Random Things
Internet time is somewhat lean. In the time I do have, I can't seem to tear myself away from the I Blame The Patriarchy message boards.
Real life happenings are fast and furious. Here's just a few that seem interesting.
Clinic yesterday was unusually gratifying. I advocated for one client who was having a 2nd trimester abortion. The two-day procedure is one I doubt that I could personally tolerate. She was handling it in an incredibly calm manner. As soon as the procedure was complete and the doctor was leaving the room, she projectile-vomited on herself, the floor, the ultrasound machine. Ordinarily I have a sympathetic physical response to someone vomiting, but somehow I maintained a TCOB attitude, and cleaned her up completely. It was kind of a proud moment for me, to not lose my own breakfast in response.
My second client was a very young woman who had never even had a gynecological exam. Her attitude was one I see fairly regularly - she wanted to be rid of the pregnancy, but did not want to be present for the process of getting that done. She was barely even making marks on the forms she was asked to fill out. I really can't blame anyone for that coping strategy. But it's difficult to advocate for them because they don't ever quite sound certain, or like they're hearing and understanding everything I'm saying.
Anyhow, her boyfriend was there to support her, and I think he did the most wonderful job of supporting her unique needs that he made my job unnecessary - no, impossible. From the moment the doctor began touching her, the bf encircled the young woman's head with his arms and upper body. He whispered to her in their native language, kissed her face sweetly, wiped her tears and his own. She cried a lot, but kept her body rather still, surrendering to his tender ministrations. It was quite touching, like he gave her a safe place to be.
Today my coworkers and I got to see little-known presidential hopeful Sal Mohamed working his campaign fu. He was occupying a corner of a busy traffic intersection, basically where the university intersects with the downtown business district. Standing alone, holding a sign and waving a tiny US flag. We honked and waved and got a big smile. We first became acquainted with him when he ran for governor of Iowa last election. Perseverance must be his middle name.
Real life happenings are fast and furious. Here's just a few that seem interesting.
Clinic yesterday was unusually gratifying. I advocated for one client who was having a 2nd trimester abortion. The two-day procedure is one I doubt that I could personally tolerate. She was handling it in an incredibly calm manner. As soon as the procedure was complete and the doctor was leaving the room, she projectile-vomited on herself, the floor, the ultrasound machine. Ordinarily I have a sympathetic physical response to someone vomiting, but somehow I maintained a TCOB attitude, and cleaned her up completely. It was kind of a proud moment for me, to not lose my own breakfast in response.
My second client was a very young woman who had never even had a gynecological exam. Her attitude was one I see fairly regularly - she wanted to be rid of the pregnancy, but did not want to be present for the process of getting that done. She was barely even making marks on the forms she was asked to fill out. I really can't blame anyone for that coping strategy. But it's difficult to advocate for them because they don't ever quite sound certain, or like they're hearing and understanding everything I'm saying.
Anyhow, her boyfriend was there to support her, and I think he did the most wonderful job of supporting her unique needs that he made my job unnecessary - no, impossible. From the moment the doctor began touching her, the bf encircled the young woman's head with his arms and upper body. He whispered to her in their native language, kissed her face sweetly, wiped her tears and his own. She cried a lot, but kept her body rather still, surrendering to his tender ministrations. It was quite touching, like he gave her a safe place to be.
Today my coworkers and I got to see little-known presidential hopeful Sal Mohamed working his campaign fu. He was occupying a corner of a busy traffic intersection, basically where the university intersects with the downtown business district. Standing alone, holding a sign and waving a tiny US flag. We honked and waved and got a big smile. We first became acquainted with him when he ran for governor of Iowa last election. Perseverance must be his middle name.