Lessons We Didn't Learn in Med School
Lessons We Didn't Learn in Med School uses the power of story telling and conversation to be the HEALING that is so needed in medicine. Join us, Drs. Beth Vukin and Kara Wada, two physicians turned patients, navigating our own chronic illness journeys.
We talk about the hard things and also the joyful things as well as the ridiculous. Along with our guests, we hope that having real talk about what it is like to be a patient as well as what it is like to be a medical professional, sheds light on things that are often in the dark. We celebrate science, resilience of the human spirit and the power of community.
"Lessons We Didn't Learn in Med School" isn't just a podcast; it's a rallying cry for patients and health professionals alike to reclaim their voices and demand a healthcare system that listens and partners with patients. Together, we seek to end the stigma and loneliness of illness, foster compassion and connection and offer knowledge with practical advice for those living with and caring for people with chronic illness.
Lessons We Didn't Learn in Med School
Episode 12: Invisible: A Nurse-Turned-Patient's Resource to Living Well with Autoimmune Disease
Have you ever felt invisible? Have you ever gone to the doctor with complaints of not feeling well only to be dismissed by them? Do you or a loved one have a diagnosed or suspected autoimmune disease?
On this episode, we welcome our guest Melissa Marquis, M.S., R.N., a nurse turned patient who shares her journey of perseverance and advocacy.
It took over twelve years for Melissa Marquis to receive medical diagnoses for the multiple complex symptoms plaguing her. She credits her clinical expertise with providing an unmatched understanding on navigating the health-care system to obtain necessary care over her fifteen-year history of living with progressive, chronic, and rare autoimmune diseases.
In her book, Invisible: A Nurse-Turned-Patient's Resource to Living Well with Autoimmune Disease, Melissa provides her medical and nursing expertise by explaining some of the numerous autoimmune diseases and their symptoms, common testing (and what they mean), treatment options, as well as resources and practical tips to have a well-balanced and well-lived life while living with autoimmune disease.