Hey! Things have gotten much better since I last wrote. I'm understanding more, speaking a lot more, and am feeling a lot better about my PT skills.
Yesterday, we went to a community health center in the morning. It is amazing how many people just show up to need our help. I don't really remember much of what we saw, but in general, the past 2 days have been a lot of strokes and back problems. These are really common here. Strokes, because the diet is full of fat and salt. And back problems, because the women have 38439024 kids and are always carrying them. So, we did a lot of good fixing that. Later, in the afternoon, we went back to the hospital, and while I was waiting on supplies that we could never get a hold of, the rest of my group taught a group of nurses how to transfer a patient. That was pretty cool, because they always depend on the men in the hospital to move the patients, and now they can do it themselves!
We've also been seeing a LOT of kids with cerebral palsy. I have no intention of doing pediatric PT, but I have really enjoyed working with the kids the past few days. I held one today while we made casts for his feet and hands. Even though I sweated probably a gallon, and got puked on, it was still an incredible experience.
This afternoon, we went to a poorer community in the town, called Vista el Valle. It had dirt roads, wooden shacks, and people sitting out at tables playing board games. The first guy we saw, we found sleeping on his porch. He had suffered a stroke a long time ago, and we were checking him out. The whole time we were there, he kept saying "Gloria a Dios", which means "Glory to God". He also, at one point, just started shaking and then singing a beautiful hymn. It was SO moving. As well, he had the most contagious, no teethed laugh. He was telling us a story about when his father died, and he just started laughing so hard. It was one of those laughs that, when you hear it, you have to laugh along with him. It was one of those moments where I have felt so close to God and know that this is why I am doing the work that I am doing. I wish I could post pictures of him, but because of HIPAA stuff, we've been advised against it :/
We also saw a guy this afternoon who was robbed, had acid poured on him, was cut with a machete, and then shot. He was very anti-PT in the beginning, didn't want to do any of the exercises we were telling him correctly, etc. As time went on, he became more open to it, and we were able to help him walk better than he had walked since it occurred. It was another time where I've been so glad that I'm in the profession that I'm in. Amazing.
Tomorrow, we are going to a university in the morning, and then to a park and a museum in the afternoon. And then Friday, LA PLAYA (THE BEACH!!)!! I'm excited to use my mask and snorkel again and take pictures with my underwater camera!
I can't believe how fast this week is going. I am looking forward to being home, but I also am going to miss this place. This town has so much character, and I feel like the USA really lacks culture like this.
Until I get back, have a great week!
-Austin
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Dominican Republic Day 1 & 2
So, I know this blog isn't about my trip, but this is the best place I can think of to write something that everyone can see. Also, I want to write down this stuff as I'm experiencing it, so I don't forget it.
For those of you who don't know, I am currently on a service learning trip doing physical therapy in a town called San Francisco de Macoris, in the Dominican Republic. It is a fairly decent sized city about 2.5 hours north of Santo Domingo.
Sunday, we landed in Santo Domingo, and took a bus from there to San Francisco. I sat next to a nice young guy who was in med school to be a neurosurgeon. He told me I spoke Spanish really well and had a good accent, so I was pleased with that. It was also the most Spanish I had spoken since I studied in Trujillo, so my tongue was cramping up by the end of it!
Today, we woke up and went to the hospital, called San Vincente de Paul. It is the public university hospital in the town. And it was crazy. We were introduced to EVERYONE who works in the hospital. They all spoke so fast, and me, being all confident with my Spanish, understood maybe a word a minute. It was so discouraging. We did get to treat some patients in the hospital; for me (with other people) I saw a young boy who fell out of a tree and broke his arm in several places, and 2 people who broke their legs. I actually felt pretty good with the leg fractures, because I saw a lot of that at Grady this summer. Once we started treating, I was ok, but trying to understand conversations is super discouraging. I am told each day will get better, and that's what I'm hoping.
Then, in the afternoon, we saw patients in a community clinic. Our first patient was a hemi-spinal cord injury from a gunshot wound... something I didn't even see at Grady in the US! However, interestingly enough, this was the patient I would have felt the most confident with. I now know that neuro is definitely my specialty and what I feel the most confident about. Then, we saw 2 ankle fractures that had pretty much fused, so the people had no range of motion. And I had very little clue about those... I didn't see ANY ankles in clinic! Last, we saw a guy with back and chest pain, and it was fun to teach him lifting skills and to see him perform lifting correctly. That part was very rewarding. And, these people were easier to understand, which was helpful.
The last patient of the day was a little girl with extreme cerebral palsy. CP is another thing I haven't had ANY experience with. However, there is something about children that, even when you are doing anything to them, you feel like you are making a difference. This little girl had the biggest smile on her face, whether she was comprehending me or not, and that was awesome.
We also got to play with kids, and it was so much fun. There are motorcycles everywhere, and she was pretending her bike was a motorcycle, and was filling it with "gasoline", and then she would ride and crash. Another kid pretended to give me a potato. Children's laughter and imagination are the best.
The food is good, the juices are AMAZING, we hear a lot of dogs barking and roosters crowing, there are lots of motorcycles, and I am loving the sounds. Because my vision is so bad, my hearing and smell are extra-sensitive, and this is a great place to use that. I feel like I get so much more from the experience.
I'm hoping to write something like this every day here, if my computer lives. The power keeps going out, so we aren't supposed to charge anything. If not, know that I'm having a good time and experiencing A LOT. And miss you all, so much.
Love,
Austin
For those of you who don't know, I am currently on a service learning trip doing physical therapy in a town called San Francisco de Macoris, in the Dominican Republic. It is a fairly decent sized city about 2.5 hours north of Santo Domingo.
Sunday, we landed in Santo Domingo, and took a bus from there to San Francisco. I sat next to a nice young guy who was in med school to be a neurosurgeon. He told me I spoke Spanish really well and had a good accent, so I was pleased with that. It was also the most Spanish I had spoken since I studied in Trujillo, so my tongue was cramping up by the end of it!
Today, we woke up and went to the hospital, called San Vincente de Paul. It is the public university hospital in the town. And it was crazy. We were introduced to EVERYONE who works in the hospital. They all spoke so fast, and me, being all confident with my Spanish, understood maybe a word a minute. It was so discouraging. We did get to treat some patients in the hospital; for me (with other people) I saw a young boy who fell out of a tree and broke his arm in several places, and 2 people who broke their legs. I actually felt pretty good with the leg fractures, because I saw a lot of that at Grady this summer. Once we started treating, I was ok, but trying to understand conversations is super discouraging. I am told each day will get better, and that's what I'm hoping.
Then, in the afternoon, we saw patients in a community clinic. Our first patient was a hemi-spinal cord injury from a gunshot wound... something I didn't even see at Grady in the US! However, interestingly enough, this was the patient I would have felt the most confident with. I now know that neuro is definitely my specialty and what I feel the most confident about. Then, we saw 2 ankle fractures that had pretty much fused, so the people had no range of motion. And I had very little clue about those... I didn't see ANY ankles in clinic! Last, we saw a guy with back and chest pain, and it was fun to teach him lifting skills and to see him perform lifting correctly. That part was very rewarding. And, these people were easier to understand, which was helpful.
The last patient of the day was a little girl with extreme cerebral palsy. CP is another thing I haven't had ANY experience with. However, there is something about children that, even when you are doing anything to them, you feel like you are making a difference. This little girl had the biggest smile on her face, whether she was comprehending me or not, and that was awesome.
We also got to play with kids, and it was so much fun. There are motorcycles everywhere, and she was pretending her bike was a motorcycle, and was filling it with "gasoline", and then she would ride and crash. Another kid pretended to give me a potato. Children's laughter and imagination are the best.
The food is good, the juices are AMAZING, we hear a lot of dogs barking and roosters crowing, there are lots of motorcycles, and I am loving the sounds. Because my vision is so bad, my hearing and smell are extra-sensitive, and this is a great place to use that. I feel like I get so much more from the experience.
I'm hoping to write something like this every day here, if my computer lives. The power keeps going out, so we aren't supposed to charge anything. If not, know that I'm having a good time and experiencing A LOT. And miss you all, so much.
Love,
Austin
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Rollercoaster Ride
Hey guys,
So, to put it nicely, this week has been a bit difficult for me. You see, I thrive when I am busy. I like going from one activity to another, not thinking about what else is going on in my life, just concentrating on what I have to do next. And this week, because of my profession's national conference, we didn't have class. Which meant A LOT of down time. Which meant A LOT of thinking about back home. Which made me sad.
And then, amidst the sad times, I would find something to make me happy. Often, it was thoughts about how excited I am to move back home... So, I'd be really happy for a few hours, even a day, and then crash and have to pull myself out of the sadness again. Its not quite bipolar level, but it really was wreaking havoc on my emotions this week. Like a rollercoaster.
Today's sermon in church was about Job. God LET Satan tempt Job and take everything away from him, because God knew Job was strong enough to take it. And Job, being the awesome guy he was, continued to praise God through all the hard times. And that's what I kind of tried to work towards this week. Finding the positives and thanking God for them, rather than dwelling on the negatives and how much I hate being away from home.
So, these next few weeks will hopefully pull me out of this funk. My schedule really picks back up next week, and I have more classes, and more fun things to do (like my college roommate visiting me, going to a few ECHL hockey games, and eventually the boy visiting for Valentine's Day!). And the busier I am, the less I will think about what I'm missing at home.
One positive about this week was I had some time to cook a few things. One of them was homemade tzaziki sauce. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this awesomeness, its a yogurt/sour cream sauce that can go on meat, or with pita bread, or with carrots, etc. Its cucumbery, dilly, and garlicky... and delicious. I found a recipe on Kalyn's Kitchen Blog and will repost it how I made it here!
World's Best Tzaziki Sauce! From Kalyn's Kitchen Blog
Ingredients:
3 cups Greek Yogurt
juice of one lemon (about 3 T)
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
1 T finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place the cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle salt on them. Let them sit for at least 30 minutes (I let mine sit for 45) so the water can draw the salt out of the cucumbers (Wow, science!). Then, a step that I didn't do but was recommended to me, is to press the cucumbers between a few sheets of paper towels to draw even more water out of them. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and combine.
It should last in the fridge for a few days! I ate it tonight on a chicken burger that I put in a pita with some lettuce, tomato, and feta, and it was AMAZING. Will definitely be making it again, and using ground chicken breast more often (super healthy!)
Here's to a better week... much happier, and continuing to be healthy :)
-Austin
Current weight: 167.2
Weight loss since January 14 (the start of this new effort): 6 lbs
So, to put it nicely, this week has been a bit difficult for me. You see, I thrive when I am busy. I like going from one activity to another, not thinking about what else is going on in my life, just concentrating on what I have to do next. And this week, because of my profession's national conference, we didn't have class. Which meant A LOT of down time. Which meant A LOT of thinking about back home. Which made me sad.
And then, amidst the sad times, I would find something to make me happy. Often, it was thoughts about how excited I am to move back home... So, I'd be really happy for a few hours, even a day, and then crash and have to pull myself out of the sadness again. Its not quite bipolar level, but it really was wreaking havoc on my emotions this week. Like a rollercoaster.
Today's sermon in church was about Job. God LET Satan tempt Job and take everything away from him, because God knew Job was strong enough to take it. And Job, being the awesome guy he was, continued to praise God through all the hard times. And that's what I kind of tried to work towards this week. Finding the positives and thanking God for them, rather than dwelling on the negatives and how much I hate being away from home.
So, these next few weeks will hopefully pull me out of this funk. My schedule really picks back up next week, and I have more classes, and more fun things to do (like my college roommate visiting me, going to a few ECHL hockey games, and eventually the boy visiting for Valentine's Day!). And the busier I am, the less I will think about what I'm missing at home.
One positive about this week was I had some time to cook a few things. One of them was homemade tzaziki sauce. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this awesomeness, its a yogurt/sour cream sauce that can go on meat, or with pita bread, or with carrots, etc. Its cucumbery, dilly, and garlicky... and delicious. I found a recipe on Kalyn's Kitchen Blog and will repost it how I made it here!
World's Best Tzaziki Sauce! From Kalyn's Kitchen Blog
Ingredients:
3 cups Greek Yogurt
juice of one lemon (about 3 T)
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
1 T finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place the cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle salt on them. Let them sit for at least 30 minutes (I let mine sit for 45) so the water can draw the salt out of the cucumbers (Wow, science!). Then, a step that I didn't do but was recommended to me, is to press the cucumbers between a few sheets of paper towels to draw even more water out of them. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and combine.
It should last in the fridge for a few days! I ate it tonight on a chicken burger that I put in a pita with some lettuce, tomato, and feta, and it was AMAZING. Will definitely be making it again, and using ground chicken breast more often (super healthy!)
Here's to a better week... much happier, and continuing to be healthy :)
-Austin
Current weight: 167.2
Weight loss since January 14 (the start of this new effort): 6 lbs
Thursday, January 17, 2013
New Recipe! A salad that rocks!
Hey everyone!
As most of you know, when I started this blog waaay back when, I wanted to include recipes that I've been trying. Well, I've slacked on that. And recently, I've started trying to cook my own healthy meals, because I've heard it said MANY a time that "Abs are made in the kitchen". Plus, I know that my diet is one of the main things preventing me from being as skinny as I'd like to be.
So, I found this recipe on Pinterest a few months ago. If you don't have Pinterest, you're REALLY missing out. I get most of my recipes from there these days. This is a salad recipe, which I've adapted a bit. It comes from a blog called Nutmeg Notebook, and here is the link to the actual recipe (which I will post adapted here):
Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad, adapted from Nutmeg Notebook
Dressing:
To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Of course, you can decide how much of each ingredient to add. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.
This salad turned out absolutely amazing, and relatively healthy (would have been even healthier if I had used low fat sour cream, but I am a firm believer in using full fat sour cream). And, it makes for a great meal.
Hope you guys try it and like it!
-Austin
Current weight: 168.2
Start of week: 173.2
Weight loss to date (since September 2010): 34 lbs
As most of you know, when I started this blog waaay back when, I wanted to include recipes that I've been trying. Well, I've slacked on that. And recently, I've started trying to cook my own healthy meals, because I've heard it said MANY a time that "Abs are made in the kitchen". Plus, I know that my diet is one of the main things preventing me from being as skinny as I'd like to be.
So, I found this recipe on Pinterest a few months ago. If you don't have Pinterest, you're REALLY missing out. I get most of my recipes from there these days. This is a salad recipe, which I've adapted a bit. It comes from a blog called Nutmeg Notebook, and here is the link to the actual recipe (which I will post adapted here):
Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad, adapted from Nutmeg Notebook
Dressing:
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2/3 cup sour cream (I used regular, but you can use light to make it even healthier!)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tbsp ranch dressing powder
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 2 cups chopped chicken breasts (sauteed in pan, then simmered with a 1/2 cup-ish of salsa for a few minutes)
- Tomatoes, if you want to add them
- 1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
- 2 tbsp green onion
- Black beans
- Frozen corn
- Any other salad toppings you would like
To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Of course, you can decide how much of each ingredient to add. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.
This salad turned out absolutely amazing, and relatively healthy (would have been even healthier if I had used low fat sour cream, but I am a firm believer in using full fat sour cream). And, it makes for a great meal.
Hope you guys try it and like it!
-Austin
Current weight: 168.2
Start of week: 173.2
Weight loss to date (since September 2010): 34 lbs
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Healthy Coping with Emotions
BREAKING NEWS: I easily get emotional (SHOCK!). And I mean seriously emotional... I am likely to cry at any second, even when not provoked. My super awesome boyfriend has learned this the hard way, and is learning to deal with my random tears. But, when he's not around, feeling bad can really be hard to deal with, especially when you live alone and far away from the people you love.
Its not uncommon for people to be emotional eaters. You know, you've had a bad day, you think "Food will make me feel better"... often, for me, its take-out food. For some, its chocolate, wine, whatever your "vice" is. And this is the reason a lot of people (ok, maybe just me) have trouble losing weight. Its a vicious cycle. You feel bad about yourself, you eat, you feel worse about yourself, etc. And sometime, you have to learn to break it.
Luckily for me, I have recently found that exercise is MUCH better for breaking my emotional status than eating is. It lets me clear my mind, concentrate on making myself better, and makes me feel like I have accomplished something. Whether its just going for a walk, a hard treadmill run, or a few minutes on the elliptical, exercise is what I am going to try to turn to in order to cope with my emotions. This will not only turn me away from eating, but will also help me to burn calories and *hopefully* lose weight.
And, this week will be excellent to put this into use. Feeling sad about leaving wonderful Columbus after having the best month of my life with some really awesome people, and I just stepped on the scale to find out I gained 10 pounds in the month over Winter Break, which is really frustrating because I was still going to the gym on a regular basis. I'm going to blame it on the increased alcohol consumption... so hopefully now that I'm back in ATL and not socially drinking several times a week, I'll be able to shed some pounds before Valentine's Day and seeing my super awesome boyfriend again.
Be on the lookout for several recipes this week. I'm going to try a chipotle chicken salad, sweet potato fries, and zucchini chips. I will definitely share them with you if they work out!
Also, thank you all for the outpouring of support for my last post... it is great to hear that so many people are reading and cheering for me! I hope I also inspire you to become happier and healthier :)
-Austin
Its not uncommon for people to be emotional eaters. You know, you've had a bad day, you think "Food will make me feel better"... often, for me, its take-out food. For some, its chocolate, wine, whatever your "vice" is. And this is the reason a lot of people (ok, maybe just me) have trouble losing weight. Its a vicious cycle. You feel bad about yourself, you eat, you feel worse about yourself, etc. And sometime, you have to learn to break it.
Luckily for me, I have recently found that exercise is MUCH better for breaking my emotional status than eating is. It lets me clear my mind, concentrate on making myself better, and makes me feel like I have accomplished something. Whether its just going for a walk, a hard treadmill run, or a few minutes on the elliptical, exercise is what I am going to try to turn to in order to cope with my emotions. This will not only turn me away from eating, but will also help me to burn calories and *hopefully* lose weight.
And, this week will be excellent to put this into use. Feeling sad about leaving wonderful Columbus after having the best month of my life with some really awesome people, and I just stepped on the scale to find out I gained 10 pounds in the month over Winter Break, which is really frustrating because I was still going to the gym on a regular basis. I'm going to blame it on the increased alcohol consumption... so hopefully now that I'm back in ATL and not socially drinking several times a week, I'll be able to shed some pounds before Valentine's Day and seeing my super awesome boyfriend again.
Be on the lookout for several recipes this week. I'm going to try a chipotle chicken salad, sweet potato fries, and zucchini chips. I will definitely share them with you if they work out!
Also, thank you all for the outpouring of support for my last post... it is great to hear that so many people are reading and cheering for me! I hope I also inspire you to become happier and healthier :)
-Austin
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Even the best fall down sometimes...
Or fall up? Since I last posted... wow. Yeah, I've gained a little over 10 pounds. Not good. So, I've decided to start this blog back up again, because I definitely do benefit from the motivation and encouragement from the readers of this blog! I also need accountability, which can be gained both through my readers, and from the desire to update this blog on a regular basis! I will be using Weight Watchers as the main part of my weight loss strategy, but because I'm often lazy, I will just be trying to eat healthier in general too.
I've often gotten the question "How are you so open with how much you weigh?" My answer? Why should I hide it?! Yes, I base my weight loss more on number and less on how I feel. However, I'm fairly confident in myself, and as I lose weight, I gain confidence. And my confidence is more important than how a number describes me.
The biggest issue I need to tackle this time are my eating habits. I LOVE working out. I don't have a problem with that. I have a problem with the fact that I like to eat. I like to eat good food. I like to eat lots of food. I like to eat out. And this is why I struggle with losing weight and keeping it off. So, my first goal (to be achieved when I get back to Atlanta, because its hard to not eat out when I'm going out with my awesome friends in Columbus), is to eat out less. Like, once or twice a week. I need to make healthier choices, and cook for myself more often. So, once again, I will start posting recipes that I'm trying on here.
I hope that, through this blog, I can also motivate others to be healthier too, to achieve their weight loss goals, to look better, etc. If there is anything you would like me to focus on, or any way I can help you, please let me know! I am open to all suggestions!
Current weight: 172 (ish) lbs
Goal weight: 140 lbs
Total weight loss since 9/2010: 30 lbs
-Austin
I've often gotten the question "How are you so open with how much you weigh?" My answer? Why should I hide it?! Yes, I base my weight loss more on number and less on how I feel. However, I'm fairly confident in myself, and as I lose weight, I gain confidence. And my confidence is more important than how a number describes me.
The biggest issue I need to tackle this time are my eating habits. I LOVE working out. I don't have a problem with that. I have a problem with the fact that I like to eat. I like to eat good food. I like to eat lots of food. I like to eat out. And this is why I struggle with losing weight and keeping it off. So, my first goal (to be achieved when I get back to Atlanta, because its hard to not eat out when I'm going out with my awesome friends in Columbus), is to eat out less. Like, once or twice a week. I need to make healthier choices, and cook for myself more often. So, once again, I will start posting recipes that I'm trying on here.
I hope that, through this blog, I can also motivate others to be healthier too, to achieve their weight loss goals, to look better, etc. If there is anything you would like me to focus on, or any way I can help you, please let me know! I am open to all suggestions!
Current weight: 172 (ish) lbs
Goal weight: 140 lbs
Total weight loss since 9/2010: 30 lbs
-Austin
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