Prof. dr. hab. n. med. Wiesław Tarnowski, an outstanding surgeon, made the decision to study medicine quite spontaneously, after a short conversation with his colleague, who argued that it was a clean job because you were wearing a white coat all the time. Years later, with a diploma in his pocket, he found out that this is not the case.
Professional careerprof. dr. hab. n. med. Wiesław Tarnowski , an outstanding surgeon, currently the head of the Department of General, Oncological and Alimentary Surgery at the Independent Public Clinical Hospital. Witold Orłowski, CMKP in Warsaw, began by carrying a briefcase for Dr. Czesław Gągała, a talented surgeon.
- A friend who persuaded me to study medicine saved me from walking in rubber boots that he used to scare me with when I mentioned animal science - says prof. Tarnowski. - There were no doctors in my family, there was no such tradition. Father, brother and sister have chosen specific skills, they are builders. So when I went to medicine, I had no idea what this job was about. But when, in the first year of studies, the father of one of my friends invited us to his surgery ward, I knew that I had made the right choice. Later I started coming on duty to the hospital, the same hospital where I work now, I knew that I wanted to become a surgeon. And it stayed that way. The family accepted my choice. And today, when everyone is getting older, there are more and more reasons to appreciate what I do. But there is also another doctor in the family, because my sister graduated from dentistry.
It started with a bubble
After completing the specialization and completing an internship with Dr. Gągała, it was time to perform the operations on your own. The professor is unable to count how many he carried out. "Now I do 250-300 operations a year," he says. - Doctor Gągała taught me open surgery. A little later, I became interested in laparoscopy. The young doctor was fascinated by this method. At first, it was hard to imagine how three tiny holes in the abdomen could be operated, removed or fixed.
- I did my first laparoscopic surgeries together with Dr. Adam Ciesielski - recalls the professor. - It was fortunate for us that the so-called of the distribution board, we got a laparoscopic column. It was standing covered with a nice tableclothuntil we were ready to perform the first treatment. It was a gallbladder. Today, not only the vesicles are operated in this way, but also the intestines, large intestine, we perform bariatric surgeries and remove neoplastic lesions. 80% of the operations I do are laparoscopic.
Need to learn and teach
For Professor Tarnowski, it is not only personal training and acquiring new skills that is important. To encourage colleagues to gain knowledge, the professor introduced the practice of presenting an article from the latest medical literature on a daily basis. - 5-10 minutes is enough. The idea behind this idea is simple - says the professor. - We have approx. 250 working days a year. If someone covers one article each day, we all gain from it, because none of us is able to read so many articles in a year. Professor Tarnowski also spends a lot of time training his younger colleagues. - We organize many courses in our clinic - he says. - There are training courses for specialization. But my dream is that I don't have to do anything else. I wish I had a team trained so well that I could manage on my own. For over 8 years, since I am the head of the Clinic, I have managed to educate doctors who perform large surgeries. Operations they didn't even think about when they came to us. I am proud that the doctors from the clinic I run, go to international conventions, deliver papers, publish in professional press, are known, respected and appreciated.
I love Bond
- But not James - clarifies the professor. - He is my beloved dog, who has only a beauty of Bond. He is a black Labrador who is 14 years old. He has aged, but he is an invaluable friend. We went to school together for training. Sometimes I think I needed this school more than my dog. You can't imagine how much I found out about myself. Bond chose me to be his master. At first it annoyed me a bit because he was always close. Where I did not sit down, he sat next to it. As I changed places, he followed me. The professor also tells us the secret that Krystyna's wife is sometimes jealous of Bond. - Why don't you talk to me like that - he sometimes complains - he adds.
New treatment methods
The professor's passion for introducing new treatments to the clinic resulted in the surgical treatment of type 2 diabetes. - We have already developed several methods of treating type 2 diabetes - explains the professor. - One of them is that we implant the Tantalus II device laparoscopically. It is a small generator of electrical pulses that can be used by patients whose oral pills have stopped working. By implanting such a generator, we can prevent them from using insulin.For patients who use insulin, we recommend other methods, e.g. bypassing. But the effects of these treatments are spectacular. We have patients who took 100 units of insulin and now do not need to use it. Unfortunately, still too few people want to benefit from such treatment.
Adventure with bariatrics
Obesity is a problem that doctors face every day. It harms patients, and makes it significantly more difficult or even impossible for doctors to perform surgery.
- Treatment of obesity is difficult - explains the professor. - This is a multi-threaded problem, because apart from diet, it is also necessary to change thinking and attitudes. Sometimes a gastric reduction procedure is necessary to allow the patient to lose unnecessary kilograms. That is why I created Bariamed, a clinic where patients can receive comprehensive help from an internist, endocrinologist, proctologist, psychologist and dietician. Sometimes it doesn't take much for a patient to start losing weight. Recently, there was a patient who drank 8 liters of Coca-Cola every day. He weighed over 200 kilograms. When he realized that the sugar in the drink was killing him and gave it up, he lost over 15 kilograms in just 3 weeks. He decided it was a miracle. This is no miracle, just pure math. There is a table on the packaging of each product that informs about the content of protein, fat and sugar. Just read and do not eat anything with more than 10 g of sugar per 100 g of product. Effect? We will not be behind. Of course, with a normal diet.
According to an expertprof. dr hab. n. med. W. Tarnowski, head of the Department of General, Oncological and Alimentary Surgery at SPSK WarsawAbout myself In my childhood, I wanted to be…In my childhood, I mostly played football. But when I was in high school, I was going to the Agricultural University in Olsztyn, zootechnics.My three favorite books are …I am a crime fiction lover. But recently I have not read and listened to the brilliant radio play "Game of Thrones". I was also carried away by "The Hussite Trilogy" - a fantasy-historical novel by Andrzej Sapkowski. I spend a lot of time exploring professional literature, but I am happy to return to our classics - "Teutonic Knights" or "The Deluge".I first thought about medicine as a professional path …In my last year of high school … My mentors, guides during my studies and during the first years of work were …The first surgeon who made a great impression on me was Dr. Czesław Gągała, the head of my specialization. My second mentor was professor Edward Stanowski, from whom I learned laparoscopic surgery.The most important thing for a doctor is …Be honest with patients and what you do. Like a humanhe is honest, he learns constantly, because he knows that he should keep up with the news in order to help the sick more effectively.A good doctor should …Learn, be kind to the patient, not scare the sick, because The disease itself made these people quite scared.After work, most likely …I have a large plot of land where I am experimenting as a gardener. But I prefer to cut the grass. I bought a lawn mower that looks like a tractor. I sit on it and as I drive ahead I admire the mowing of the lawn. I also love using audiobooks. I live far from the hospital, so I like to listen to books on the way.In life I try to be …First of all, myself. Not pretending to be someone I am not.I don't tolerate at work …There are many things like that. I do not tolerate the stupidity that is common. I don't like just any job, because I think you have to do well or not do it at all. There is no room for improvisation in surgery. It also does not tolerate cheating. If someone makes a mistake, they should admit it. Then he will not hear an unpleasant word from me.If I had not become a doctor, I would be…I cannot imagine another job. I think I am addicted to the atmosphere of the operating room, teamwork.I am happy when …When I am riding a tractor, when I am with my relatives, when the dog is doing well, when the patients have no complications.
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