I was very anxious about being an older, overweight student with a group full of young, slender classmates until I realized that I am doing them a big favor by letting them assess me!
No one else in any of my labs has such high numbers, has such an extensive history, or has actual issues to discuss! I did a skin assessment on a 22 yo with a gorgeous complexion, so soft and smooth and blemish free. Boy, did she have some age spots, wrinkles, scars to describe on me! When we did BP's my classmates thought they couldn't find mine because they weren't going high enough. Many of them had 100/60 or something like that. They didn't know that real people could have a 130/85+. I've actually had a higher BP lately and am having it checked regularly to see if it's a reaction to meds. Many hadn't had to make their cuffs inflate that far before!
This week we do our bathing suit bed baths. I'm no longer nervous about it. (Well, I might be a little anxious, but not bad) I figure that on most of them the washcloth will just glide over. There will be nothing to lift or separate. In the real world, there are lots of nooks and crannies caused by excess skin and weight fluctuations. I'm just doing my part to better their education by letting them experiment with me!:roll
