Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Apple cider vinegar

Today wasn't very exciting. I pale in comparison to the other exciting blogs. Working in primary care over the summer has its rewards, though. I feel like I'm part of the solution (prevention).

I guess I could tell a story about my experience as a student so far.

I did my rotation at a level II trauma center in the heart of the downtown area in which I live. I got to see a lot of cool post op trauma patients -- and a lot of homeless patients. It's the charity hospital, so they admitted pretty much everyone.

I was preparing for clinical the night before. We got to pick our patients, so I picked a guy with a gambit of medical problems, was a little bit crazy, and, you guessed it, homeless. He was nice enough when I talked to him, so I decided he would be a good candidate for the teaching project I had to implement that day.

I picked hypertension as my educational topic (it pretty much was the root cause of all his problems). I prepared a presentation, made a brochure for him, and told him I would be teaching him about hypertension the next day. My instructor came in to watch my do my teaching project.

ME: Mr. Jones, I'm here to talk to you about high blood pressure like we discussed yesterday. Is now a good time?
MR JONES: You mean I'm here to talk to YOU about high blood pressure, right?
ME: (laughs) Sure, I guess you can look at it that way. I was going to start by telling you a little about what causes high blood pressure.
MR JONES: (staring intently at the television) I already know that.
ME: Well, then consider it review. What causes high blood pressure is a mixture of family inheritance, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity. Part of what makes high blood pressure so hard to treat is--
MR JONES: I know what high blood pressure is! And I know how to cure it. I take apple cider vinegar. One time my blood pressure went up so high I took the vinegar and I passed out. I never let my blood pressure get up that high again. I take my medication for it every day. The lady at the jail took my medication away from me.
INSTRUCTOR: (confused look)
ME: Would you like to talk about your medications?
MR JONES: I know about my pills. I don't need to talk about my pills.
ME: Well, as motivation to take your pills I'm going to tell you a few things that happen when high blood pressure is uncontrolled.
MR JONES: I already KNOW. You pass out. That's why I take apple cider vinegar.
ME: Some other things that can happen is stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure.
MR JONES: Girl, you are tellin' me what's UP. You don't let a guy just sit around thinkin' he's OK until one day he has a stroke and BAM he's dead. You tell a guy what's up. You know what's up.
INSTRUCTOR: (wtf? look)
ME: Yes, that's why I'm here, to tell you what can happen if you aren't able to control high blood pressure. Here's a brochure I wrote up for you.
MR JONES: (looking at it in awe) YOU wrote this for ME?
ME: Yes, I did.
MR JONES: Wow, this is the SHIT. (Starts reading it aloud).
ME: Well, I'm glad you like it.

Weirdest shit ever. Oh well, he gave my professor a rave review even though he didn't seem to like me at all. He had his foot hanging out of the bed (had an ulcer on it) and I ran into it a few times. When I suggested we put the foot back into the bed, he flipped out.

Why do I always get the psych/medical patients?

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Lazy summer

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted.

Well, I survived my second semester of nursing school. Now for the summer I get to endure three days a week up at the clinic.

I'm taking a class this summer called Complex Issues in Children. Most Depressing Shit Ever is a more apt title. We have to debate about whether parents' spiritual beliefs should have any bearing on medical decision making for their children (absolutely not, in my opinion), what should be in the curriculum for sex ed (everything), and dying babies in the NICU. Very uplifting. Oh well, I'm about halfway through so I guess it can't be all bad.

I wish I had something more exciting for you, but I guess that's reserved for HawthoRNe (You can't arrest ME, I'm a NURSE!! AHHHHH!!!!)