Blog Week 1

 The volunteer coordinator, Ms. Laura John, was kind enough to let me attend the clinic every Friday mornings and every third Saturday of every month until December.  My specific job will be to help the doctors in translating for people that are unable to speak English.  On Friday September 7th, it was my first day volunteering at San Jose Clinic. 

The doctor that I was scheduled with was Dr. Winstrom.  She is a family practitioner for more than 40 years and is currently working at Park Plaza Hospital next to Memorial Hermann, volunteering in San Jose at least once a month.  She was a very nice lady with a good sense of humor.  Every time we would see a patient, she would tell me what was wrong with them and explain in detail what she thought was the problem and why.  Most of the patients that she saw were diabetic or suffered from hyperlipidemia, but there were some that wanted regular medical checkups.  

The first two cases that I got to witness were very similar.  Both ladies had high cholesterol and diabetes mellitus.  The doctor was especially keen on the fact that the patients had to exercise and lose weight in order to lower the abnormal numbers.  She kept thinking about ways to avoid medications since they can do harm in the long run.  The main medication she prescribed was Metformin for the diabetics and Lipitor along with a vitamin called CoQ10 for patients with high cholesterol.  

The next man was exceptional in many ways.  He is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador saying that he needed help coping with stress.  He said that his mother is very sick back home but is unable to go back because he and his family need the money that he earns by working 60 hours a week for an office furniture company.  As an illegal immigrant, many employers tend to exploit and mistreat him adding to his stress.  In addition, due to the chemicals he uses, he is afraid that his lungs have deteriorated due to the inhalation.  Along with all this, he mentioned that he has a 5-year old son that he hasn't seen because he migrated and the mother has made her own life and re-married.  All this stress has caused him to lose hair, lose weight, and suffer from depression, making him seek medical attention.  

The next patients were a couple that were suffering from diabetes.  The lady was doing everything that the doctor indicated like exercising and having a healthy diet.  However, she could not convince her husband to do the same.  In addition to a bad diet, he told me that he drinks alcohol very often and his wife added that he gets drunk every time he doesn't go to work the next day. Her reaction to all this reminded me of my grandmother telling stories of how my grandpa would go out with friends almost every weekend and got home intoxicated in the morning, while having several health issues.  

One of the last patients that we got to see was a 65-year old woman that had diabetes and high cholesterol along with early symptoms of arthritis.  She was a nice lady and her way of speaking and her mannerisms reminded me of my other grandmother back home.  

This was my second time attending San Jose Clinic and I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the patients and listening to their stories as well as shadowing an experienced doctor as she does her wonderful work.  Being in the middle of the communication process is a great responsibility because I am helping a person get a better treatment that will improve his or her life.