Michele Luckenbaugh is a patient advocate. 

The art of medicine: a patient’s perspective

Patient
February 11, 2021

“The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head.”
– Sir William Osler

One of the most sacred and intimate relationships is that which exists between patient and physician. A patient shares feelings and fears as he traverses the path of illness or chronic disease. As roadblocks in health emerge, a patient looks …

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The art of medicine: a patient’s perspective

Building a bond of trust between patient and physician

Patient
January 30, 2021

We live in a world today where there is misinformation in abundant supply. What we see and hear in the media one day seems to be reversed the following day. What to believe, who to believe? Our world appears to be in a state of turmoil, a state of contradictions. Amid all of this, people are struggling to find some sense of peace and balance in their lives.

It is also …

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Building a bond of trust between patient and physician

I am disgusted with our politicians who have used the pandemic as a political tool

Patient
January 12, 2021

There are times when I feel that I am boxed-in by this unrelenting virus, COVID-19. This microscopic entity has put the majority of the world into lockdown, affecting all aspects of human life and social interaction.  The virus does not discriminate due to race, creed, or color. Be you rich or poor, a professional or laborer, you are fair game to be its next victim. It stealthily works its evil …

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I am disgusted with our politicians who have used the pandemic as a political tool

My healer, please guide me on this journey

Patient
January 3, 2021

I walk this dark and winding path between wellness and illness, moving between darkness and light on this journey of life. As I move between well-being and an uneasy state of uncertainty, a roller-coaster of emotions moves over me. I am brought to my knees with doubt, restlessness, discontent, anger, and fear. At times, I feel heavy with the weight of the world upon my shoulders; other moments, I feel …

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My healer, please guide me on this journey

What it takes to be called a great doctor: a patient’s perspective

Potpourri
December 11, 2020

Let me begin by extending my gratitude to all physicians who have served our country during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. During this trying time, your dedication and service have given a sense of stability and confidence in our health care systems at a time filled with so much uncertainty and turmoil.

As a member of the “Baby Boomer” generation, I’ve seen my fair share of physicians over the years. …

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What it takes to be called a great doctor: a patient’s perspective

An apology to frontline health care workers

Patient
November 24, 2020

Our country seems to be spiraling out of control. The unending political discord post-election continues to divide our citizenry. The Presidential election is over, accept the results, and move on. There are much more serious issues to have our full attention and among them is the war against COVID-19. This deadly contagion has claimed over a quarter of a million lives in the United States and shows no signs of …

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An apology to frontline health care workers

Physicians: Take back the title you have earned through your training

Patient
November 17, 2020

“Customer #4, please step up to the counter. How may I help you today?”  As a patient, have you ever felt that it seemed you were waiting in line at the deli department, listening for your number to be called?  Sorry to say, the practice of medicine has evolved in this direction in the past couple of decades.  Gone are the days when one could enter the physician’s office, and …

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Physicians: Take back the title you have earned through your training

May we all find the peace we search for

Patient
November 2, 2020

It has been a year of change and constants. Shortly after a new year was ushered in, we heard of a virus that was sweeping across China and Europe. We saw the devastation that this virus brought to humanity, people gasping for air in ICUs, no known or reliable means of treatment, lack of medical supplies, and healthcare professionals giving up their lives to save others.  And then COVID landed …

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May we all find the peace we search for

A patient’s COVID-19 reflections

Patient
October 20, 2020

In this age of the coronavirus pandemic, every moment of life takes on new meaning and importance. Decisions must be made based upon facts known, not assumed. Everything requires careful thought and planning, like a trip to the pharmacy for refills of prescriptions or a trip to the local grocery store to pick up needed food supplies. Even a trip to the local park for much-needed exercise requires thought of …

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A patient’s COVID-19 reflections

A patient’s plea: I don’t know who to put my trust in

Patient
September 30, 2020

Do you wake up these days thinking that you’ve been whisked off your feet by some strange force and dropped in some unidentifiable place, similar to what happened to Dorothy and Toto in the Wizard of Oz?  For the two of them, there was a happy ending. The ending of our current dilemma seems to be uncertain.

As a patient with more than one chronic disease in my repertoire,  I find …

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A patient’s plea: I don’t know who to put my trust in

An patient’s ode to healers

Patient
September 8, 2020

Pages of my life turn over
As the breezes of time flow over me.
Remembrances of your presence
As the world welcomed my first born so many years ago.

Your calming voice and words of wisdom reminded me that life
Would be different, but oh so much better.
My little baby girl would grow to be a healer just as you,
Offering hope and consolation to those who seek her out.

Expert hands stitching the brow of my …

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An patient’s ode to healers

Please listen to those in the trenches

Patient
August 29, 2020

Where have the months of summer gone? The hazy, lazy days of summer to be spent out on the lake, picnicking with friends and family, state fairs, all the fun things we long to take part in. Occasions that should call for one to be present at with anticipation such as class reunions, weddings, baptisms of new babies, graduation ceremonies – all have come to a screeching halt. Even the …

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Please listen to those in the trenches

The loss of a paycheck is a major traumatic situation. The loss of life is worse.

Conditions
July 28, 2020

It’s mid-summer. Time for family vacations, camping trips, backyard barbeques with family and friends, all the great things we look forward to during those cold days of winter. However, where do most of us find ourselves right now? I’ll tell you where: In the clutches of COVID-19 and with no end in sight to its tyranny.

I’m a fairly well-educated individual and of sound mind and body (according to popular opinion), …

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The loss of a paycheck is a major traumatic situation. The loss of life is worse.

Healer: Heal thyself; forgive thyself

Patient
February 25, 2020

It is a special group, a mish-mash of medical professionals all with a common purpose: Honing the ability to practice medicine in a more empathetic and compassionate manner, which will benefit both the patient and the professional alike.

All meet to share viewpoints, share feelings, share the”what might have been.”

Sessions are first given over to close examinations of selected prose, poetry, art, or music. Reflecting upon what is placed before them, …

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Healer: Heal thyself; forgive thyself

Doctors: Fight for your role as our physicians

Patient
December 8, 2019

You are there to help bring a new life into the world, comforting and reassuring new parents.

You are there in the middle of the night to return a call to a distraught mom whose child is running a high fever and is panicked.

You are there to encourage and instruct a diabetic heart patient who wants to make changes in his life and who looks to you for guidance.

You are there …

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Doctors: Fight for your role as our physicians

Doctors, do you really understand?

Patient
September 26, 2019

There is a haze lurking overhead clouding rational thinking. Thoughts wander back to times when my body was unencumbered, and I felt nothing was out of my grasp.  Maybe that was an unrealistic thought, but it is how youth and inexperience protect one from the somewhat harsh realities of growing older.

Coming to terms with chronic health conditions is perplexing. There are days when everything goes just right. The sun is …

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Doctors, do you really understand?

A call to arms: We are all part of the health care solution

Policy
August 11, 2019

Sunlight is diminished by threatening clouds infiltrating the once azure blue sky, clouds that are framed in blackness indicating dangerous times ahead.  Nature’s creatures are seeking refuge for they are wise to see the signs of impending danger.  If only man was wise enough to take cover.

It was heralded as the dawning of a new age in health care for all: the electronic health record or EHR.  My interpretation and …

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A call to arms: We are all part of the health care solution

Doctors, listen up! You’ll be a patient soon.

Patient
July 20, 2019

As I age, the probability of acquiring yet another health condition seems to, unfortunately, increase. There’s always one test or another that is on my to-do list, be it bloodwork, X-ray, MRI, or maybe a CT scan thrown in for good measure. I comply usually with a sense that it is for the benefit of my health, i.e., to enable my doctors to determine the best mode of treatment for …

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Doctors, listen up! You’ll be a patient soon.

The patchwork quilt of my medical care

Patient
June 12, 2019

I was cleaning out the top shelf of my closet — a location where, hypothetically, treasures can be found. I came upon something that was wrapped in a nondescript brown paper bag that smelled oddly of mothballs. I cautiously reached inside and found an heirloom quilt that apparently had been passed down through generations. I had discovered it an estate sale, and now it had finally come to rest in …

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The patchwork quilt of my medical care

Physicians and patients must work together to improve health care

Patient
May 8, 2019

According to Wikipedia, a livestock guardian dog is a type of pastoral dog bred for the purpose of protecting livestock from predators. If only our doctors had these noble creatures to protect them from the predators of the world, to alert them when those interested in only the “bottom line” entered the halls of healing, our medical practices. Apparently, a “fox is guarding the hen house,” one who is not …

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Physicians and patients must work together to improve health care

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