Experiencing double inpatient surgeries

The writer underwent two inpatient surgeries at Korea University Anam Hospital over two years: bladder tumor removal on July 12, 2024, and robotic surgery for a growing adrenal-gland tumor on Aug. 28, 2026. Both tumors were ultimately found to be benign. The hospital stays also gave the writer observations about medical care, hospital routines and the demanding work of doctors and medical staff.

MRI measurements showed that the adrenal-gland tumor grew from 3.2 centimeters in 2021 to 3.9 centimeters in February 2026 and 4.3 centimeters in August 2026.

The first surgery lasted one hour, required a five-day hospitalization and was followed by regular outpatient treatment for prostate-gland enlargement.

The second automated robotic surgery lasted three hours, and the writer was discharged after one week.

Presurgical evaluations included CT and MRI scans, cardiology and pulmonology visits, repeated medical tests and reviews of the tumor’s growth history.

Published Oct 6, 2026 12:00 pm KST

Updated Oct 6, 2026 2:55 pm KST

Despite being in my mid-80s, I have consecutively been hospitalized at the Korea University Anam Hospital (KUAH) over two-year interval for the first time in my lifetime. One was a conventional urology surgery where a cystoscopy tumor was detected. The other was thyroid surgery to check the diameter of a tumor attached to my left adrenal gland to determine whether it was benign or malignant.

The first traditional surgery was done for an hour on July 12, 2024 when I was hospitalized for five days to remove the worrisome tumor inside my urinary bladder. I remember it as the day before the assassination attempt against then U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The second automated robotic surgery took three hours on Aug. 28, 2026. I remember it being two days after the flash flood disaster in Nepal when doctors removed a tumor growing on my adrenal gland, and being discharged after a week. I had a lot of time waiting and staying as a patient that I tuned into world news.

Far before the first surgery was performed by the urology doctor in charge at KUAH, diverse presurgical tests, including CT and MRI measurements and cardiology and pulmonology visits to check whether the surgery for an elderly patient over 80 like me was acceptable or not. I underwent the first surgery with the consent of the doctor in charge. After the tumor was not found to be cancerous, I still visit KUAH regularly as an outpatient for treating my prostate gland enlargement.

Prior to the second surgery, the Thyroid Center at KUAH called me over again and induced me to repeat the same medical tests a couple of times more until sorting out the growing trend of the diameter of the tumor attached to my adrenal gland and even tracked my past records of its growth. MRI images showed that the diameter became larger from 3.2 centimeters in 2021 to 3.9 centimeters in February 2026 and again to 4.3 centimeters in August 2026, a growth of 0.4 centimeters within just half a year. I accepted the specialist’s solicitation for surgery reluctantly, with the consent of my family so doctors can remove the growing tumor from my adrenal gland.

On Sept. 15, I visited the center as an outpatient to receive the result of the comprehensive examination of the detected tumor. The final diagnosis was also determined that the tumor is benign. Upon farewell to the doctor in charge, she told me, “Drink more water, eat less and chew much but have more protein foods.”

The two surgeries showed I was cancer-free, and I unconsciously felt lighter. Spending a lot of time in the hospital, I became familiar with a lot of medical terms. I also found that male nurses were on duty preferably at night, and noticed that inpatients wear pocketless clothes like garments for the dead.

By watching the general hospital procedures of receiving outpatient treatment on a designated day, I realized that a medical doctor is a very tough profession, with respect to surgeries for inpatients, inpatient rounds, lectures at medical schools and beyond. I would like to express my gratitude to the two KUAH surgical doctors and their medical staff for their diverse types of medical care for me while I was lodged twice at KUAH.

Lee Sun-ho (wkexim@naver.com) is a freelance columnist living in Seoul.

作者在两年内于韩国高丽大学安岩医院接受了两次住院手术：2024年7月12日接受了膀胱肿瘤切除术，2026年8月28日接受了肾上腺肿瘤的机器人辅助手术。最终，两个肿瘤均被证实为良性。住院期间，作者也对医疗护理、医院日常运作以及医生和医务人员的繁重工作有了更深入的了解。

MRI 测量结果显示，肾上腺肿瘤从 2021 年的 3.2 厘米增长到 2026 年 2 月的 3.9 厘米，再到 2026 年 8 月的 4.3 厘米。

第一次手术持续了一小时，需要住院五天，之后还要定期接受门诊治疗以治疗前列腺增生。

第二次自动化机器人手术持续了三个小时，一周后，作者出院了。

术前评估包括 CT 和 MRI 扫描、心脏病学和肺病学检查、反复的医学检查以及对肿瘤生长史的回顾。

发布于2026年10月6日韩国时间下午12:00

更新于2026年10月6日下午2:55（韩国标准时间）

虽然我已年过八旬，但生平第一次在两年内连续两次入住韩国高丽大学安岩医院（KUAH）。一次是常规泌尿外科手术，术中发现膀胱镜检查发现肿瘤。另一次是甲状腺手术，检查附着于左侧肾上腺的肿瘤直径，以确定其良恶性。

第一次传统手术是在2024年7月12日，历时一小时。当时我住院五天，目的是切除膀胱内令人担忧的肿瘤。我记得那天是美国总统候选人唐纳德·特朗普在宾夕法尼亚州巴特勒市遭遇暗杀未遂的前一天。第二次自动化机器人手术是在2026年8月28日，历时三小时。我记得那是尼泊尔山洪灾害发生两天后，医生切除了我肾上腺上的肿瘤，一周后我便出院了。住院期间，我有很多时间等待手术，也经常收听世界新闻。

在阿曼国家医院（KUAH）泌尿科主治医生为我进行第一次手术之前，我做了各种术前检查，包括CT和MRI扫描，以及心脏科和肺科的会诊，以确定像我这样80多岁的老年患者是否适合接受手术。在主治医生的同意下，我接受了第一次手术。手术后，肿瘤被证实并非恶性，但我仍然定期到阿曼国家医院门诊接受治疗，以控制前列腺增生。

在第二次手术前，KUAH甲状腺中心再次召见我，让我重复做了几次相同的医学检查，以便弄清附着在我肾上腺上的肿瘤直径的增长趋势，甚至还查阅了我之前的肿瘤生长记录。核磁共振成像显示，肿瘤直径从2021年的3.2厘米增大到2026年2月的3.9厘米，并在2026年8月再次增大到4.3厘米，短短半年内增长了0.4厘米。在征得家人同意后，我勉强接受了专家的手术建议，以便医生能够切除我肾​​上腺上不断增大的肿瘤。

9月15日，我以门诊病人的身份到中心领取了之前发现的肿瘤的综合检查结果。最终诊断结果也确定为良性肿瘤。临别时，主管医生嘱咐我：“多喝水，少吃多嚼，但要多吃蛋白质食物。”

两次手术结果显示我的癌症已经痊愈，我不由自主地感到轻松了许多。由于长时间待在医院，我熟悉了很多医学术语。我还发现，值夜班的大多是男护士，而且注意到住院病人穿的衣服没有口袋，就像死人的衣服一样。

通过旁听医院门诊就诊流程，我意识到医生是一个非常辛苦的职业，他们不仅要为住院病人做手术，还要查房、在医学院讲课等等。我衷心感谢KUAH医院的两位外科医生及其医护人员，在我两次住院期间，他们为我提供了各种类型的医疗服务。

李善浩（wkexim@naver.com）是一位居住在首尔的自由撰稿人。