The whole week, I’ve experienced the career of a clinical dietitian, but what about personal practice?  This morning, a client came in because she was concerned about her weight.  She had gained 30 pounds in the past 2 months and wasn’t sure why.  She started listing some of the medications that she was using.  She had a hereditary disorder that prescribed her to take seven different medications.  Her metabolism was thrown off and her body didn’t react the way she wanted it to.  Would exercise help?  Of course, along with a balanced diet.  She was trying to exercise along with eating only one meal a day.  Many people think that the less they eat, the more weight they will lose.  Actually, it is much easier to lose weight if you eat 3 meals a day with snacks in between and exercising.  The worst thing for your body is to fluctuate in weight. 

February 12, 2009

After experiencing a day treating patients in the hospital, today we went to the nursing home.  The nursing home was actually located near Oprah’s hometown of Kosciusko.  We checked all patients that either lost or gained a substantial amount of weight.  The first chart we looked at was the percentage of their food they completed for the week.  A normal percentage completed is 67%, but if it’s lower than 50% then that’s a red flag.  We would visit with each patient and try to find out reasons why they haven’t been eating normally.  Out of the 12 patients we visited, only 2 of them were able to respond to our questions.  Some were just too weak to talk.  Since some dietitians are contractors for nursing homes, so we had to rely on the nurses for more information about their eating habits.  Each patient had a different issue, but many of them had milkshakes added to their diet along with eating more snacks between meals.   Some patients relied on tube-feeding, which is only for liquids to reach the stomach.

February 9, 2009

I had been anticipating Mississippi since I started.  I came here feeling that this state and Alabama would be the most foreign to me.  It’s not too often someone from MS comes to California.  And it’s not too often that people talk about MS in California.  I had no idea what the state looks like, what kind of food they eat, or what kind of people there are. 

I was pleasantly surprised how beautiful the drive was into Jackson.  It was actually one of my favorite drives so far.  I wasn’t surprised to see billboards advertising to “live a healthy life.”  That’s exactly what I came for.  I knew one thing before coming to MS; the reputation of poor health.  As I came closer to the state capital of Jackson, there was nothing but health care signs and hospitals alongside the freeway.  It’s my first time in the “deep south,” so many things will be new to me………