My hospital experiences

My responsibilities as a hospital dietitian included taking the diet prescription from the doctor and making it into a menu specific for that patient, such as low calorie, low salt, low fiber, diabetic, etc, making rounds visiting patients, giving outpatient instruction on their specific diets when they went home, and various other duties.

Two years of my practice particularly stood out. These two years were the ones spent at Wesley Memorial Hospital in Chicago. I didn’t know it until years later, but the experience there changed my whole concept of wellness. I was assigned to two floors of patients with various gastrointestinal problems such as colitis, ulcers, ulcerative colitis, and even bowel resections.

These patients were cantankerous and unhappy because they were in pain. They would leave the hospital only to return. They were on many prescription drugs. The food we served them was low in fiber and very bland so as not to hurt their intestines. Food was restricted to cream of wheat, lots of milk, jello, ice cream, pudding, and mashed potatoes.

My bubble was slowing leaking. After my own health challenges and my desire to enter the healing arts, I was disappointed that what I learned about food, along with the doctor’s prescriptions, was not the answer to wellness. As I left the hospital to have children, in my heart I knew there was a better way. I was determined to find it.

Next session: An Important Discovery

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