Check out our storefront for self-advocacy tools and consultations. Or leave us a tip to show your support. Welcome to Patient Empowerment Pulse: Real-Life Wisdom from a Professional Patient Who I Am Welcome to Patient Empowerment Pulse, a blog built on the hard-won wisdom of someone who’s lived both sides of the healthcare divide. I’m Joanna, and this is more than just a health blog—it’s a survival guide for anyone trying to navigate chronic illness, complicated care teams, and a medical system that often feels like it’s working against you. I didn’t set out to become a professional patient. I trained for a career in culinary arts. But life had other plans. Over the years, I was diagnosed with lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, spondylitic arthritis, inflammatory-onset diabetes, and a growing list of related conditions. That’s when I discovered that all my professional training didn’t fully prepare me for what it means to actually live this every day. This blog is where I share the str...
It’s one of the most frustrating paradoxes in chronic illness care: You finally find a doctor who listens. They believe you. They care. And yet—you still leave appointments feeling unseen, exhausted, or retraumatized. Why? Because the system is broken. And in a broken system, even good relationships can hurt. The System Is Set Up to Fail You Both Most doctors go into medicine because they want to help people. Most patients walk into clinics hoping to be heard. So how did we end up here, on opposite sides of an invisible war? Short answer: insurance. billing. pharmacy denials. overwork. 15-minute slots. charting requirements. prior authorizations. EMR glitches. burnout. structural inequity. implicit bias. fragmentation. understaffing. The healthcare system isn’t just a bureaucracy. It’s a pressure cooker. And in that environment, everyone is under-resourced. Even well-meaning doctors are forced to operate within structures that penalize nuance, punish extra time, and priori...