Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Healer, are you so different from me?

Michele Luckenbaugh
Patient
February 21, 2021
75 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

My heart pumps rhythmically, as does yours, and aches when sadness strikes.

I am stressed and discouraged when I feel I have no control over an illness that invades my body.  Is this not true for you as you lay in your bed at night, feeling that “your best was not good enough” to help your patient?

We enter this world and we will leave it someday; our mortality confronts us. Our bodies and minds are but temporary gifts to be used wisely.

Healer, peel away the protective layers to expose the humanity within you, freeing the compassion and understanding that lie within. Compassion secures the bond between healer and patient. As your patient, I will be thankful for the care and concern you have given me.

Judge not the actions of others, for we do not know the burdens laid upon them.

We shed tears at loss; we rejoice at triumph.

Accepting your weaknesses helps me to accept the weaknesses that lie within me. Healer, heal thyself so that you may heal me.

We must recognize the frailties of life and the strengths that we hold deep within us, for they rescue us when we face life’s trials.

Do not be afraid to allow the world to see that you do not have all the answers to all of life’s questions; instead, be honest with yourself and treat yourself kindly. To be human is to accept the possibility of error.

Do not doubt yourself or your abilities; you have learned well, trust in yourself and stand tall and strong.

When facing life’s hardships, I sometimes feel alone, but in reality, I am not.  I reach out my hand and there is someone there to grab hold and give me strength. Reach out to those around you for words of consolation, of wisdom. You, too, are not alone.

My body, my spirit, needs rest to rejuvenate, to replenish. Give the gift of time to yourself and to those you hold close. Forsake not the relationships that help set you back on course when life buffets you about.

Healer, you are not so different from me on the journey of life.

Live life with kindness, strength, determination, tolerance, and understanding.

You and I will make this journey but once.

Let us do it with respect and acceptance of each other.

Michele Luckenbaugh is a patient advocate. 

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Not recognizing sex and gender differences can adversely affect patients

February 21, 2021 Kevin 0
…
Next

How technology is a weapon in the fight against COVID-19 [PODCAST]

February 21, 2021 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Patients

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Not recognizing sex and gender differences can adversely affect patients
Next Post >
How technology is a weapon in the fight against COVID-19 [PODCAST]

More by Michele Luckenbaugh

  • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Chronic health issues and homelessness

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • The complexities of healing and faith

    Michele Luckenbaugh

Related Posts

  • My healer, please guide me on this journey

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • A patient waits. And waits.

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Healer: Heal thyself; forgive thyself

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Every patient has a story

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • An patient’s ode to healers

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • The art of medicine: a patient’s perspective

    Michele Luckenbaugh

More in Patient

  • There’s no one to drive your patient home

    Denise Reich
  • Dying is a selfish business

    Nancie Wiseman Attwater
  • A story of a good death

    Carol Ewig
  • We are warriors: doctors and patients

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Patient care is not a spectator sport

    Jim Sholler
  • Me is who I am

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Balancing motherhood and medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Misunderstandings about opioid use disorder

      Amy Baxter, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

      Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD | Conditions
    • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

      Eleanor Menzin, MD | Physician
    • 5 things to know about weight from a bariatric surgeon

      Maria Iliakova, MD | Conditions
    • Out-of-office infusions in oncology care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 3 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • New Cardiology Board to Come; 2nd Pig-Heart Xenotransplant; Uric Acid as Stroke Tx?
  • Postmenopausal Fracture Risk for SGLT2 Inhibitors Similar to Other Diabetes Drugs
  • Record-Breaking Obesity Certifications; 365-Day CGM Data; Med Spa Mounjaro Lawsuits
  • When Screening Guidelines Collide, Who Wins?
  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic

Meeting Coverage

  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Balancing motherhood and medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Misunderstandings about opioid use disorder

      Amy Baxter, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

      Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD | Conditions
    • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

      Eleanor Menzin, MD | Physician
    • 5 things to know about weight from a bariatric surgeon

      Maria Iliakova, MD | Conditions
    • Out-of-office infusions in oncology care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Healer, are you so different from me?
3 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...