Tag: Health Care

Paging Dr. Gupta

Last week Elizabeth Cohen, on CNN’s American Morning spoke about a newly released study comparing the effectiveness of three different diets–a low fat diet, the Mediterranean diet and a low-carb diet–and with results in hand, quite surprisingly gawked at the findings. I’m sure if she went further into specifics of said study, it would tell quite a different story. But I digress… 

The study followed a bunch of people over a course of a two year period and tracked their weight-loss. I’m not sure about any specifics of the study, I’m too lazy and I don’t really care to cite it. But I have to mention this study was conducted by a group with a stake in the findings. And, rather shockingly the findings favored this group. 

Not my point… Continue reading Paging Dr. Gupta

Support and services

Q: What support services were the most/least beneficial to you and why?

I honestly couldn’t break it down to any specific services. I really had to think about this question before I arrived at a semi-workable answer. And the answer isn’t quite as specific as I’d have hoped. Oh well.

I believe my “support” and whether it has benefited me, either positively or negatively, simply boils down to whether it was obtained independently, or through a so-called “service provider.”

I didn’t have much control with any “formal” service entity. I was at the mercy of the service and what they’re able to provide at any given time. At least where PSW services go. They were not very flexible and, either unwilling, or unable to deal with change. Like if a staff member was sick, or unable to “report for duty,” not once were they able to provide me a back-up. And given this relations were often strained as a result. A person’s care is, inevitably personal and important. As it should be. I expected dependable help, but was provided anything but. Continue reading Support and services

On A Side Note

Speaking of hospital staff, a funny story came to mind while posting yesterday’s contribution.

While laid up in a hospital there was this nurse, let’s call her Mary. What I’m about to write is everything but ideal hospital behavior, she knew exactly how to entertain me. For a petite young woman, girl had the most prolific bum instrument I’m ever likely to hear. Get this, a few times a shift she would pass by my room and crack one off for my amusement. Continue reading On A Side Note

Health care culture and interaction

Q: Could you describe your perception of the hospital culture including your interaction with specific professionals at that time and how you adjusted?

A: The culture was desperately overworked. And greatly understaffed. Specialized members at any hospital I was at, whether the doctors or therapy personnel were few and far between. I only saw my neurologist, the physician overseeing my case once in the five months I was at one hospital.

Which left nursing staff as my primary exposure to professionals. Tired and cranky are two words that immediately spring to mind. But in defense of a few members of the attending staff, they understood my visible signs of frustration and did their best to try and rectify it. But rarely did it help. You can only do so much with what you have to work with. And sadly I wasn’t in any position to “adjust,” so to speak. I was just left to wait. Continue reading Health care culture and interaction