this is like this, because that is like that

Got a lot on my mind during this week, Week 6, midterm week. I'm having a tough time pulling all my thoughts together, especially with Katie and Mr. Lambert watching Apocolypto in the background. (Looks like a good movie).

Maybe here's why I have a lot on my mind: Within the past 24 hours I've done 3 evaluations- one woman with severe bilateral lower leg cellulitis (she's left with 3 options at this point... continue to rot in excruciating pain, amputation, or maggots which eat away the dead skin and possibly allow her wounds to heal enabling her to walk again... hmm, which would you choose?). The second eval was a younger woman with severe, multiple, painful bloodclots in her calves. And the last was an older gentleman with diabetes who's left big toe was amputated after it was discovered that the bone was massively infected. Each patient has an interesting social history and possible psychiatric components to their diagnosis. Which I suppose shouldn't be shocking considering the mind is connected to the body. But the trouble is hospital care focuses on the body and the problem with the body, it's standard medical model. And even when focusing on the body, the medical model tends to divide up the body- treating the wound site, the fracture, the kidney. But then again, I suppose you have to start somewhere, make care manageable, progress measurable, and time billable. That's all well and good for the clinician, but does it really heal the patient?

I realize I'm coming down a bit harsh on a system that I've only been a working part of for 6 weeks now, but as I've mentioned earlier, I've spent many years on the other side of the fence. Growing up watching my family circulate through the health care system has deeply influenced my perspective. I've also spent a fair amount of time looking into the mind-body connection in health and am particularly interested in psychoneuroimmunology. Even the father of medicine knew it himself, "For this is the great error of our day that the physicians separate the soul from the body."

The holistic perspective drew me to the field of occupational therapy. The theories behind the practice are surely based on this, but it appears this all becomes a bit diluded in practice. And I understand why. To quote the great buddisht monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, "This is like this because that is like that." Everything is connected. Mind-Body. OT-Medical System. Question is: How to create healing within them all? Maybe my supervisor will have some answers.

Tomorrow I'll just start with teaching Mrs. E how to cope with her pain.