I'm writing to you (for the first time in a LONG time… yeah, sorry) from a hospital room where I'm staying for the week. Got your attention, didn't I? I'm not sick, but in a curious - yet awesome - agreement with my first Fieldwork I site, I'm allowed to stay for free in a nearby hospital. I get my own room with half bath (and a shared shower room down the hall), a movable bed, and 2 tvs. Apparently they have students here often, though at the moment I'm the only one. Very quiet. Weird and kinda cool at the same time.
I'll try to keep this short; you'll see why once I finish.
Anyway, I'm making the effort again to blog. This week I'm in Waterloo, IA for my first week of Fieldwork. It's been SO COOL and I can't wait for tomorrow. I got to see and feel a subluxed shoulder, a few stroke patients, one guy with a traumatic brain injury (and no bone on the front part of his head, yet he didn't want to wear his helmet), one guy who has burns over probably 80% of his body, and a woman who just got discharged after necrotizing fasciitis ate most of the flesh off her thighs, buttocks, and abdomen. One guy had what's called "left neglect," meaning he was completely unaware of anything on the left side of his body… not even his own left arm and leg. Some cool gadgets were the Dynavision (pretty lights that help you work on attention and vision), BioNess (electrodes that make your hand move!), and a biofeedback machine (it tells you when your muscles relax and helps prevent tension headaches). I had to reign in my enthusiasm, of course. These are real people going through incredibly traumatic, painful, and challenging experiences; I can't exactly stare at their wounds and say "That's so fascinating!" without their thinking that I'm a little off. Still cool.
 |
| I didn't have a white coat, but I pretty much spent the whole day hovering behind the OT I was observing. |
School is still just as busy and impossible, though getting better. Weight loss has kind of stalled. I'm not happy, but it could be worse. I also kind of expected this.
On that note, I think I've decided to stop paying for weight watchers monthly pass, at least for a while. I'm going to trade in my $40 a month that goes toward WW and funnel it into a $30 a month gym membership. I can use the medical school "gym" for free, but it's tiny and always seems to have a lot of other students. It’s awkward, and at this early stage I kind of need that anonymity. Plus St. Louis Workout is less than a block from my flat. That way I might actually use it!
It's up to me, my friends, and you, Dear Reader, to keep me in check. Accountability!
As for this moment, I'm headed to the wellness center the hospital has been kind enough to let me use!
