August 22 – “Miracles of modern medicine”

Jachin, Micah, Josiah and Noa came over yesterday with their Mom.  Their house was having its foundation leveled and that was the day for the jackhammers to be there and smash holes in the concrete sidewalk and driveway.  That meant it was going to be a noisy day in LaMarque – not the best environment for a youngster who still needs a nap or two during the day.  Or for a bunch of boys who would certainly be attracted to the hum of the ultimate power tool and the flying particles of concrete.  I can hear it now: “But Mom, there were rocks flying everywhere anyway.  I didn’t think one more would make any difference.  I’m sorry about …”  I shudder to think what could fill in those blanks.

So those same boys and their little sister descended upon our house for the day.  No jackhammers here, but with a little creativity unleashed, who knows what could happen.  And that’s where I got into a bit of a pickle.  I started horsing around with the boys.  Josiah and I were actually doing some search-and-tickle maneuvers against Jachin and Micah.  We finally discovered their hideout – under the bed.  A fine place to disappear, but not so fine when discovered.  Very difficult to break free and run.  I managed to grab a leg or two and tried to let the cows eat some corn.  Anybody ever remember that tickle technique?  Two fingers strategically placed on each side of the leg, just above the kneecap, and squeeze.  Simulates a cow chewing on a very tickle-able spot.  Needless to say, the tickle-ee (in this case, Micah) was doing his best to break free.  The result was quite a tussle.  Much fun, I must say. 

However, the result of the struggle was not so funny for me.  This particular malady has occurred once before, back when we were uprooting a small tree that was proving less than cooperative at releasing from its root system.  The intense exertion kicked off the most dreadful case of heartburn I have ever experienced.  I remember thinking that if a heart attack felt like that, I sure never wanted to have one.  It was a medication issue back then.  This time, too, I hope.  See, now I am on a medication for heartburn because that is one of the side effects of the rheumatoid arthritis medicines I take.  The doctor’s office, however, has been dragging their feet on approving the pharmacy’s request for a renewal.  I know no one else has ever had that problem, have you?  As a result I had gone three days without it.  Zantac helped some in the interim, but that was without exertion.  Whatever this medication does, its absence allowed the intrusion of the unmistakable burning sensation they talk about on those TV commercials.  Still nothing at the pharmacy, so I called the doctor’s office myself.  And of course they had no idea why the refill hadn’t been approved.  They called the pharmacy.  I got my meds.  Took one right away.  Strangely enough, all the symptoms are gone.  Ah, the miracles of modern medicine.

Psalms 106:2-3 says, “Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise?”

Father, thank you for revealing these medical mysteries to us humans so we can experience your mighty acts of healing in different ways.  Amen.