Hello all! Another fantastic week. Exciting news-- I have some updates on surveys and research before we get on that weekly patient grind!
We began administering the surveys in Week 2, and after analyzing Week 2 and Week 3’s responses, I began to notice not only some trends but some room for improvement on the survey itself. Some of the questions (such as the background ones on how long a patient has had a certain condition) were receiving vague responses. To resolve this, I added details and specificity to that and other sections of the survey. I am excited to keep reading through responses and finding some solid patterns; I will start to write about these them once we’ve been administering the surveys for a couple more weeks!
Another great experience I had this week was seeing a patient I had met with earlier in the year. This was the first patient I have now seen twice. It was so cool to be able to follow up with her, and track her progress and life as a whole.
On Wednesday this week, we had a great visit that exemplifies the benefit of Osteopathy. A patient came in with complaints of pain in her left jaw, neck, and shoulder. She was also recovering from a minor car accident four months ago, in which she injured her right foot and ankle (and nothing else). In the past, she has suffered from sciatica (pain in the region where the sciatic nerve is, from the side of the hip to the buttocks/lower back) and borderline high cholesterol and blood pressure.
It would be easy to dismiss a connection between an injury in the right foot and pain in the left side of the neck, or between high cholesterol and chronic left side pain. However, Dr. Barker explained to the patient that both an injury in the right foot and Sciatica pain can lead to a limp. This can lead to misalignment up the spine… and consequent neck and shoulder pain. Additionally, chronic pain limited to one side of the body can be a symptom of cardiovascular disease. Other symptoms of cardiovascular disease? Elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Due to the patient’s history and her training, Dr. Barker prescribed both a Stress Test (to ensure underlying heart problems are not causing or worsening the left side pain) and OMT, Osteopathic Manual Therapy (to mitigate the pain and misalignment). So many medical problems are interrelated and influence one another, forming connections D.O.s are specifically trained to notice. Osteopathic training really brings a fantastic holistic perspective, allowing patients and providers to have a complete understanding of all aspects of their health.
So that’s it for this week… Until next time. As usual, thanks for reading! See you soon!
Hey Julia! I loved loved loved your gifs in this week's post :D They were so out there, and made me laugh (or should I say, lol?) You seem to be having such a wonderful experience, from re-meeting with the one patient to working on the surveys to learning a about a more holistic approach to health/medicine. Quick question, what exactly happens during a Stress Test? It sounds kinda scary and stressful (sorry, I don't mean to leave bad puns in your comments section :)). Thank you, and I can't wait to hear more about the survey responses!
ReplyDeleteHi Saleena! I'm glad you liked them! A stress test is a cardiac test, that measures how your heart responds to "stress", which usually comes in the form of exercise (running on a treadmill, using the stationary bike, etc). A good portrayal of this is in movies and TV, when the characters run on a treadmill, with their vitals and heart rate being measured. The stress test gradually gets harder, to see how your heart handles increasing heart rate and BP. So, the treadmill usually gets faster as the test progresses. Thanks for reading!
DeleteHey Julia!
ReplyDeleteThe gifs in this weeks post are so funny! I especially love the first one. It seems as though you are having an amazing time interacting with the patients. For the surveys, how specific are the questions? You mentioned receiving vague responses; Could you possibly include a sample question from the survey? Good luck with the rest of the surveys!
Shivalee Nigam
Hi Shiavlee! So one of the questions I was having problems with was "How long has this medical condition affected you?" Some responses were great, such as 3 years, 4 months. Others simply wrote "a long time". I added phrasing to the question which specified a response in months and years! Thanks for reading!
DeleteLove love LOVE the fact that you are adjusting your survey according to the feedback you are getting! It's not easy to recognize when something you've been working on needs to be adjusted. Good job!
ReplyDeleteAlso love the story connecting all the different troubles the patient was dealing with. It's neat to see such a comprehensive approach to patient health. I also really appreciate how the patients seem like they are real people, not just another number to get through.
Keep up the good work! Can't wait to hear how the new and improved survey works!
-Ms. Cooney
Thank you so much Ms. Cooney! They are all amazing to work with, and provide such great insight about patients relations. As a whole, this internship is such a great example of Osteopathic medicine and its benefits. Thanks for reading!
DeleteHi Julia!
ReplyDeleteWow! I loved your week 3 post! I'm super excited to read about the results from the newly updated survey. It's fascinating how Dr. Barker was able to make a connection between an injury in the foot and pain in the neck. Doctors are like detectives :). Anyways, how do you think your experiences so far have impacted your perception of Osteopathy? Do you love it even more or are you starting to lean towards another field? I look forward to next week's post.
~Gabby W.
Hi Gabby! Yes they are truly amazing. I definitely am considering it for my future! I love the training and perspective it brings to medicine. I am definitely leaning towards being a D.O., especially if my specialty is pediatrics or emergency. Thanks for reading!
DeleteHi Julia!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that your surveys are going well! It also looks like your third week with Dr. Barker was amazing! It was great to learn about how many different injuries may have other impacts elsewhere on someone's body. Have you seen any other instance of an unrelated accident using pain in various areas of the body? Also, how does a Stress Test work? Is it more of a physical examination or a mental examination (like with a therapist)? I look forward to reading about your next week with Dr. Barker! Good Luck!
Bhumika K.
Hi Bhumika! I have not seen any other accident injuries thus far-- this was my first. A stress test is a cardiac test that evaluates how hearts perform under physical stress, like exercise. The patient runs on a treadmill, and must gradually run faster as an EKG is constantly run on them, to make sure their heart rate rises properly. Hope this was helpful--thanks for reading!
DeleteHi Julia! It's good to see that the surveys are coming along well. It is really interesting to see how Dr.Barker drew the connections between the leg pain and the neck pain, along with the high cholesterol. For your surveys, do you plan on identifying some similar connections with the symptoms and conditions along with the trends? I can't wait to hear about what answers present themselves through your surveys, and more about the different patients and their treatment!
ReplyDeleteHi Sri! So I won't be looking specifically at symptoms, but I am looking at conditions patients have, how often they visit Dr. Barker, and their impressions from these visits. Thanks for reading!
DeleteHi Julia! I'm so happy to hear that your third week went well! It must be so exciting to follow up with a patient. It's also so interesting that an injury in the foot could affect a neck injury since it is so hard to imagine the two being interrelated. However, could you explain the Stress Test in more detail? Also, how much detail does the survey go into and what are the questions centered around? I hope next week goes just as well as this week!
ReplyDeleteJulie Loison
Hi Julie! Seeing her make the connections first hand was amazing. Yes! So a stress test is a cardiovascular test that examines how your heart handles increased "stress", aka when it has to work harder, such as exercise. Often a doctor will attach the patient to an EKG monitor, and watch the hearts rhythms and strength as the patient runs faster and faster on a treadmill. As for the surveys, they ask the patients how they feel about their health, treatment, and values with their current and last provider. Hope this was helpful--thanks for reading!
DeleteOh my gosh, Julia, that is so cool that you were able to be a part in so many things! Also, I loved that story about the patient with chronic pain on her left side: I am truly amazed at how complicated the human body is. I was just wondering if you could further explain what a Stress Test is? I hope your next week goes well, and I can't wait to read your next post!!
ReplyDeleteHi Korina! Yes it was truly awesome. So a stress test is a cardiovascular test that examines how your heart handles increased "stress", aka when it has to work harder, such as exercise. Often a doctor will attach the patient to an EKG monitor, and watch the hearts rhythms and strength as the patient runs faster and faster on a treadmill. Thanks for reading!
DeleteHi Julia! I'm so glad to hear that you were able to meet up with a patient you had been introduced to earlier in the year! It sounds like you're not only enjoying the studies in your research project but the social interactions as well! I remember last week you answered my question regarding the correlation between the inability to produce an adequate amount of gonads and the lack of smell. This week, it was really interesting to hear yet another surprising connection between pain in the right ankle and pain in the left side of the neck. I noted the potential consequences of such injuries; however, what exactly accounts for the pain in both the right ankle and left side of the neck? I can't wait to read more about your research next week! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteSophia Vaidya
Hi Sophia! The connections I'm seeing I never would've thought of, but here they are! So the ankle injury itself was caused by her foot being jammed into the gas pedal during the accident. This injury caused a limp, and limps completely mess up your spinal alignment! You unconsciously lift your "limp" side hip more, which messes up the balance in your back. This imbalance over time can strain the rest of your back, including the upper back and neck, as the tendons and muscles there are now being pulled on at bad angles. Hope this helped--thanks for reading!
DeleteHi Julia! I love following up on your weekly blog, I find the medical field very interesting and I think it's amazing that you get to have such a great experience in the field at such a relatively young age. I bet that being able to help people manage pain that results from an injury is very rewarding and the fact that you got to follow up with a patient that you met with earlier in the week was very cool. Until next week, good luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Connor! I'm so glad you like reading each week! I am definitely very lucky to be getting the experiences I am. Thanks, and thanks for reading!
DeleteHi Julia! I'm glad your third week went as well as the first two! It's amazing that you got to see one of your earlier patients and catch up with them, and I found the process of diagnosis and prescription very interesting. I look forward to following your blog more. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHey Jacob! Glad you enjoyed reading, and I am ready for another great week! Thanks!
DeleteHi Julia! I really enjoyed this week's blog post (especially your use of The Office gifs). I really loved how clearly and methodically you explained your work on this blog. I also really appreciated how you started off by talking about a previous patient you worked with before; it shows a personal connection which is really cool! From there, your subsequent explanation of how her injury has impacted her and how Dr. Barker recommended different treatments was super clear and precise and easy for me to comprehend! I'm excited for next week's post!
ReplyDeleteHi Kimmy! I'm so glad it was easy to follow and understand; I'm having some amazing experiences and glad I get to share them. She's awesome and has great "bed-side manner", aka how she talks to patients. Thanks for reading!
DeleteHi Julia! Really love following your weekly blogs. Looking at a patient is hard especially as your are very young at this field. But I really love how you went to treat the patient without any hesitation or fear. I'm really looking forward to your next blog, but until then......Bye..Good Luck!!
ReplyDeleteHi! Thank you so much; it's been incredible. Thank you, and thanks for reading!
Delete