Thursday May 21st

Today was pretty slow all morning and part of the afternoon. Maybe it was because I was tired but I was really compelled by a woman who came in around 4. I had seen her before but never really heard about her injury. She was walking down the stairs and fell, she ended up with her foot pointing upwards and her body going down the stairs. Her foot had been completely turned around. She tried to get up but couldn't. When she finally got to the hospital a nurse tried getting her out of the car and pulled her injured foot in a way so it broke even more. She had to have a big surgery and is now in the recovery process. After doing her exercises, strengthening, stim, and ultrasound Diane tried to get her more movement in her ankle. She explained that her foot had been frozen in spot for almost 2 weeks, which made it really hard to walk. After Diane did her magic with some technique this woman was able to move her ankle a couple of degrees and she said it felt great.
I feel like one of those interns that excitedly writes down everything she sees in the operating room. But it's really so interesting to see the different people that come into PT and to learn their stories.

Tuesday May 19th

Today was busy but low key. There were a lot of patients, but also a bunch of new faces for me. One man was there when I showed up, he is a regular and is super funny! It's nice to get there and have someone put a smile on my face. We talked a lot today about how peoples' mentalities are different. Depending on the injury a lot of people are really willing and WANT to get better, so they work really hard. Others just slack off and use their PT time as a joke, or relaxation. It is easy to tell the difference between a hard worker and a slacker. I have found it interesting to see people of different ages with the same injuries and how they are recovering at different times. A young kid with a knee injury will recover and gain back motion a lot more quickly than an older person with a knee replacement, not to hard to figure out but still interesting. I am actually getting sad to see my time at PT slowly wind down but it has been great to be in there a learn more and more everyday.

Monday May 18th

Today was a good but quiet day at physical therapy. Sadly, it was Denisa's last day. She is traveling to Florida with her mom and brother to check out some PT offices down there. Denisa will be missed!
We met a very interesting man today who was explaining to us that he has had 10 heart attacks and 5 open heart surgeries. He currently wears a vest that has a machine to help pump his heart. Only one side of his heart works. He was saying that there is a particular hospital that could get him a heart in under a year but he isn't sure about it because his machine could also last that long. It was very interesting and honestly reminded me of Greys Anatomy, my favourite show ever. But it's crazy that TV drama can be reality for some people.
Also, PT welcomed a new member of the squad today. 23 year old Nyok. He is from Sudan and has been living here for 13 years and is interning with Diane for a couple months. It was really nice to meet him and he is the sweetest guy. So, of course I needed to share this picture of him and Tucker!

End of week 2

It was another fun week in Ragged Mountain Physical Therapy. Today was really great. An older man who has been coming in frequently shared some great advice with me. He said "Never stop learning." I really loved this and took it to heart. He is 79 and currently learning Spanish with Rosetta Stone. He said that learning is the best thing and such a huge privilege and to never, ever stop learning. He told me this after I told him about my plans for college next year. It was really nice to hear, it almost made me less nervous for college. He is in PT for a total knee replacement so we worked on range of motion with him. Since his last visit he is gaining more motion, from 100 degrees to 110 today!
This weekend I definitely need to study the parts of the knee for a small test on monday!

Thursday May 14th

Today was a great day! I spent a lot of time in PT today was able to speak with a lot of patients and actually work with a lot of patients. Thankfully, this morning Denisa and I were able to sneak out for a few minutes to catch the School Leader speeches.
A lot of the faces we are seeing in PT are becoming very familiar. The patients are all so very nice and willing to let us help them and hear their stories. This afternoon I skipped out on softball practice so I could stay and help Diane with the later meetings. After about 3 the office was filled with kids. Proctor kids, and local kids. It was really cool because Diane let me work with them. I worked with a 13 year old girl who had ACL surgery in February. She was doing great with all the excersizes we gave her and I was able to stretch out her hamstrings and give her some stim. I think one of the most interesting things is seeing all the different patients and understanding more about their specific and unique injuries and how they are all at a different place of recovery but they all go to Diane because they want a speedy and healthy recovery. It's really intriguing.

Tuesday May, 12th

Diane was very kind to give me the day off because I took my AP French exam this afternoon. The exam was brutal but on the bright side I got to rest a lot and spend some time outside. I missed Diane, Denisa and of course Mr. Tucker today, so here's a cute snap of him :)

Week 2 Day 1

Today was a very quiet day in PT, on top of that the smoggy weather seemed to slow everything down. In our down time of the day, Diane shared some of her stories about relationships with her clients which was very interesting. I was excited to hear that next week a new intern will be joining me when Denisa leaves. A young man from Africa who has a degree and is very interested in physical therapy, so I think that will be cool.
Denisa and I worked with an older man today that recently had a total knee replacement surgery. His post surgery recovery is going great. He still has some swelling but the scar looks good and his range of motion is normal for his stage of recovery. Denisa and I did all his excersizes with him which was fun and he had a really good attitude about it. We finished with him by stretching his knee again working on extending his movement.
So in conclusion it was a quiet but fun day, I enjoyed myself once again. I am beginning to feel more comfortable with the patients, MaryAnne, Diane and of course Tucker.

Week 1

This week was very informative. I really enjoyed my time in PT. It was nice to see the same faces come in for physical therapy.
Today, Friday, in particular was a tough day. We met with a man with Parkinson's disease, a boy who had a tumor removed, and a man with ALS. It was amazing to see how open all of them were with talking with us. I am really blessed to be able to hear their stories and how physical therapy is helping them. It really sparked much more of an interest in me that this is something I want to do with my life.
We also met with a man who is the founder of an online academy that works with serious athletes. His program is very impressive. He is quite a jokester and reminded Denisa of Adam Sandler.
It was really amazing to hear how some of the patients are dealing with their diseases. Also how their loved ones are dealing with it.

Day 3 @ PT

Today, there was a lot of action in the Black Water Physical Therapy offices. Many older clients that have had complete hip or knee replacements. Denisa and I worked with Dana Fletcher, Proctor student, Sage Fletcher's dad. When he was in college he was in a serious skiing accident that broke his femur. This lead to problems with his lower back, hip, knee and feet. Even though it was a long time ago, he still experiences some pain and needs a lot of physical therapy. We gave him several stretches for his upper legs and hips. He was still in a lot of pain.
We talked to a woman who works in a Nursing Home. She has a lot of older patients with Parkinson's disease. She told us a lot about the symptoms which was sad but interesting. Denisa and I worked with Luke again who's back has had issues due to skiing and tennis. This is causing his hamstrings to be incredibly tight, it's really remarkable. We gave him exercises as well and stretched him out.
I usually get a lot of pain in my shoulder and elbow from softball and Diane said she would give me things to do to help it, so I am looking forward to that!

Day 2/3

Today, I had the day off. Diane usually does paper work on wednesdays so she doesn't have clients and therefore did not need Denisa and I's help. I spent the day sleeping, attending my french class, sleeping some more and playing a softball game. It was a very productive and beautiful day!
Yesterday, we saw a lot of clients. We were taught and tested on a lot more body parts. Denisa and I worked out, we were given excersizes and workouts that patients with injuries use. Denisa and I got to work with Luke Cuticelli who has the tightest hamstrings I have ever seen. It was quite amusing to see Diane try to stretch him because he wasn't even close to getting his leg to a 90 degree angle. We watched a lot of patients with different injuries. We learned about the common diseases that people have and they come to physical therapy to help with the process. Diseases such as ALS, ML and Parkinson's.
Excited for another day tomorrow.

First Day

Today was a good first day. Pretty laid back and a lot of listening and watching. I enjoyed hearing the stories of patients and their injuries. The task of learning muscles, bones and ligaments of the shoulder, knee and hips has already started!
Today, there was a lot of dog sitting, which I loved. It was really a transition day, which was weird. It is strange to be at school but not be in classes and not have homework. But I will definitely be doing my fair share of studying for Mrs. Diane. I am a visual learner so it is great to have the patients in front of me to see everything that I am learning about.  I am excited for another day.