Tuesday, June 13, 2017

My Beautiful Broken Brain-Neuro Note 5

     My Beautiful Broken Brain was a documentary film about 34 year old Lotje Sodderland's personal journey after having a stroke. I chose to watch this film to learn more about strokes, what our clients experience physically and emotionally when they occur, and the inspiring journey of what life will look like for many following their diagnosis. I watched this film and took notes on her behaviors, experiences, emotions, and stay at the neurology center.  This helped me to note important barriers and challenges that Lotje experienced.

     Lotje was a perfectly normal and healthy individual, when one evening she woke up experiencing flickering of lights, terrible pain in her brain, confusion, euphoria, fear, and as she says during the movie she was "lacking her clever".  Lotje was actually experiencing a inter-cerebral brain hemorrhage at this time and she did not know it.  She traveled to a local nearby hotel and crashed in their bathroom, waking up to find herself very confused and scared in a hospital room recalling nothing that happened before her injury.  They announced at the end of the movie that Lotje had a pre-birth malformation of blood vessels in her brain, and this was the unique cause of her incredibly young age of having a stroke.

     Lotje is such a beautiful young lady inside and out!  From the first second I started watching this  movie, the way she was always smiling, laughing, and positive on how she was going to get her "clever" back was incredibly inspiring for me to watch.  Lotje experienced a severe amount of dysphasia, due to damage to the left side of her brain. For her to output language was the hardest part I noticed, which is referred to as Broca's aphasia.  To be honest, I am not sure how she kept such a positive and happy attitude.  When I was watching this film I was getting frustrated for her because she was clever and smart and to not be able to articulate what we are feeling and thinking has to be one of the most un-empowering and helpless feelings we can feel.

     "Within your own self is a treasury, an ocean of pure bliss, consciousness, intelligence, creativity, love.  We are not defined on limitations but endless possibility."-Mr Lynch.  This is Lotje's motto that she follows through her recovery process.  I love that she sees her new situation as one that is what you make it, one that still has a lot of beauty, intelligence, and love.  I hope as a therapist I can take her advice that she gives us as future therapists in the film which is to " Focus on the things the patients find along the way".  For Lotje, her discoveries along the way were that through typing she could form complete sentences and thoughts which was a huge milestone for her.  She felt like she got back some of her normal and that was such a beautiful moment of communication and her finding some normal that she used to have.

     Overall, I think I realize from watching this movie that first, life and health are so so short.  They can be taken for granted quickly.  We tend to move through our days acting as if they are chores and forgetting to laugh, smile, and celebrate that some people would kill just to be able to articulate and write a paper again.  Many people would be enthused to be able to have a husband to argue with, or a rent to struggle to pay.  I think this is an important concept to grasp especially as we prepare for our rotations as future practice as a therapist.  Our problems often aren't even problems in their opinion.  Their problems are basic, yet life altering.  Focusing on our clients with a self less practice will be necessary.  If we don't, I think they will be able to feel that.  They make have had a stroke, but I often think when one strong sense is taken away from you, other senses may be heightened just like Lotje's.   After her stroke she had very strong sense of feelings, and the feelings of those around her.  As always, I finished this film with a sense of gratitude, and a motivated and excited heart to make a difference in my little corner of the world soon.

Reference

Robinson, S. (Producer),  & Robinson, S & Sodderland, L.  (Director).  (March 18th, 2014).  My   

     Beautiful Broken Brain [Motion picture].  London.


Wednesday, June 7, 2017

SLUMS Sim Lab Reflection

     This was such a rewarding and beneficial experience for us as future ot's!  I love that we are offered these SIM labs before our fieldwork begins.  I was laughing so hard when I watched this video, especially when I first walked in the door and had to pat my hands dry on my pants.  I would give myself a good on this SIM lab simply because I am not sure if I did something wrong since the majority of the class finished the assessment and in less than 10 minutes and I did not!  I do think that I used good eye contact, tried to listen to her briefly before I tried to bring her back on topic, smiled, and tried to use the best therapeutic use of self I could.  I as well had gone through the assessment instructions several times and practiced on friends before walking into the SIM lab, I felt as well prepared as one could be before the experience.
    
     I was proud of my self for not letting Francis completely distract me, for quickly bringing her back on topic, and I noticed that I actually did ask her what she prefers to be called (I didn't remember doing this), and I did smile!  My biggest struggles were trying to be kind & empathetic and still completing the full assessment in ten minutes, answering if she will or will not go to a nursing home (of course I didn't know), and trying to explain what occupational therapy was to her without her getting sidetracked.  When Francis said "no" to me when I said, " I see here that you have been having some issues with your memory", this threw me for a loop.  She was completely unaware of her cognition issues and I had a hard time telling her what the assessment was after she said she didn't have any memory issues and still make her feel special and not like I was trying to psychoanalyze her.  We agreed that it was a sort of game of questions and answers.  I am not sure if that was an appropriate way to approach this, or how to introduce the assessment after someone says they do not have any memory issues.   

     Many improvements could be made!  I even said in the video, there is your wrist bracelet, but never checked it, and said her name.  I need to always check the wrist bracelet.  I am also not sure if I gave false hope by telling her good job, or saying no to specific things or by saying ok as I filled out the assessment.  I am not quite sure what to do in those situations.  I am a very responsive and nice person, and I never want my clients to feel like I don't care or I am being curt or short by saying ok next, next, next, with the assessment and never showing any positive enforcement.  Maybe you can provide me some feedback for this question.  

     My takeaway was that no matter how many times you read the client's profile they will always surprise you with what interaction they provide you when you walk in the room.  From this experience, I may be able to develop a good way to answer what occupational therapy is for the clients that we assess for dementia, a way that leaves the client little questions to ask to decrease distraction and I may be able to develop a plan on how to move through the assessment more quickly and effectively after watching this video.