October 25 – “Labeled”

I made a trip into Texas yesterday to visit a friend in the hospital up there.  Jennifer shattered her ankle in an accident several months ago.  She then had surgery to rebuild the ankle.  Just as her no-weight-bearing time was ending after that surgery, the graft collapsed and she developed one of those nasty infections at the site.  She went back in the hospital to clean out the site, remove the hardware that collapsed and determine what her next options will be.  Sounds like quite an ordeal.  But what she discovered this week may overshadow all the bad news she has had. 

While the doctor was examining her incision site, Jennifer pointed out a lump she had discovered on her leg.  The doctor checked it out and sent her to have one of those Doppler radar checks done on it.  I guess he suspected a cold front was sweeping down her leg that would result in a series of rain showers with possible hail followed by much cooler temperatures.  Cooler temperatures would certainly have been a welcome diagnosis, too, since Jennifer was running a fever at the time.  The tests proved negative, thankfully, and the lump was just a knot of muscles angry at the manipulation of the leg that had happened during the clean-out surgery.  Oh, wait.  Did you think that was going to be some bad news related to that lump?  Oh, no.  Not that.

But this overshadowing news did come to light during the trip to the Doppler radar room.  Jennifer was in her hospital bed, all hooked up to IV’s and antibiotics and general pain medications and specific pain medications designed to block pain impulses directly to the affected ankle and heart rate monitors and monitors to show how many times she blinks and … basically a mass of wires and tubes.  The guy who was sent to wheel her away was trying to be helpful, so he suggested just hooking her one IV bag to the bed and taking off.  Not possible, however.  The nurse quickly informed him that they all must go.  Uncertain of what to do with only the two hands he brought with him, the tech struggled.  Fortunately Jennifer’s husband Bryan was there.  He offered to help.  He would take control of the pole holding the IV’s for the journey to Doppler.  And therein lies the rub. 

See, it often happens that way.  A good guy offers to do a good deed.  And as a result he inadvertently changes the way he is viewed by the world.  Sometimes it works out well.  Other times the ensuing designation imparted upon him follows him for the rest of his life.  I certainly hope the latter is not the case for poor Bryan.  For as you might have determined by now, his simple offer and subsequent acceptance of help by the technician has labeled dear Jennifer’s husband.  All he wanted to do was help move the medicine from one place to another.  But unfortunately, in that action, he had become, like it or not … a drug pusher. 

Psalms 34:22 says, “The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.”

Father, take care of Bryan and Jennifer.  Bring her healing and surround both of them with your peace as they walk through this medical calamity again.  Amen.