Wrapped up Week 5 at Bourne yesterday, and it was definitely the best week I’ve had yet. I made it a point to see all my patients back-to-back-to-back in the mornings so I could have the afternoons to do paperwork and leave (close to) on time. I’m learning to hate Fridays because of all the new admissions but we only had a couple yesterday. I expect next week to be even smoother if I stay disciplined. I still have a lot to work on with procrastination.
One of the biggest challenges I have right now is working with the first patient who really hates my guts. For most patients it’s far easier to get motivated for something like physical therapy where they go down to the gym and do standing and walking exercises than it is for me to walk into their room with thickened apple juice, tell them to tuck their chin when they swallow, and have them name pictures in a book (I’d rather go to the gym, too). Speech-language pathology is definitely the least sexy of all the rehab disciplines. Sometimes listening to Jaylynn talk about physical therapy (she’s a genius, by the way), I wish I was a PT. Muscles and ligaments and all that anatomy shit is pretty cool. I can’t imagine how frustrating that can be for this patient to work hard in the gym, make progress and then have me saunter into his room to do completely un-fun things and make no progress with them (my stuttering isn’t really comparable to expressive aphasia so I really can’t pretend to know what he’s going through) but in a way it’s a good thing he’s so obstinate because I have to learn to be hated every once and a while and still work the hardest I can to improve this patient’s quality of life.
For the most part, my patients like me. I’m very laid back and try to have relaxed conversation mixed in with all of my therapy. I also think one of the advantages of being a guy is that with all the female nurses and PT/OTs poking and prodding them all day, they can use a guy to talk to for a few minutes a day. I can talk to the men about the Patriots and Red Sox and can tell the 95-year-old women that they look half their age. In terms of building rapport with patients, I’m very good. However, once and a while (or maybe more often than that) I’m going to have somebody who does not want to work with me for one reason or another. In this case, the previously-independent man who now cannot speak or swallow is very frustrated and is being faced with that every time I come into the room. I think I’m handling it pretty well as far as not taking it personally, though it’s making it somewhat less exciting to go work with this guy. It’s a lesson that’s good to learn so early in my career.
The diet has been great. The only semblance of a cheat meal was Thursday night when I had a couple servings of that chicken-stuffing-sour-cream thing my mom throws together, but that was it. Friday night, usually a night reserved for a pizza and wine, was a couple of meatballs and a low-carb bread (really, that’s all we had in the house). My mom never has any idea of what to do for me because I send so many mixed messages about what I want to eat. I tell her I don’t want anything bad, so when Friday is typically Pizza Night and I tell her not to bring me anything, then end up being disappointed when she doesn’t, I’m sure that’s frustrating (especially on my birthday when I said I didn’t want a cake, then came home after a bad day and was pissed that I didn’t have a cake). Today at work I was secretly upset when I found out they threw out the rest of my cake that was in the fridge for the past week. In the end I know I’m better off for not having it because Super Bowl Sunday is going to be one hell of an eating day. Jaylynn is making boneless buffalo wings, stuffed shells, and meatballs.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, I cannot relax with these Patriots. My father and I never have any confidence in this team or any other Boston team, despite the fact that they always win. We’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Never the less, the team is too good to lose this game. This is what they’ve been waiting for all year. I find it hard to believe that Eli has really taken it to the next level and there is no way the Patriots will wait as long to blitz poor Elijah as they did last time. I’m really happy for Eli, he has done a great job of getting his team to this game after taking so much shit in New York for so long, but I’m not sold on him (if he keeps this up until Week 8 of next season, I’ll bump him up a category). For the Giants to win this game he is going to have to play flawlessly and Brady is going to have to have another San Diego game. Neither of those is likely to happen, and if Brady is off, Maroney has been running like a bull and they always have the dump passes to Faulk and Welker. I’m still nervous because the Patriots always have close games during this part of of the season but in the end, they are just too great of a team. Patriots 35, Giants 27. 19-0. Greatest Team in NFL History. Greatest Quarterback in NFL History. Greatest Coach in NFL History.
Only the two workouts this week on Monday and Wednesday. I should/could have gone last night but wanted to relax on a Friday. My weight is down to 198 pounds. I think 185 will put me in “good” shape, so that’s the next major goal. 13 pounds to go!
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Now playing: Billy Bragg & Wilco – California Stars
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