rally thursday

In traditional Thursday fashion, today started off CHAOTIC with every therapist already buzzing around when I arrived at a time I thought was early.  As usual, the clients I wanted to see wee distracted, agaitated, needed to use the bathroom ASAP, or just already in the bathroom, tired, grumpy, and overall just difficult to pin down for any time longer than 30 minutes.

but.... it's Rally Thursday!
Because it's the day before Friday, and the week is almost over, and even in the midst of chaos there must be SOMETHING good that happened today......it's time to rally!

This Thursday, I am happy because I don't have a real day of patient care tomorrow, so it feels a little bit like a Friday.  I have a two day live course on Physical Agent Modalities tomorrow and Saturday.  I am really excited to learn how to use the short wave diathermy and ultrasound, and learn a little bit more about the different kinds of electrical stimulation I can use with my patients.

Modalities are big for pain management, and as you can guess with the 80-and-over population I see, a lot of my clientele have pain!!  But it's important to remember that with occupational therapy, we don't just treat the pain and try to make the person feel better...  we aim to get people back to doing the activities they have stopped being able to do, like putting on a bra because they can't reach the hooks in the back... or reaching in the cabinet for spices to put in their soup.  Or we make doing those things just a little more tolerable so that they won't quit weaving baskets or playing golf.  As an OT, I get clients with hand/finger pain and shoulder pain.  I HATE pain.... It's my least favorite issue to get a referral for-- I always just feel like I can't help them.  But hopefully with this new training I will have a few more tricks up my sleeve to get some of my residents back in action.

The other thing I am really happy about is THE BOY IS ALL FINISHED WITH STEP 2!  One more thing checked off the list and that we have gotten past.  YAY!  I got only minimally frustrated during his study time and that was mostly because of extended silence (due to him being asleep or intensely studying) and the fact that I'm not allowed to make plans... which I still haven't done.

I was also really happy because it's been quiet between us all week and he said he would talk to me after he finished today... and he actually followed through, and he actually called me.  And so far didn't have any bad "I can't hang out this weekend news".....yet.  I know this sounds silly that I would be excited about this, but it just shows to me that we are better than we were a year ago.  And though we chatted really really briefly, he promised to follow up tonight... and hopefully that means willingness to make plans to see each other this weekend... since I haven't made any yet... although I really wouldn't mind having a date to ride roller coasters on Sunday, but I'm not holding my breath....... ok maybe just a little bit. ;)

Happy Thursday!