Today was my first day at Bluegrass Primary Care & Pediatrics in London, KY with Dr. Zook. Check them out on Facebook! I have been down to visit Dr. Zook two previous times. The first, I worked with her at the White House Clinic in McKee, KY and the second time I was at Bluegrass PCP. Because of this, I was familiar with the staff and they all knew me from my previous visit so there were warm welcomes all around. Dr. Zook shares an office with Diane who is one of the nurses. She is the nicest lady that you could possibly meet. She's got the most adorable southern accent and when she speaks it just makes me smile.
Today was a relatively slow day in the office. Although most people think that this would be boring, in some ways it's good because it allows me to see another part of the profession and deal with the reality that you are not going to be slammed with patients every single day. It comes with a natural ebb and flow which I think is healthy. I will give some of the highlights from the day.
Our first patient (I will call her "Patient 1" due to confidentiality. From now on all patients will be numbered), is a recovering narcotic addict. A common treatment for people in this situation is to be put on a medication called Suboxone. Suboxone helps people addicted to narcotics by evading the symptoms of withdrawal due to it's ability to bind to opiate receptors in the brain. Unlike other opiates, Suboxone works without producing a high. The unfortunate reality of this situation means that the opiate addict may abuse this medication or potentially be on it for the rest of their lives if he or she would not like to face an ugly withdrawal period. Patient 1 was a 25 year old female who was also taking Abilify and Celebrex in order to manage severe depression. She was also on a medication for seizures. Since going on Suboxone, this patient's quality of life has improved dramatically and she was kept on the treatment program.
Patient 3 was a 35 year old female who seemed to believe that her spine was crushed. In reality, her MRI stated that she had a herniated disc between her 4th and 5th Lumbar vertebrae as well as a severe lordosis (exaggerated abnormal curvature of the lumbar vertebrae). A neurosurgeon recommended her as a candidate for surgery but she was searching for a second opinion due to reservations about the surgery. She is in severe pain but was still able to work full time as a nurse's assistant. Her pain prevented her from sleeping. It was determined that she see another neurosurgeon at a different group for a second opinion.
My favorite patient of the day was a male in his mid thirties (Patient 4). Patient 4 had decided that he wanted to join the "Iron Butt Association" which is a motorcycle club that requires its riders to ride over 1,000 miles in less then 24 hours. While on his trip, he was crossing a bridge and hit a bump. This bump threw him from the seat but not off the bike and he landed hard back down on the seat. He noticed on the way home that he felt as though his boot was falling apart because he could no longer feel sensation in the side of his foot. Although his back hurt in the first 24 hours after getting off the bike, the numbness in the foot persisted afterwards. Interestingly enough, when Patient 4 hit the bump, he had inflamed his sciatic nerve in a way that caused a neuropathy (numbness) in his S1 nerve that leads all the way down along the outer edge of his foot. It's amazing how the human body works! He was prescribed Percocet and told to return if the sensation persisted.
Every time I spend time with patients, I feel more and more at home. I love sitting and listening to their stories and trying to help them. I've never been more happy to wake up and go to work in the morning!
After coming home, I moved out of Sam's room (goodbye superman sheets.... you will be missed) and into the guest room. It's great to have my own space but we're still working on teaching Sam to knock before he just walks in. This time when I'm here we want to avoid any and all wardrobe malfunctions! I helped Susan screw some spindles onto the deck and we're making pretty good process. I'm becoming quite the carpenter and can read a level like nobody's business!
Can't wait for another great day tomorrow!
Until next time,
~Wacko Jacko~
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