna tranzicija sta mi ostala najbolj v spominu). Na splošno je ob poglobljenem branju v knjigi možno zelo hitro najti neskladja med tem, kar dr. Ahčan počne in kaj pridiga drugim, da je treba početi.
Vendar je moje mesto le, da ocenim knjigo, kaj več pa ne in vsakemu bralcu priporočam, da si osebno mnenje ustvari sam, ne pa z branjem prejšnjega odstavka. Lahko rečem le, da bi mu kot kirurgu zaupala popolnoma, kot oseba pa se mi ne zdi nikakršen svetnik, kot se rad prikazuje s skrbno, celo preskrbno, da bi bile iskrene, izbranimi besedami, s katerimi si piha na dušo.
Pa da še malo pokritiziram: Bokunove ilustracije me sploh niso navdušile - izpadle so preveč računalniško (skoraj AI) generirane, v njih pa ni bilo prepoznati niti trohice truda. Resnična škoda, saj so imele potencial. So se mi pa zdele čudovito dopolnilo h knjigi QR kode, ki so vodile do dodatnih video vsebin: kaj se je dogajalo med posameznimi primeri, kako je potekalo zdravljenje ter kakšna so doživljanja pacientov. Njihova edina težava je le, da nikakor ne moremo vedeti, kdaj bo tehnologija napredovala ali se sesula do mere, ko ne bodo več dostopne.
Čeprav sem knjigo brala in si posnetke ogledovala z velikim zanimanjem, pa sem spoznala, da je moja odločitev, da se ne vpišem na medicinsko fakulteto, bila več kot pravilna. Vsem medicinskim sestram, zdravnikom in kirurgom: kapo dol!
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🇬🇧
When people think of cosmetic surgery, they often associate it with superficial desires for a slimmer waist, larger buttocks, fuller breasts, plumper lips, sharper cheekbones, and fewer wrinkles. This book reveals that the reality is far from that. A disfigured face. Mastectomy. Life without legs or arms. An amputated nose. Who would find it easy to cope with such things?
Through his book, dr. Uroš Ahčan not only into his workplace but also into his private life (or, if we are brutally honest, the lack thereof). This book drew me in more than I ever expected. As a psychology student, it opened my eyes to just how deeply our external appearance intertwines with our inner experiences. Within my field, it is commonly believed that only the inner self truly matters. Now, fortunately - for both myself and my future clients - I understand that the matter is not so simple.
The book also challenged the stereotype that surgeons are emotionless robots, solely focused on flesh while disregarding the soul. I was proud to read the sections where Dr. Uroš Ahčan made an effort to be more than just a man wielding a scalpel and, with the help of his colleagues, provided patients with holistic care - including psychological support. As he himself wrote on page 140: "Surgery must also have heart and soul, not just statistics and numbers." [my own translation]
However, not all chapters captivated me equally. Some sections, especially those related to studying and teaching medicine, were a struggle to get through. But perhaps these will be the most fascinating to someone else, as everyone has their own preferences.
This book also introduced me to the names of many Slovenian surgical pioneers and their groundbreaking procedures and scientific achievements—accomplishments that seem to be more renowned abroad than in their homeland. Even just from an informational standpoint, this book enriches our knowledge of Slovenia’s medical accomplishments. And this matters because any one of us could find ourselves on an operating table someday, and it is important to know that there is no need to travel to German, English, or Turkish hospitals - many patients come to ours or invite our specialists there.
Of course, I couldn’t help but analyze certain parts of the book on a deeper level, attempting to decipher Dr. Ahčan’s personal views on the world - some of which I did not fully agree with. For example, I do not support dual practice (working both in public and private healthcare), and his justifications for it seemed manipulative to me, as if they were merely an attempt to advertise his private practice (which, admittedly, is how the entire book could be perceived). Additionally, his wife is also employed in the healthcare field and faces similar - if not identical - challenges as her husband, yet she does not neglect their children, marriage, parents, and household duties in favor of her ‘more important’ career, as the author does (even in acknowledgments, which is trully sad). Between the lines - at least from my interpretation - he also reveals his conservative, even regressive views on the world and medical procedures (abortion and gender transition stood out to me the most). In general, when reading closely, one can quickly find inconsistencies between what Dr. Ahčan preaches to others and what he actually practices himself.
However, my role is merely to review the book, nothing more. I encourage every reader to form their own opinion rather than relying on my previous paragraph. I can only say that I would trust him completely as a surgeon, but as a person, he does not seem like the saint he carefully - almost too carefully - chooses his words to portray himself as.
And now, just a little bit more of criticism: Bokun’s illustrations did not impress me at all - they looked too computer-generated (almost AI-like), and I couldn’t discern even a hint of genuine effort in them. A real shame, as they had potential. On the other hand, I found the QR codes in the book a fantastic addition, leading to extra video content showing what happened in various cases, how treatments progressed, and patients’ experiences. The only issue is that we can never predict how technology will evolve or collapse rendering them inaccessible in the future.
Even though I read this book and watched the videos with great interest, I also realized that my decision not to enroll in medical school was the right one. To all the nurses, doctors, and surgeons out there - I take my hat off to you!