Getting gifts from patients

I’m happy to report Thursday’s shift was MUCH better than Wednesday’s.  I had the same patients, but they were much more stable after the previous day’s shenanigans.  I actually prefer having the same patients regardless of how sick they are because there’s a level of familiarity for both me and the patient.  Plus, continuity of care minimizes the chances that stuff will get lost in communication between other care givers, and it’s nice to develop a rapport with them as well as a routine. 

Speaking of routines.

I packed up my goods, as per usual.

Fresh and frozen fruit, to which I added greek yogurt and trail mixins’ (see below) in the morning.

Cereal, raw nuts, dried fruit, the same old, same old minus carob chips (such a rookie mistake!!)

It was ok though because my patient’s family brought me a sweet treat for being a rock star doing my job the day before.

Whoaaaaaa ‘gasmic goodies.  Corner Bakery is ridic.  As I was eating them I was concerned that they were made with dairy because they were so flaky and buttery and freakin’ fantastic.  And I can now confirm that was the case…  [ouch]

It’s hard to turn down things from family members and patients when they already have them out and are physically putting food into your hands.  Yesterday alone I got Conversation Hearts (from a patient I had once last week) and a Jamba Juice smoothie (from the same people who brought me the Apricot Walnut Rugalach).  People can be so sweet!  [It definitely compensates for the grouchy patients that are in equal abundance] 

I have received such an assortment of things before, from home-made roasted hazelnuts to chocolate bars the size of my head.  Most of the time (even if they aren’t vegan) I’ll take them, thank them, and then pass them on to coworkers or bring them home to Kyle.  It’s hard to refuse such kindness, plus it makes family members feel good.  I’ve gotten pretty good at dodging the offers to buy me In-N-Out though.  ;) 

Even though I had already had fruit and trail mix parfait for breakfast, plus the Jamba Juice Caribbean Passion smoothie my patient gave me, I still found room for my oats. 

This batch had dried cranz, almonds, and cinnamon.  I also added in some salty roasted peanuts. 

For lunch I had a quinoa, squash, raisin dish with the rest of the salty roasted peanuts.

Followed by an apple with Artisana’s raw organic walnut butter. 

This was way different than I thought it was going to be.  I still like their cashini butter best, but this was a nice new treat.  I’m all for healthy fats that give my body some variety in the nutrient department. 

After work, I met Kyle at the car to drive home.  He had just finished a social event drinking on campus with his classmates, so I was obviously the one to drive home.  ;)  He was hilarious entertainment, making the traffic way more tolerable. 

After I showered, I threw together a pile of roasted veggies, quinoa, & raisins with almost an entire tub of hummus.

Then I drenched it even more with Bragg’s aminos and dug in.  I went back for seconds and thirds, and finally decided dessert time had come. 

Enter dark chocolate almonds and salty roasted nuts.

If only this were the actual amount I consumed…

I went to bed much fuller than I like.  Oh well.  At least I have a weekend of sunshine to enjoy now (sorry to my snowed-in peeps).