Week 6

"Thou art my loveliness, my life, my light, Beauty alone to me." ~George Herbert

After reflecting over my last 6 weeks in Warm Springs this eloquent phrase sums up my feelings. I am immensely enjoying myself and learning a lot. I would never be in the place I am now if it were not for the Lord's constant grace, mercy, and sovereignty in my daily life. I do not understand how I so often fall short of His constant reminders and blessings in my life. I passed my midterm, presented my in-service/project, and went for a 4 mile run around the town today with sun beating on my back--Great week! :)

Last Saturday Kelly, Katlin, and I made a trip to Chattanooga. Kelly lives on Lookout Mountain on a family farm and it is absolutely beautiful. Although it was 29 degrees and blustery we had a blast dining at local eateries and getting an insider's tour of Chattanooga. Later that day, we headed up to Lookout Mountain and ate the most delicious chocolate chip cookies that Kelly's mom made. We stayed the night, and in the morning played with the dogs and horses and then went to church. We got lost on the trek home, but it was an adventuresome and delightful weekend. I am so truly grateful to have these interns here the same time I am.

Chattanooga River

On Tuesday, the other interns and I made Valentine cards for the patients and they absolutely adored them. We received some of our first smiles from patients who can be real "debbie downers." It was a fun, festive day and set the week off well.

Valentine's for patients

Tonight we plan on getting some Mexican for dinner and walking around the little shops in the next town over. This weekend is supposed to rain, but if it decides to hold off, I think tomorrow I will head to Calloway Gardens, an outdoor paradise with trails and a butterfly garden. Rain, rain, please stay away...

Love, love, and more love,
B

Week 5

My fellow darlings,

I had many highs and lows that comprised this week. I felt on edge a couple of days and on Thursday had a breakdown, feeling really incompetent when treating a patient. I talked to my instructor and she was very helpful and gave me some great treatment suggestions. Since this was my first struggle I have faced I was frustrated with myself. However, it opened my eyes to how much I need to grow and push myself to become an entry-level practitioner. I also become a little overwhelmed with how much I have juggle between my upcoming inservice/case study for my facility and my online class. I now remember how school used to be.... After a few days though, I have gotten back in the swing of things by making lists and using my planner. :)


Tonight, the other interns and I made pizzas, watched Youtube videos, slid down our LONG staircase on an ironing board (readers discretion for that one--not advisable), slid down the banister, and practiced deep tissue massage....heading to Chattanooga tomorrow! Woo hoo! A much needed night of fun energy spent, and looking forward to an adventuresome and productive weekend.

I also talked to my future roommies this week and am really excited about meeting up with them in 7 more weeks! So blessed my family is healthy, my friends are doing well, and I have this opportunity to learn and teach others.

Much love and blessings. <3

Southern Fun

An ordinary sunny weekend afternoon.

A night in Columbus, GA.

Riverwalk.

Courtyard of quad.

Week Four

This week literally sped by. I have barely had time to reflect over the week's encounters. This week went really well. I got my fifth patient and I only have one more patient to go until I reach a full caseload. My documentation continues to get faster, as do my time management skills. I discharged my second patient today, which was bittersweet because he was such a great patient. He followed everything I instructed him on perfectly. I was really excited when my therapist and I found a Dynasplint (elbow extension) in storage that we gave him--it fit perfectly(what a blessing). He was so excited, and I got the experience of donning a really nice and expensive piece of equipment. I am getting more confident during family education, and it is a neat feeling when the family is so appreciative for the care you are providing their family member. I am becoming more competent during evaluation and communication in general.

Today I also was able to do several treatment sessions in the kitchen. One client made pork chops, another made an angel food parfait, and another cut some vegetables/fruit. They all expressed their enjoyment and I saw a spark in one of my patients who has been waning this week. Everyone on our team got to enjoy some of their food and you could see the pride they received from that. I think it lifted everyone's spirit after a long week.

I am working tomorrow (Sat), which means one more day I can head out early for my Florida rotation in April. I am looking forward to the Superbowl on Sunday--GO GIANTS! Other than that, I do not have much planned for the weekend except to finish up my online class hw and start on my midterm project for fieldwork. I will probably do more exploring on the trails and start on my new book my awesome aunt just sent me! :)

I am looking forward to my mom, aunt, and Hannah coming to visit sometime soon!

Blessings,

B

Week 3 "Settlin' In"

I got a P.O. Box :)

RWSIR Box 366
P.O. Box 1000
Warm Springs, GA 31830

Phew, week 3 has come and gone. I now have 4 patients on my caseload, which means I only have 2 more patients to go until I reach a full caseload. It is exciting and scary at the same time.

This week I learned the importance of listening and learning from your patients. One of my patients told me he didn't want to work on his upper extremities ("they were strong enough"), so we are working out his affected leg, and I have been consulting with the PTs along the way. It is an organized, effective, and interdisciplinary team approach we use and it results in great team communication. At the end of each session my patient thanks me and tells me I did a great job. I thank him for telling me what he wants to work on.

I worked Saturday (yesterday) morning and was off by 11:15am. Woo hoo, that is one day I can leave early for my next placement in April. It was a relaxing morning and I only had to evaluate and treat one patient. I need to work more Saturdays...

Last night after work Katlin and I sunned on the porch and I took the time to savor a good book until I started on my online class assignments. Then, the group of interns and I headed to Columbus (the closest big town) 40 miles away. It was a really interesting city with a beautiful river walk and a street that was just lined with bars, restaurants, and various venues. We went to dinner at this local pub and I had what may have been the best root beer float. We hung out some more on the strip and visited a few places, but decided to head out sort of early so that one of the interns could experience Waffle House. Quite a humorous experience, but delicious either way.

This week was kind of slow filled visits to the rec center to workout, volleyball game with the crew on Wednesday, and we had our first wheelchair bball practice on Tuesday. I also explored the trails a little more--without getting lost this time.

Today, Kelley and I are going to try another local church and then I will probably be forced to reconcile myself to my online class homework again. :/ And get ready for my fourth week....

Thanks for the continued prayers. I am extremely blessed to have this opportunity and share it with a great group of interns.

B

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
Rom. 8:26 <3

Week 2 Adventures cont....

Unbelievable....week two has come and gone so quickly. This morning, Katlin (another intern), and I decided to go for a run on a trail at the back of campus. We were informed that if we followed it left we would run into a wolfden and a waterfall. We most definitely found our way to the waterfall by accident. It was really tranquil and we are looking forward to taking a picnic and going swimming when it gets warmer here. On our way back we ran into several detours, saw two more waterfalls, and had to use some of our nature 101 problem-solving skills to find our way back. 2 hours and several creek crossings later we found our way back to campus--Beat the thunderstorms just in time! We are now attempting to complete homework and study in the hall. You can see how well that is going for me.... :)

Week two at RWS brought a greater need for time management, but I saw definite growth in myself. I had three patients this week, discharged my first patient, and completed my fourth evaluation today. I have seen growth in my evaluation skills and look forward to growing more in that area. At RWS we must see each patient for an hour and a half each day, so my days are filled with engaging in fun treatment planning for each patient followed by lots of paperwork at lunch and in the afternoon. Fortunately, I can tell I am writing notes faster, and learning the various facets and responsibilities of the facility.

Prior to discharging my first client (a 21 year-old boy who had suffered a stroke), I was able to take him to the rec center on campus to workout-- addressing topographical orientation (navigation, sequencing, following directions) and his inattention on his affected side along the way. I introduced him to the VR program we have on campus and he was really interested in looking into it further. We also made cookies that day, so occupation was at the forefront and resulted in a really fun day for us both.

On days that I have a new evaluation it can be very hectic and crammed with paperwork. Paperwork and managing everything are definitely my biggest struggle. However, it validates what OTs do and the progress that the patients make. That is what is worthwhile and so very meaningful.

Katlin and I are now official assistants for the Wheelchair basketball team that practices at the rec center. I am looking forward towards participating in that every Tuesday night. I also made it to the weekly Thursday volleyball game that these older guys from the community put together. It was a nice change of pace getting involved this week.

Last night, the other interns and I went to karaoke night. Literally, the whole town comes to this place. I met the chief police and he gave us his business card "just in case." I met a guy who raises cattle and ropes steers. He has 17 horses and said I could come ride them sometime--totally stoked! I guess meeting everyone in town pays off!

Have a blessed week! I miss you all tremendously, and you are constantly in my prayers!

B

P.S. Several people have asked for my address and it is super long, so I will just post it here. I love receiving letters. :)

Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehab
C/O Inpatient Therapy Dept.
P.O. Box 1000
Warm Springs, GA 31830-0268

Week 1 in Warm Springs, Georgia

A southern hello from Warm Springs, GA!





I had the most fabulous first week and I love the patients and the campus!

RSW ((Roosevelt Warm Springs Inst. for Rehab) is a 900-acre campus with Inpatient, Outpatient, VR, Driving services, Rec therapy gym, golf course, lake, cottages for living, etc. It has so many opportunities and possibilities, but is unfortunately state funded and many of the facilities have not been kept up. It is located in Warm Springs, a small quaint town in Georgia, with one traffic light. It is truly a southern town with the closest grocery store 35 miles away.

My first week was FUN and rewarding. I am on IRF (inpatient) where patients are brought to this amazing therapy gym where we provide our services. The gym has every assessment, resource, and equipment you could want for a patient. I evaluated my first two patients this week and will have them until discharge, which will be truly educational to progress along with them.

It has been so rewarding to observe the daily progress some patients make. One day I worked with a stroke patient through purposeful activities to increase neuromuscular re-education. This patient had no movement distally, but the next day came back with minimal flexion/extension in her fingers. It was a "feel good" moment to know that I was on the team that aided in that progress. I also saw her smile for the first time.

Thursday I evaluated a woman who suffered a stroke. She has some hypertonicity in her affected side and has decreased sitting balance. So next week I plan on cooking some Chicken Gumbo with her, make a bed, and do some laundry because she enjoys taking care of things around her house.

Yesterday I evaluated a boy who had suffered a stroke due to lack of monitoring his sickle cell anemia. He had a lot of function in his affected arm and is extremely motivated to regain full function. I am really excited to start treating him this week. I plan on using the Wii, having him bake some cookies (he loves baking cookies), and shooting basketball to increase his standing balance and functional use in his affected side.

I am so enthused about both of my patients--they are motivated, which makes all the difference in a rehab setting. I am also extremely blessed to have a great CI who is great at allowing me to take initiative and make decisions and then step in when I have questions.

Last night I went to free bowling on campus! They have a bowling alley right next to the gym in the Rec Center!

Today I am off to watch a wheelchair basketball game and fish! Then, later tonight, me and the other interns are going karaoking at the only restaurant/bar in town!

I am extremely blessed to be in such a wonderful place and have the opportunity to touch/help those around me. I do not know why I was so nervous about my skills and abilities that He has given me. The Lord really taught me this week... "You of little faith, why did you doubt me?" Mat. 14:23... "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of a sound mind." 2 Tim. 1:7.

Blessings from Georgia!

B