Determining Prognosis

live in numbers, or I try to. Generally when I walk into a patient's room, I know whether I think they will walk out of the hospital to go home or will they be wheeled out on a gurney to a nursing home...or if they'll even make it out of the hospital. I also have a body of literature to support if someone will do well and how well. I'm still working on memorizing those numbers.

So if I was walking into my own room, judging my prognosis for my goals, I'm not sure the numbers back me up. I've tried before to focus on being healthy, losing weight, and eating well enough to look the way I've wanted. I've come pretty close, never 100%. But I tend to slip back to where I am now. Whatever you want to blame it on: that surgical case that went from 730am to 10pm and I haven't eaten all day, the 30 hour call that you ran around the entire time, except for your 3 hours of straight charting in front of a computer screen and there's nothing healthy in the cafeteria at 2am, or any of the litany of excuses I've used before.

But there has to be something more...something intangible that will lead to success. I'm hoping part of it is my approach and mindset. It's one day at a time. Time to stop obsessing about the future-don't worry about what next week, next month, next year brings. Easier said then done but definitely getting easier with practice. Decreasing my stress or more precisely my anxiety in reaction to it is also helping-also easier said then done. Focusing on the present: the current case, workout, meal. Well something I'm working on. Because on the other end of this is life staring back at me and I don't intend on being the kind strapped to a gurney and being pushed through it.