Healthcare Whisperer

Mary Elizabeth Parker returns to update listeners on the what's happening in the world of rare and undiagnosed diseases.  She has spent time at NIH and with the leading researchers in the area of genetics and rare diseases.  She will also update us on her organization U R Our Hope.  Also, appearing on the show is Deanna who tell us her story of searching for a diagnosis.

Healthcare Whisperer welcomes Catherine Grace to the show.  She is a writer, editor, and breast cancer survivor.  She is here to discuss her journey throught the maze of cancer from diagnosis to treatment to remission.  Her story will give us insight to the impact on one's life, emotions and relationships.  It is a story of strength, courage, love and compassion.  Catherine's experience will make you laugh and cry but most of all it will fill you with awe at her determination to win the battle.

Howard Block and I will be discussing how to talk about end of life care with a loved one, patient or friend.  It can be difficult to know how to approach the topic and exactly what to say.  We will discuss why it shouldn't be a conversation with  only your doctor but also your family.  Why is it important?  It is a topic no one wants to have but it can be so helpful knowing what a loved onewants when death is near. We both have had the experience of working with people who knew what they wanted and others who didn't.  We have learned the importance of this conversation and how it helps families.  We are talking about people saying exactly how much care they want whether full code or not.  We hope to remove some of the fear and uncertainty that people experience.  It is our goal for listeners to know it is their choice.

In this episode, Guila Muir, owner of Say Yes! to Life Swims will be discussing her love and passion for open water and long distant swimming.  And I will tell you now, it is very infectious.  Her company provides organized and supported open water swims in the Seattle area from Lake Washington to the Puget Sound.   She will be discussing her journey from starting swimming at 43 to swimming Alcatraz 10 times to the creation of her company.  Be sure to listen in because Guila is going to make you laugh and remember why you love swimming.

I am continuing my audio blog, moving away from my experiences with my journey with my mother to patient and healthcare stories.  It is my hope that these stories will be informative and instructive.  When you hear them, you may think, is she making this up.  No, they are real.

Dr Ron Hirshberg is to animals what healthcare advocates are to patients.   He has dedicated his life to finding solutions to the pain and suffering of animals.  He has always been innovative in his treatments and care.  He discovered low level laser therapy when the arthritis in his hands was becoming painful and needed to find a viable treatment that allowed him to continue his work.  He stumbled upon this therapy and was successfully treated. He then thought, could this work with animals?  He did the research and started using it in his practice with amazing results.  He will be talking about the how and why of laser therapy on animals as well as humans.  His work and committment has been recognized by several leading veterinary schools as well as international and national laser therapy associations.  It is an honor to have this wonderfully dedicated individual on the show.

This show is two healthcare professionals talking about their expreinces of death and dying both professionally and personally.  Mary Elizabeth Parker,  PT,PhD, NCS, PCS, medical liaison for U.R. Our Hope, has dedicated her life to those with undiagnosed and rare illness. In her work, she has been a witness to the death and dying of children and been a compassionate comfort to their loved ones.  Her courage and committment to these families is truely inspirational.  She will share her experiences and insights about these intimate moments of the dying journey with families.

With all our combined experience with death and dying, nothing prepared either of us for the loss of our mother.  We will also discuss  how our professional work with death and dying was little help at such a personal loss.  We will talk about how it changed us and enhanced our ability to understand how death and dying impacts those left behind.

Don't miss this show!

Surviving death is about the days after all the details are done, memorials and estate issues, and the grief begins to take hold.  I am going to talk about what it is like to suddenly find yourself alone with your loss, the emptiness and the sadness.  A conversation as difficult in our society as dying.  How I learned and witnessed my own rawness and vulnerability.  A journey to understand how one survives the death of a loved one.

This is the continuing story of my mother's passing.  In this episode I will talk about what happens after the death, the details like dealing with planning two memorials, social security, finances, wills and final bills.  I don't think a person is prepared for what has to be dealt with.  I want to provide some insight as to what it is like during this time, staying focused and getting the job done when you are feeling sad and vulnerable.

This episode is about my experience of  my mother's final days.  How hospice care was critical, how the assisted living staff dealt with the process and the details after death.  It is a time of joy and sadness, grief and celebration.  It will be about the impact of the year of care giving and the road to recovery when all is said and done.  The information, I hope will help others deal with the process of caring for a loved one at the end of life.