Update:
Because of today’s surgery, I do
not plan on posting an Update or Thought for the Day on Wednesday (4/2/2014). I plan to resume writing on Thursday.
At my doctor’s appointment yesterday (Monday), I was given approval to
begin transitioning from a walker to a cane.
Distance restrictions were lifted as well. That doesn’t mean that I can go do whatever I
want, it just allows my physical therapist to begin training me to do
more. Last week, without thinking I used
my walker to get from the parking garage up to my physical therapy appointment. I made the walk fine, but I’ve paid for it
afterwards with sore muscles, tendons and a slight pain in my right foot. The biggest fear that the doctors have is
that I will try to do too much too soon and injure myself. If I do that, everything shuts down and I’ll
be back in a wheelchair again for several weeks while I heal. So I got several stern tongue lashings about forgetting
the restrictions placed upon me and harsh warnings to follow and remember all
directions. I deserved it. The warmer temperatures and the ability to do
those things were so alluring that my brain went to mush. Fortunately, no apparent damage was done; so my
transgression was a good reminder and a slightly painful lesson.
Today on Tuesday afternoon, I will have laser surgery on my left eye. After the surgery, I’ll probably head
straight to bed for a few hours to get through the worst of the pain. Tonight and tomorrow (Wednesday) I probably
won’t be able to see well enough to read or watch TV or doing work on the
computer. So it will be a quiet day
listening to music, etc. Last time, it felt
like someone hit me in the eye with a baseball for a few days, so I expect it
to feel the same today. Once again I am
praying that there will be no loss of my peripheral vision. The surgery itself isn’t too bad. The two hour preparation for it is kind of a
bore. The only time the laser surgery
really hurts is when the doctor lingers in one area and has to zap my eye more
than ten times in that spot. Then it
gets uncomfortable and I make a few whining noises to get through it. So this morning I need to focus upon God’s
strength and peace in preparation for the surgery; reminding myself that I can
get through this. Done it before; so I
can do it again!
Because my restrictions were lifted by my physiatrist, I now have a
physical therapy appointment on Thursday afternoon to start “raising CANE” and
then an appointment on Friday at my prosthetist to get a new, more flexible
foot and have a bit more tweaking done on my leg. That will be four medical appointments in one
week. Whew! I had to laugh at myself. When I was caring for my mom a few years back,
it seemed like I was always taking her to medical appointments. I remember thinking that she went to the
doctor “all the time.” She had one
appointment every two weeks at the most!
Now look at me! I was riding with
my son, David, and saw the hospital in the distance. I said to him, “Look, Dave, it’s the hospital
where my 480 doctors live.” Some days it
feels like I’ve got that many. I am
thankful for all the wonderful work that is being done on me. I sort of feel like with all the new parts I
am getting and the repair work being done on me that I am a classic ’57 Chevy
that is getting restored. Soon I will be
all polished and pretty and ready to go for a drive on a Sunday afternoon. Vroom! Vroom!
Thought for the Day:
2 Corinthians 4:15 (TLB) “These
sufferings of ours are for your benefit.
And the more of you who are won to Christ, the more there are to thank
Him for His great kindness, and the more the LORD is glorified.”
Sometimes our suffering is for the benefit of others. As believers we should endure suffering and
hardship through the strength and power of our Lord God. Our attitude should be positive because He
has conquered sin and death so we no longer have to fear what the future
holds. We have resources that those
without Christ do not have. It doesn’t
mean that suffering is pleasurable; but it is bearable.
When we apply these things to our current situation and we reflect the
glory of God—others see God at work in our lives. They see that faith in Him makes a positive
difference and they are encouraged to respond to Him in faith as well. If our job is to reflect God’s glory, then
when His light shines out of the darkness of our lives, it shines all the
brighter. If everything in our lives is
going well, people don’t see us hanging onto God for support. They don’t find out anything really too
useful about us. But let them see us
during difficult and hard times and see how we respond; then they have learned
something about us.
Over the last few months, I’ve received many comments about my strength
and my attitude. I’ve been told that I
inspire and encourage others. I am
laughing on the inside at these comments; because ultimately what people are
seeing is not due to my great strength or that I am somehow a better person—what
they are seeing is something that is available to everyone. As people look at me, what they are seeing the
Lord Jesus Christ at work. It is my
faith, my hope, my belief in Him and in His promises that gives me courage and
strength. It is Him at work within me
that people are responding to. I myself
am nothing special—but God in me…now that is really something.
One of my first prayers when I entered the hospital back in November and
first heard where this was heading was that God would be glorified by whatever
I went through. I am thankful that God
has been answering that prayer. These
past months have focused my attention like nothing else could. It hasn’t been easy and yet it hasn’t been
all that bad. I can testify that I have
felt God’s presence, His power, and His peace every step of my journey so far
and I know that He will continue to be with me as a constant companion.
I want to encourage you, no matter what you are going through, to turn
to Jesus. You will find all the strength
and peace that you need. Allow your life
to reflect His glory to those watching you.
Colossians 3:17 “And
whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
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