Tag: Life

outpatient poem by judith evans

Outpatient [a poem]

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By Judith Evans | Featured Contributor

Heavy steps through the clinic door.
Scores of faces, waiting room eyes
Follow my feet to the check-in desk.
Finally, a space for my face near the water cooler.

18 minutes of freedom, wishing our dog were here.
I dream, screaming silently till I hear my name.

Dead down the hall: sterile chairs, swabs, lidocaine,
Blood draw, raw nerves, tsk tsk near the back of my head.
Are you in pain? As if I were deaf.
No space for my face any more.

Meanwhile, it’s snowing.
Will this freeze cease?

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being an empowered patient

How To Be an Empowered Patient

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Have you ever left one of your health appointments disappointed with your visit? Maybe you had just spoken to a health care professional, but instead of feeling like all of your concerns were addressed, you found yourself with even more questions?

In this article, I will present some practical ways in which you can prepare for any encounter you might have with the health care system—whether it is a routine doctor’s visit or an unexpected trip to the ER—so you can make the most out of your interactions with your health care professionals. In short, these tips will show you how to be an empowered patient. 

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kintsugi linda M Wolfe story pancreatic cancer

Feeling Broken from Our Son’s Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis: Linda’s Story

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By Linda M. Wolfe | Featured Contributor

Have you ever felt broken? What are some possible scenarios which may make a person feel broken? Do you think it could be a frightening health diagnosis? Could it be losing one’s job or home? What about coping with the loss of a loved one? Could it be the loss of a relationship or a business? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. How many people do you know seem to lead a perfect life? There are quite few, if any, who have never had a factor which could potentially cause one to feel broken. It is part of being human.

Kintsugi pancreatic cancer story

The tipping point which threatened to shatter my life was our son’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis. All I could think of was the horrifically short life expectancies of people who have received this diagnosis. He had already experienced two years of symptoms prior to this. Our son was only thirty-one years old when he was diagnosed. It can be devastating to lose a family member, particularly from the younger generation. Initially, I lost my desire to eat and my ability to sleep. Pounds as well as hair began to break away from my body.

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