September 11 – “Another adventure?”

 I had yet another doctor’s appointment yesterday.  This time it was with an actual doctor.  My complaint this time?  My side has begun to swell along with the other weirdness symptoms.  After a thorough look at my chart and at the log of symptoms I brought with me, the doc said no less than three times, “I am worried.”  Not something you get really excited about hearing your doctor say …

 

She is convinced the problem is nerve-related.  Even the swelling may be a result of the nerve responsible for communicating to the muscle to contract being compressed to the extent that it has stopped doing its job, resulting in the muscle just flopping over.  And the fact that new symptoms are showing up indicates that there is some kind of progression going on.  Hence the worry.  If any of these things happens:

1) issues with walking, including balance or weakness in my legs

2) loss of bladder or bowel control

3) saddle anesthesia (In her words, “The area that goes numb when you ride a horse.”  I understood right away.  Happens to me every time I ride a bicycle)

Then I am supposed to go directly to the ER and have them call in a neurology guy immediately.  Again … a rather sobering outlook.

 

She told me to keep using the meds from the ER as needed.  She also gave me a prescription for some steroids to try to ease the nerve inflammation.  Finally she ordered an MRI … STAT.  There it is.  Yet another nod to something potentially serious.  She told me that STAT has apparently changed in meaning in the world of medical testing.  It used to mean that the test was to be done within the next four hours.  Now it apparently means within two days.  At least that’s the soonest they could give me when they called to set up the appointment.  Saturday afternoon.  And I have to drive to League City.  Well, here we go, on another adventure …

 

Oh, we started back our home group last night.  Just four or five of our old crowd came back.  They are excited to continue on the journey of getting the children of Israel out of the wilderness (We are in the Book of Deuteronomy).  It was good to see everybody and to know we have some folks praying for us.

 

James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

 

Father, thank you for the folks we know are praying for us.  Reward their efforts with your blessings.  Amen.