quick update...

hey everyone! sorry, i know it's been awhile. things have been a little crazy here. i about pulled my hair out after work today, lots of craziness at the hospital...it seems like the really difficult patients come in waves, and today was a monsoon! (haha)

however, one exciting thing...i got to observe a hip resurfacing yesterday!! the coolest thing i have EVER seen! a hip resurfacing is similar to a hip replacement, but is typically used for younger patients with more active lifestyles. during the surgery the femoral head is not removed and then replaced with a metal ball, it is simply "shaved" into a smaller more cylindrical shape and capped with a metal cover. anyway, i was about three feet from the operating table, had to totally dress out, and could see everything! oh, so this hip resurfacing is still new in the us...the fda only approved it two years ago. and somehow i got to observe one of the "greats" as far as surgeons for this procedure go. he is one of two surgeons who do it in the state of wi, has a 100% approval rating after performing the surgery approx 250 times, and people travel from all over the country to let him operate on them. the surgery took about 2 1/2 hours and when it was over the doc personally congratulated me on being 1 out of only 3 people who didn't faint the first time they saw the surgery...needless to say, i was pretty proud (and most definitely cut out to be a surgeon now)! today i got to follow up with the patient and treat him in ot...kind of strange!

just now proof read my new post (very convenient to proof read 10 minutes after you post it), and saw lots of typos...i was shocked and upset. it really makes me wonder how scary my patient documentation was today. oops, i forever be tagged a nutcase by the people who manage medical records. anyways, hope you're not disenchanted and continue to read. let me know if you need help deciphering the sentences. ps. i attached photos of myself to document my utter shock and disbelief. (i think that it's quite fitting that i still can't figure out how to rotate photos, or arrange them for that matter.)

midterm week

i can't believe that this is my 6th week in madison...it has flown by ridiculously fast!! it's been awhile since i've written on here, but the days seem to be growing longer and more challenging, which leaves me (WAY TOO) exhausted to sit at my computer and type (or maybe lazy is the correct wordage)!! nevertheless, i am here now and i will update you all on this past couple of weeks. last week was extremely challenging, i had two cognitive evals and two non-english speakers. the cognitive evals were bizarre...left me wondering what my name was. one of the cognitive evals was performed on a man who was fluent in only punjabi, which left me wondering how accurate it actually was. who knew if he was answering the questions or his translating grandson was. however, his grandson was so attractive and sweet to his grandfather that i let it slip this time (haha, just kidding. he was very attractive, but i did have to document in the notes that the answers might have not been the patient's). i have one patient that has lewy body dementia and is constantly having the most bizarre hallucinations. he is constantly telling me (very wide eyed) that i am standing exactly where "the men that climbed the tree outside my window and came in" were standing last night. [fyi: he is on the 8th floor of the hospital, and there are no trees outside his window] very sad, but a VERY, VERY sweet man- a joy to work with really. another pt speaks hmong, one has severe manic ocd (that is my diagnosis, not dsm-IV), a triplegic (3 of her limbs don't work), and an amputee...among many others. today i worked a ten hour day, and if you want to hear exhaustion, listen to this...i got greeted by kiss from one patient before she told me that she could crochet all the baby clothes that i need in the future (good thing, i told her it might be awhile), got one 10 minute break to inhale a pb&j, spent the afternoon in the locked inpatient psych unit doing arts and crafts and discussing panic attacks, and observed my supervisor's son in pediatric ot. then i had to walk home...boohoo!! oh, and did i ever tell you all that i had to make a splint for a lady who had been in a car accident?? very scary and exciting at the same time. i was very happy that she was heavily medicated, it was less painful for both of that way!

overall, i have really loved it (so far) and have been very lucky to work with such great people. i still love interraction with the patients (even the grumpy ones) because they all have interesting stories and personalities to share with me (even if they aren't/can't talk). many of them are very sweet and get so excited when i came all the way from missouri to "work with them." i always get, "isn't it hot there?" (funny, they think it's a heat wave when it's above 79 degrees here) and "so, you must like the cardinals."

oh, and no worries friends, i have been having fun too. this past weekend my friends and i went to a festival called the madison rootsfest. very fun. it was an all day outdoor festival, featuring about 11 different music groups. very fun indeed! there was a bicycle powered stage (literally bicycle powered...about 20 people on stationary bikes positioned next to the stage pedaled to produce all of the power used by that stage)...AWESOME!! my favorites were the african drum corp, a reggae group, and of course the two headlining groups (the real reason that we went). [the pic above is my friend genny and i awaiting the headliner at rootsfest] anyways, i don't know what i'm doing this weekend...hopefully it doesn't involve spending any money! (haha, fat chance. there are two many fun, not free things to do here.)

stay faithful, keep reading and i'll keep you updated!!

love & peace

kt

devil's lake state park

yesterday, my friend danielle and i ventured out to devil's lake state park. an absolutely gorgeous park about 45 minutes away from madison...totally worth the drive! there are numerous hiking trails surrounding a lake that you could only see in movies. we decided to take a trail called balanced rock, which was rated as "difficult, with bluffs and beautiful views of the lake." ok, so here i am in a little sun-dressish-type shirt and sandals...not really prepared for a "serious" hike. i almost didn't do it (i don't know if you guys know this or not, but i'm not really the out-doorsy type), but i'm glad danielle made me. the view was absolutely amazing, and it was one of the most interesting trails i've ever seen...huge rocks forming the whole side of the mountain (picture avalanche or fallen rocks) where you had to look very closely to find the narrow steps that had been carefully placed to disappear into the view.

(sorry, i tried to rotate this pic. couldn't figure it out, oh well.) anyways, the fear of falling caused the adrenaline to rush, and we made it to the top and also got to see the real "balanced rock." on the way up, we encountered some climbers that had literally scaled the side of a huge rock (on top of other huge rocks) to construct a "climb site"...crazy! talk about adrenaline! anyways, it was very cool and maybe next time we'll decided to repel with the best of them (haha, only if i can remember to wear more of a hike-y outfit and bring my carabiner).

so, this is a pic of my "i conquered the mountain pose" and the balanced rock...pretty cool, eh?) who knew?? after the climb we attempted to swim, but since i am used to hotter sw mo climates, i about froze and got out of the water. but overall, had a very enjoyable afternoon of lounging, people watching, and eating potato chips (my favorite part, really). we are going back soon (1. because it's beautiful, 2. we had to pay $35 for a state park permit) to try a new trail called CCC and rent a canoe (since the water is too cold to swim in). after we left the park, we went into a nearby town baraboo, wi. if that sounds familiar to you, it is the historic, original site of the ringling bros. circus. there is a huge museum, and although i don't really like circuses i am going back soon...so keep your eyes open for pictures of that.

lastly, on the way home we stopped at a roadside souvenir shop (i LOVE souvenirs) called mousehouse cheeshaus...HILARIOUS! probably constructed in the 60s or 70s, very tacky. inside there were about 10 teenagers running it; selling souvenirs, making sandwiches, and knowing everything there is to know about wisconsin cheese. i didn't buy any cheese, but i did get an awesome coffee mug and keychain...next time i'll save my money for cheese, i'm sure it's delicious!

well, unfortunately i have to go clean my apartment. thanks for reading, and stay tuned (??) for more exciting stories about my adventures in madison!!

(oh, ps i am still working at the hospital and liking it. but news about the current patients at the hospital don't compare to devil's lake and mousehouse cheeshaus!)

3 weeks down, 9 to go...

well, my time here in madison is really flying by. not good...i have lots of things that i need (WANT) to do before sept. 19. so far, i really haven't ventured very far outside of the city. but i have plans to make it to some area lakes/state parks, chicago, wisconsin dells (wooo waterparks!), and milwaukee...better get on that asap!!

i have officially disharged all of my patients from ot, and look forward to getting new people on monday. no big breakthroughs yet, although i did get my patient who is globally aphasic to participate during my last two treatment sessions with her (after 2 1/2 weeks with very little interraction). she actually seemed to be enjoying my company, laughing and smiling (maybe she was laughing at me). we actually got into a non-verbal, stubborn fight one afternoon. she was trying to cheat during treatment...it was quite hilarious, neither one of us was going to back down. however, in the end i let her win...although i tried to tell her that she was only hurting herself in the long run. maybe that's why she was laughing at me, can you imagine me lecturing 70, 80, and 90 year olds about what is good for them?

one of my patients tried to trick me into letting her out of treatment by wasting time, asking in depth questions about my education and just which classes had been on my college schedule for the past 6 years. she was very disappointed when i told her that she should be able to talk and work at the same time...HILARIOUS! as soon as i told her that, she had no more curiousities about my education...or life, for that matter. she just worked in silence. i actually really need to be careful not to talk too much. i find myself rambling on and on to my patients, and then realize that we might not be doing everything that we're supposed to. but people have such interresting lives, how can i be expected to sit in silence?? i've been "thinking" about setting up a conversational ot hour, one in which i could sit with the patients and talk about their/my life. you know, check their cognitive abilities...it's really not that far off.

anyway, i guess i'd better go clean. my apartment is a scary mess by the weekend because i am just WAY TOO TIRED to clean on weeknights!!

love to all.
tip of the day...walk around barefoot, you'll feel much better. i tried it earlier, no one wears shoes in madison.

oooh-la-la

a different view of the capital (capitol??) building...on the monona terrace, a different patio/deck over the water.

cheesin' out at the terrace...

in the water at the terrace...very cold, a little stinky.

at the student union terrace...a patio on the university of wisconsin campus.

the state capitol building, literally a couple of blocks up the street from my house. on saturday mornings, i go to the downtown farmer's market which is picture-esquely set up all the way around this building.