Catalysts for Change

I think almost every change is caused by a catalyst. I thought my catalyst would be turning 40. I was wrong. My catalyst was preventing a patient fall and being injured from doing so.

Back in October, I had a patient with altered mental status. We'd set his bed alarm, as he was prone to getting out of bed, and he was a fall risk. Most hospitals don't have "sitters". At least, I know mine doesn't, as we staff by the grid, and staffing by the grid only allows for nurses and patient care technicians. This meant that all night long, the bed alarm would sound and anyone within hearing distance was off and running. He had no family sitting with him. I'm not going to go into my frustration with this particular inconvenience except to say if you love your family member with altered mental status, PLEASE have a family member or friend stay with them while they are in the hospital!

This patient was having hallucinations, both visual and auditory. I did my best with every interaction to reorient him to reality. He started seeing animals on the ceiling and was pointing them out to me at about one in the morning. To demonstrate to me that they indeed existed, he decided standing up on his hospital bed was t he best course of action. I am a short woman and not trained to deal with large patients standing flat footed on their hospital bed. I reached up to try to steady him. He flailed and my rotator cuff was wrenched. The pain did not start right away. The immediate pain as my back, which I shrugged off. An hour later, my arm was aching. I filled out an incident report. By morning, I was nearly in tears, but I finished my shift.

I was out of work for three weeks, and I am still in physical therapy as well as light duty at work. It's putting a strain on coworkers to have to help me. I came to several realizations regarding both my injury and its consequences.

Could I have prevented this injury? Possibly. If I worked out several days a week and kept my muscles in good shape, maybe. For three weeks I did almost nothing but sit on my loveseat, watch Netflix, ply Minecraft, eat, and sleep. I gained roughly eight pounds. My muscles weakened further. I get frustrated often not being able to do what I want, but I am healing. I am getting stronger.

My injury was a catalyst to drive necessary change in my life.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been preparing to start the Atkins diet for the second time. The first time was three or four years ago. It does work. It's also hard to work around on a budget, but I intend to try. Unlike then, I am fully equipped with storage containers, recipes, and plans. I know that planning is the key to success on any lifestyle change.

I have three goals. Lose weight, get in shape, and take control of my health while I have time. I wish the catalyst wasn't a painful one, but at least I am going to be back on track!