Intestines

I spent the entire day in Out Patients today which was fairly uneventful. I got to take the lead on counseling another patient today who was supposed to be in for weight loss but revealed as she sat down that she was actually in for diverticulitis. Good thing I am a diverticulitis pro now and so it didn't phase me. This disease just keeps popping up!

We also saw a man who has had 18.5 FEET of his intestines removed (leaving only 1.5 feet remaining) due to severe Crohn's disease and Crohn's related surgery complications. He basically didn't have enough bowels left to digest or absorb anything he was eating so it went right through him, resulting in 6-8 bowel movements daily. He was on a tube feed to get adequate nutrients but still had issues keeping weight on. Not surprising! As interesting as patients like this are to see, it really makes you appreciate your health. I am with people all day who are ill, injured, diseased and dying. And they are all generally in good spirits and are just happy to have someone to talk to. I have learned that when people come in to see the RD, they just want to talk to someone about their problems. People love to talk about themselves, and the appointment is about them figuring out their own nutritional issues with a little bit of help as opposed to me jabbering away about everything I have ever learned about their disease. We provide guidance, answer any questions the client might have and teach them what they need to know but at the end of the day, unless they want to make a change, and believe that the change is feasible, they will not be successful. This is why I try to let the client's decide for themselves what they want to change and how they are going to do it.

I got a whole slew of emails about Kenya today with about a million dates for mandatory training sessions that I must attend. Unfortunately, all of these take place during internship hours, so I have no idea how my food service placement is going to work out next month, or if it is at all. I might have to make that placement up next summer. I have a meeting to figure it all out tomorrow though. I am also getting an all expenses paid trip to Ottawa for three days in June to attend cultural sensitivity training. I'm more excited for Dirienzo's and Kettleman's than the training though. Unfortunately Geoff will probably not even be there when I am, but I love Ottawa and am excited for the free trip with the whole Kenya gang none the less.