Renal Diet: Dialysis One-Day diet, Nutritional Breakdown and Handouts
This assignment was difficult because of certain restrictions that are placed upon patients with renal failure. Using the ESHA program, I struggled staying under the limit for phosphorus when I added some foods to get more potassium, and vice versa. Sodium was also a nutrient to take care of so weight gain in between treatments would not be so extreme. Keeping weight change under control, 5% of body weight or less, would help the patient stay as comfortable as possible during these times, so I worked hard to control for this variable. I gained a lot of empathy for those who would have to modify their diet so strictly as to get enough of, but not exceed the amounts needed of these nutrients.
Diabetic Patterns and Meal Plans
Sometimes, the only way to learn how someone feels is to experience exactly what they go through. As a learning experience, I chose a diabetic diet and tried to follow it for three days. This included counting carbohydrates and spreading out my meals and snacks throughout the day. Following a diabetic diet was one of the hardest things I had to do that year. Eating by the clock and estimating how many carbohydrates I ate with each meal or snack was exhausting. I can understand why people with diabetes have such a hard time managing their intakes.
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
I had no idea how common this syndrome was until I studied about it for this group presentation. It is a complication of critical illness, where the lungs are affected by a variety of direct or indirect causes. In many cases, failure to treat the symptoms will end in death of the patient. I did get some hope after studying this syndrome that nutrition can help these patients. For this project, I was responsible for the handout and slides 43-60 from the presentation (MNT & Nutrition Support).