healthcare – Anne the Vegan

My Midlife Crisis

One of my former bosses posted this meme: I can honestly say that this is how I approach each and every work day. I may enter the building in a less than optimal mood, but my patients deserve my best. They deserve to feel better when I leave them, and to feel valued as aContinue reading “My Midlife Crisis”

Notes from a Caregiver

“No!” This was my father-in-law’s response when I walked him to the car the other day, and I asked him to get in. My father-in-law, despite his Parkinson’s induced dementia, is still pretty congenial, so this reaction took me aback. As he paused to process how to get in the car, I realized that theContinue reading “Notes from a Caregiver”

The Caregiving Conundrum

Finding yourself in the caregiving role as the leader of the village can be a bit overwhelming. For a while, you are in fight or flight, just trying to help your loved one survive. During any health crisis with a family member, I try to remain as objective as I can, using my professional knowledgeContinue reading “The Caregiving Conundrum”

Worst. Super Bowl Party. Ever.

Actually, I don’t really care about the Super Bowl. But I did get to watch it. (Well, most of it, including the epic halftime show!) But it wasn’t from the comfort of my sofa. It was from a chair in the hospital, my husband next to me in a hospital bed. So, he’s had someContinue reading “Worst. Super Bowl Party. Ever.”

The Tale of the Ends

In one final ritual of the holiday season, I took down the Christmas tree today. It’s January 7th, 2022, as I begin writing this. It’s such a mundane task, and it seems like it always goes quicker than putting it up. I like to listen to music while I do this. It’s a task IContinue reading “The Tale of the Ends”

Is it over yet?

My last post was about some of the good of 2021 for me: the fact that running continued, and that racing in person kind of returned. I managed to achieve some unexpected goals as well. But this post is not about the happy. It’s about the exhaustion. If you want to sum up the culminationContinue reading “Is it over yet?”

I finally got my booster…

Timing my third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was tricky. I needed my flu vaccine by the end of October as a requirement for work, and that took priority. And I needed to space out vaccines to accommodate my race schedule, as I ran my virtual marathon the weekend before Halloween, and coached the RichmondContinue reading “I finally got my booster…”

The Sandwich Generation

One of the classes I took in undergrad as part of my base curriculum for my masters program in physical therapy was lifespan and developmental psychology. I actually enjoyed this class, and have laughed a bit as I recognized my children or myself in the various stages of life about which we learned. And nowContinue reading “The Sandwich Generation”

Here we go again…

Well, I knew it was coming. I just really wish it hadn’t. As I predicted, we are back to wearing N95 masks all day in patient care areas in my hospital. Sigh. The main difference this time is that we actually have adequate PPE to protect everyone. Gone are the days of recycling N95 masks,Continue reading “Here we go again…”

Numbers don’t lie…

I think this little honeymoon phase with Covid is about to be over. I’ve felt relatively safe since being fully vaccinated, but now as restrictions are lifted, I find myself increasingly nervous that I’m around others who aren’t honest about their vaccination status. Who thought the honor system would work, anyway? My hospital system stayedContinue reading “Numbers don’t lie…”