Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. -Matthew 11:28-29 Some days in life, I’m just worn down. That candle burning in my soul is down to the bottom of the wick, a lonely flame flickering on a tiny sea of wax, formless and without substance, nearly extinguished. This can be the result of so many things, stressors beyond

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” -Alexander Pope Expectations are a funny thing. You aren’t even aware that you have them, until the disappointment of them not being met hits you squarely in the face. When it comes to any experience in life, expectations come into play, but perhaps never so much as with interactions and procedures in healthcare. Before an important medical consult, as a patient we think about what might happen, what

10. The healthcare resources you need are beyond the scope of the doctors and hospitals in your proximity. If you are in the 20% of the population who live in a rural area in the US, or maybe your health problem is more unique, the healthcare providers in your smaller urban area might not have the experiences, resources, and capabilities that your condition requires. 9. You need a second opinion. But kind of like the situation above, if that opinion is not available where y

As a kid, I experienced it all the time. Most of us have. Who among us had the patience as a child to wait for the glue to dry on that model airplane, antique car, or house built of popsicle sticks? If you’re anything like me, that model completely fell apart in our hands because we picked it up too soon. Usually my impatience stemmed from the anticipation of something good. “I’m hungry, what time is dinner?” “Mom, when is Grandma coming?” Or, “I’ve been waiting forever

It happened again. I've heard stories of people who say God speaks audibly to them. I'm not sure about that (other than in Biblical times). Or that they felt God's presence. Perhaps. Or that the Holy Spirit convicted them, and it fully changed their direction in life. I believe that, as I've heard and seen real life stories of this happening, albeit infrequently. I'd like to explain away what happened as sheer coincidence, but it would take more faith to believe that t

There are moments in life that happen completely out of the blue that force us to open our eyes wide, stand up straight, and take notice. Frequently these moments occur in seasons of life full of boredom, where the mundane repetition of every day life has put our souls to sleep. Even more jolting is when these experiences punctuate days and weeks of suffering with no resolution in sight. These unexpected interruptions in our life (or twists of fate, as some may call it) ch

To state the obvious, I am a girl. A grown-up girl, but still a girl nonetheless. Volumes have been written on a girl’s worth and self-esteem. And I am happy to report that this girl, despite my fair share of less than desirable experiences growing up, seemed to have made it to adulthood in one piece. Perhaps not quite perfectly unscathed (I mean, wouldn’t that be impossible in a sin-filled world?!), but more unscathed than most when it came to understanding my worth. Onc

The song that comes on the radio at the perfect time. The text from a friend when you feel disconnected from the human race. The conversation you never expected. I don’t know if other people notice these little things in life, but I feel like I learn so much from them, it forces me to pay attention. After I had taken my dog Cooper out to, well, you know, do what dogs do outside before bedtime, it happened. I had been so distracted by this, that, and a million other tasks,

I was alone, driving north on the Chicago I-294 tollway, after a quick trip to Cincinnati ended in the failure to secure a cardiothoracic surgeon to perform a robotic completion pericardiectomy. I was contemplating my future, as I had only one surgical consult remaining on the calendar in Dallas the following week. As if on cue, a song came on the radio. It was Casting Crown’s “You’re Already There...” From where I'm standin' Lord, it's so hard for me to see Where this is

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle...

Six weeks post major robotic heart surgery is a big mark in the timeline of healing. It is halfway there in the orthopedic surgery terms with which I am so familiar. At 12 weeks, the body is considered to be 80% healed after a major surgical procedure. So it was fitting this week, albeit surprising late in the day of the 6 week mark when I finally recognized that it was indeed THAT day. Life has moved on, restored itself to normal. As a single mom with three kids and a busine

Dear Dr. P, Ten months ago, I first met you on a telehealth visit, as I was referred to your care by one of my favorite physicians, electrophysiologist Dr. Z. I needed a cardiologist to follow my case after having undergone a robotic completion pericardiectomy in March. At the time of this first visit with you, I really didn’t need much of anything, just to establish care and continued prescription for a diuretic to use as needed. At the time of the visit, you seemed confused

My kids and I were discussing the Year 2020 in all of its infamous glory, when my 12-year old daughter said something fairly astute. “Mom,

I was sitting on a plastic chair in a doctor’s office in Plano, Texas, waiting anxiously for the doctor to tell me whether he would agree to perform the surgery I needed to save my life. The whirr and punctuation of my portable oxygen machine pierced through the silence while I awaited the verdict. This thoracic surgeon was soft-spoken and humble, different than most of the other cardiothoracic surgeons I had met. He discussed my tests, pulled out a model of the heart and sho

Yesterday was pregnancy loss day. I dedicate this story to Murphy baby #2 who I will meet someday and hold in my arms in heaven, and to all of the other tiny babies whose heartbeats were heard only by their loving mommies, but whose bodies never had the opportunity to feel their mother's touch. It was the week before Thanksgiving when I made a calm, yet slightly anxiety-inducing call to my OB’s office to report some spotting after my early morning run. I was still quite early

According to Reuters, the average physician visit lasts 20 minutes. That’s the average. We know that some visits can be as short as 2 minutes, or as long as an hour or two. Since it will be difficult to predict which extreme or average your next doctor’s visit will be, it’s a good idea to be prepared when you have something very specific on the agenda. Here are the top 10 tips on how to make the most of your time with your healthcare provider. 10. Provide all previous records

The numbers are staggering. In the US, between 250,000-440,000 people per year die as a result of medical errors, and they are the third leading cause of death. And quite honestly, these are the numbers that were reported or counted as such (guaranteed to be exponentially higher because their is no mandatory error reporting system in hospitals or hospital systems). Between trying to stay alive and stay out of debt from the high cost of healthcare, it is time to become your o

While it is nearing the 4th of July, with red, white and blue stars and stripes waving in the breeze, my I Had a Dream story is nothing like the one you are thinking of. No, it was a random dream that came the night before a simple medical test for my diaphragm this week, to confirm that one side of the diaphragm and thus the lung is not working correctly since a phrenic nerve injury sustained from a life-saving heart surgery three months ago. Since I was living and all, an

It was an unusual and unexpected hospitalization at Froedtert, affiliated with the Medical College of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, so maybe I should have expected an unusual experience. But I hadn’t. I had trusted that I was in good hands, being at the state of Wisconsin’s premier academic medical center. But it didn’t go down that way. I had gone to the ER for fevers, drenching sweats, and a re-occurrence of sternum pain that indicated to me that my osteomyelitis (bone infection

Since the debut of my author website, DrJillMurphy.com, there have been a host of popular questions about me, my practice in the medical field for almost 20 years, and the odd intersect of being both a patient and a Doctor of Physical Therapy. So here are some answers to the first set of burning FAQs. Why did you write a book about your healthcare experiences? Part of my job duties as a licensed healthcare professional is one that is never talked about publicly, but it’s to k