Secret to Becoming a Queen Surgeon

Today is 8 March, the Queen’s Day. Dr. Sun Xuemin, a surgeon from Shanghai United Family Hospital，tells about her way of becoming a doctor and brings female health knowledge to all queens!
And teach you how to be a queen!

Q: How did you become a female surgeon?

A: Honestly, I’ve never thought about this question. But if I  think about it, I guess it is attributed greatly to the environment that I was raised in and that cultivated my personality. Comparatively, I was more independent and lively than other children and I loved handicraft, which may account for my choice to become a surgeon. After spending so many years doing surgery, I find myself loving it more than ever. Every blade is an effort to extend life.

Q: Is your family behind you?

A: As a female surgeon, you sacrifice a lot. You don’t have that much time to care for your family. I am so fortunate that my family tends to be the best source of strong support. My parents and parents-in-law support and care for me, and my husband also understands me. My kid is big enough to understand why I’m so busy and seen less all the time, let alone playing with him.

Q: Are there a lot of emergency incidents?

A: It’s the nature of my job to handle many patients in emergency and many dangerous conditions when they need surgical intervention. Although many patients are sent to the hospital in the middle of the night, we must ensure that the injured are treated first, so duty shifts are a necessary and important part of this job. Sometimes even if we are not on duty, we must come and treat patients. It can really be described as working day and night. Sometimes even my family have no idea when I left home, but they are accustomed to my “irregular disappearance” (laughing aloud).

Q: It’s known to us that you’re now focusing on the field of breasts. Do you have any words to share regarding how to protect breasts since it’s 8 March today?

A: I’ve been a doctor for more than twenty years and have been engaged in breast surgery for fifteen years. From a professional point of view, breast diseases should be the biggest concern for females regarding their health. Unfortunately however, many have neglected this point. I regret to say that there is a significant proportion of female patients having symptoms that are no longer in the early stages when they seek for treatment.

Women play more than one role in social life, which requires us to care more for ourselves. Our health is associated with the happiness of one or more families. I suggest all women over 30 accept routine breast examinations 1-2 times a year.

Diet:

A healthy diet involves balanced foods. We need to supplement high-quality protein. Meat is indispensable but cannot be consumed excessively. Moderation is recommended, same for seafood and soy products. In addition, I have to clarify one dietary misunderstanding to females. Soy milk is very good for women, even those with lobular hyperplasia can drink soy milk. There is no problem with it. Soy milk meets females’ demands for calcium and is also helpful to relieve lobular hyperplasia.

Exercise:

Many women are keen on weight loss. Appropriate and regular aerobic exercise is necessary. Weight loss alone is not the standard for health and it may lead to the decline of physical tolerance and resistance. Real health lies in the body fat ratio and ample muscle mass, so appropriate strength exercise is also necessary. From the perspective of breast health, yoga, aerobics, chest exercise, and upper extremities exercise can all promote and help chest blood circulation. Finally, to prevent breast diseases, we do not suggest chest massage with essential oil. Frequent presses may increase irritation to the mammary gland. If early lesions are not detected in time, such massages may accelerate the development of breast diseases.

Self-check:

Women can perform self-checks regularly to detect problems in time.

Time: Around the time when the menstrual flow becomes clean each month

Method: Lie on the bed. Check the right breast with the left hand and vice versa. Press the breast gently clockwise. Do not forget any parts, including the nipple area. In addition, examine the armpits by crossing hands to gently press alongside the armpit. In this way, unusual pain points, small lumps and other issues can be basically discovered.

Today is special for women. As a doctor and a female, I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday. I would also like to say happy holiday to all female medical workers like me. I hope all women become healthier for only health can give birth to beauty. May everyone be healthy and beautiful forever!