It's officially been one year and 6 days since I began this blog in June 2007. Looking back at some of my first entries, I realize how far I have come in one year. One of the greatest things I appreciate from my work is learning to shift gears quickly and be present in each moment for each patient. Taking care of the needs of one patient then moving on and taking care of the needs of the next patient. Moving through my day in a flow-like state, yet maintaining a mindful connection to the clock, paperwork, and equipment.
Perhaps I'll give you a snapshot of my day today to celebrate this anniversary! Began at 7:30am looking at the schedule, designing my dailty treatment plans, and reading through the charts for updated doctors orders and nursing notes. Then off to my first patient...
9:00-10:00 In to see a 78 year old woman admitted for failure to thrive secondary to small bowel obstruction, which began evident when she began vomiting fecal matter at home. Yes, it's possible. We sat at the edge of the bed for some ADL magic a la sponge bath and dressing into street clothes. Hopefully that does that does the trick!
10:00 Next off to Mrs. Pistol, a 76 year old woman who recently had a massive hemmorhage (stroke). She is the most pleasantly confused person I've ever met. If my brain ever bleeds (knock on wood) I hope to be as delightful as she. She has been making gains in terms of initiating and sequencing functional activities, but continues to require cueing throughout due to decreased attention and distracting hallucinations, which may be a side effect of Provigal, a medication used to increase alertness.
10:30 3rd patient of the day, Mrs. J another 76 year old woman, but with a very different situation. Within the last month she has survived a flatline via CPR and weaned off a vent, now ready to go home with supervision and minimal assistance only due to her fluctuating blood pressure. Orthostatic hypotension remains her primary limiting factor, meaning her BP dramatically drops when she stands, making her very weak. Luckily her spirits have not dropped along with it, she remains very positive and realistic through it all.
11:00 Off to see Mrs. G. A 78 year old female presented to us after breaking the proximal end of her femur (very close the the hip) and is having difficulty getting back on her feet. She's making gains, slowly but surely. But will she be able to go home as she's hoping to? Only time and her determination will tell.
11:30 Last patient before lunch, Mr. Lyon. An 82 year old going on 65 year old. This man truly does not look or act his age. He's always asleep when I go in and after waking him, he teasingly tells me to take a long walk off a short pier. Yet he's always up for whatever I have up my sleeve... be it doing some laundry to work on his balance and activity tolerance or playing catch to build up his endurance, he's willing and ready.
During the afternoon I revisted Mrs. G, Mrs. J, Mrs. Pistol, and Mr. Lyons. A little bit of cognitive assessment here some pacing and energy conservation teaching here and voila- there you have it... a day's done!
I'll admit it's been a while since I've written, I've just been overwhelmed with the thought of sitting down at the computer and thinking about work outside of work. I'm getting better at really leaving work at work. I still love it just the same, but am aware of the potential for burnout by bringing it home and chewing it all over again. Instead I've gotten into some really good reading... Waking by Matthew Sanford, Anatomy of the Spirit by Carolyn Myss, and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Also really deepening my yoga practice. Attended the Yoga Journal Conference and am looking into becoming certified as a yoga teacher. Om, baby, om.
