Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System-Inpatient Wards

5/2/11-5/13/11

For two weeks I was at the VA Hospital in Dallas working with a dietitian in inpatient wards. I was mentally drained and exhausted after each day. Many of the patients I saw had numerous health problems including: diabetes, hypertension, liver disease, heart failure, kidney failure, post traumatic stress disorder, amputations, gout, alcoholism, obesity, cancer, HIV/AIDS, drug addictions, etc...It was challenging and fun to test all that I have learned this far. I gained a new appreciation for clinical dietetics during this rotation because I got to experience the difference I can make in a patient's stay at the hospital or in their life. It was very rewarding hearing the veterans stories. I know I chose the right career path.

I worked at Suze on a Tuesday night during a big wine tasting party. I had a great time tasting $150/bottle wine. The wine maker himself was also there from Scotland, he used to be a lumberjack, nice guy. I also got to meet Dallas local celebrity, Dirk Nowitzki. Well, he's actually a national celebrity since he plays for the Dallas Mavericks (NBA), currently in the Playoffs. I recognized him from the news since I don't pay attention to that sport. He had to duck to get in the door at the restaurant. The chef sent me on an emergency run to the fish market to get some Sea Bass, special for Dirk's table. I got to deliver their fried potatoes and special dipping sauce.

Addendum:
I forgot to talk about Lloyd's near death/fight for life episode. I got home from Suze around 10:30 on a Friday night and Lloyd was NOT looking good. He had freakishly huge pop-eyes and was just floating without any movement. I performed an emergency water change and tried not to panic, but I did. Memories of him swimming happily were going through my mind. I wondered who would keep me company at home for the remainder of this internship. After the water change, he had a wobbly swim and did not eat. I kept a very close eye on him all weekend. He is better now and looks normal. I am pretty sure this all could have been prevented if a water change had been done after half a bottle of Andre Champagne sprayed all over my kitchen/dining room...also known as Lloyd's home. So maybe Lloyd was drunk.