Life in the Sick Lane

I simply can't believe that I have a head cold right now! I'm actually running a fever too. How is that possible considering that last month I literally had to have almost seven shots as part of my medical clearance to work in the hospitals?!? And I do mean literally! I don't think I've ever had that many shots spread out over the course of two days. H1N1, Tetanus, something or another for chicken pox. You name it, my blood work showed I needed it. I am hard pressed to say that my body would be able to fight off a cold virus since all of my cells are trying to figure out what to attack first. LOL. Oh well. I took some Motrin last night and this morning and am going to take a hot shower in a few minutes. Need to be semi-well for tomorrow's training session. Looking forward to that. I need all the training sessions I can get since I find that working in the hospital setting is so very difficult. Everyone is so vulnerable. From the patients to those who treat them; we are all so very vulnerable. The patients just by the very nature of whatever ails them physically and the emotional toll that goes along with their illness. For the practitioner, their vulnerability lies in the balance of power they hold with that very patient. Are they providing enough information and care, are they being sensitive enough, are they just another ass caught up in the bureaucratic mess of a medical system our country has to offer? Where do I fit in? I'm right in in the middle of it all.

First and foremost, my job is to make sure the patient gets information about programs and services they may not know about. On the other side, I will have an office breathing down my neck asking me how many patients did I refer to them. A delicate balance. Not every patient wants to talk to someone the moment they find out they are facing a life crisis. Everyone handles news differently. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's training so that I can see different approaches to different scenarios. First I need to get well! Better go take a shower and get some soup in my system. More later on this, Haiti, the date, life.