1/6 of the summer done! So my "GI" module was more of a random mix of whatever the RD I'm following had to do that day. She works by herself at a smaller hospital and helps out at Cape Fear on Fridays. We went on 3rd floor rounds yesterday and visited the 19yo patient I mentioned in my last blog. He was ready for a much-needed skin graft for one of his sacral pressure ulcers, but no one in the area does simple plastic surgeries like that. The doctor said that many plastic surgeons in the area don't want to perform menial skin grafts because they can get so much more money doing cosmetic surgeries for wealthy people. So sad. I'm changing my mind and am now going to be a plastic surgeon to help those people! (just kidding for that one...)

Also, a tip for diet educations in the hospital. Obviously all people have different education levels and willingness to listen to you. So, before you go to visit a patient, have several different pointers in mind that you can use with people of various education levels and interests. I went to educate this lovely lady about a diabetic diet, who apparently had no idea what diabetes was ("somethin' is in my blood" she said) and had a limited vocabulary as evidenced by her choice language describing the bowel movement she had just experienced in bed while we were talking with her. Lovely lady. I was a little scattered in my education session and kind of overloaded her with info that she didn't care about. So if you experience a patient like that, just tell her to eat three meals a day and to stay away from high sugar food and drink, and get out of there.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!