Reflection #5

Stephanie Ortega
3-4-09
Reflection #5
Internship


Today was like a typical regular day, I seen most of the patients I usually see every other Wednesday. But the first patient Mark was taking care of was new to me, because I haven’t seen her before. She had got into a car accident a while ago and now she has pain her body. So Mark massages her, puts hot and cold packs, and puts the electrical stimulator. The electrical stimulator is placed on your skin and it kind of vibrates or stings on your skin, but it does something to the pain in your body. After she left there was more patients that came in, it was a busy day. There was like at least three patients I’ve never seen before. Lillian didn’t come in today, I was expecting to see her but I guess she came a different day or didn’t feel good. The lady that is a secretary, who is always typing and has a problem on her wrist from typing all day long; she came in today, she knew what to do because her left wrist had been damaged before and she had to get physical therapy before. This lady is cool and is very friendly, I like sitting around her. What she had to was like move things with her hand using her fingers, like moving something from the bottom and putting it on the top; and after she did the exercises they put a cold pack. The physical therapists usually put a hot pack or a cold pack before and after they do the exercises, I wonder why they do it before and after. I think it’s like a warm up before starting the activities and they put it after so they can relax or for them to feel less pain. After her there were the regular patients that usually come in and do their exercises by their selves. There was a new patient today, and we had to examine her and ask her questions in the evaluation room. Mark de her do a few exercises like turning left or right and he showed me her spinal cord and how it’s not straight. By him examining her he would plan what exercises she would have to do. Her problem was that she works in a hospital and she does transportation, she and another woman had to pick up a heavy lady that weighed 300 pounds and she forced herself to pick this lady so she pulled a muscle and now she has to take therapy. I had always been told to not carry heavy things because it’s going to give pain in my body and I might stretch a muscle which will cause pain for a very long time. I remember how I use to carry heavy books, like math books and history books in my book bag and carry it on my back. Now I feel a lot of pain in my back and sometimes I have to sleep with a hot pack on my back because I would feel uncomfortable and pain on my back. I also carry heavy things at work or lift heavy things and I think that caused the pain I have on my back. Another thing I’ve learned is, if you don’t sit straight up or keep your back straight when your standing that can give pain on your back and when you get older you will have a hunchback, which is not good or pretty. There are three patients that go to my internship site that have that problem, but they are elder women. There are many things we do and don’t realize that it’s not the proper way of doing it. The majority of the Americans don’t pay attention to none of that but when we get older and feel all the pain, that’s when we open our eyes and realize all the mistakes we’ve done before. I also had to start planning out my project and start finding the ten sources, but since Mark was very busy today, he couldn’t help me so I started jotting down ideas and hopefully next week he can help me and I can start on it.