Pill Panic

Don't know when I've felt such panic. The other day when we came home from the drug store with some new pain medication for Dean, I asked where the pills were. We had only been home a few minutes, but he announced that he had hid them. My heart must have skipped several beats when I immediately began every persuasion known to man (and woman) to get him to reveal the hiding place of his new powerful drug.

My first instinct for the hiding place turned out to be correct, but I didn't let him know that I had already located them in the top drawer of his dresser. I needed his willing compliance if I was going to be the administrator of this medication, a very necessary measure due to his memory issues.

And the "memory loss" argument finally won him over. By the next day, when he went to his adult day program, I had convinced him that I would put the amount of pills in the pill bottle that he needed just for that day, and hold the rest aside in another location (undisclosed to him, of course).

But then, I noticed that he was getting easily overdosed with the two pills he was allowed, resulting in slurred speech and being uneasy on his feet. So, I came up with an idea. A deceptive one, but necessary for his health and safety. I switched the few pills in the bottle to Tylenol. And if I felt he should have the "real stuff", I could give him one (just one) along with his daily pills in his pill organizer. (There's so many in there already he surely wouldn't notice one more.)

At one point I was wondering if my little "scheme" would be undetected. Because the Tylenol pills look totally different than the "real" pain pills. Different shape, different size. Would he trust me enough to accept the change without questioning the different-looking pills? Fortunately, I don't think he has so far even remembered that they are different. So, the crisis has been averted for this round.

Isn't it nice that our great God-Caregiver has the power and knows us well enough to give us substitutes when we need them? I pray that I can trust God enough to look out for my welfare, especially when my ability to make wise choices is seriously impaired. God has the situation under control, but we do need to reveal our "hiding places" and willingly allow Him to administer His will.

our trusty pill organizer, where one more pill won't be noticed

My Elephant

All I want for Christmas is not to have this cold! (as in the "sick" kind)

So many others have had it though, I shouldn't complain. After all, I've managed to dodge the bullets since last July, so guess it's my turn to cough my way into oblivion and fill the wastebasket by my bed with enough Kleenexes to sink a battleship.

I've seen a television commercial, one of "drug dealing" ones, that illustrated the feeling of having C.O.P.D. with having an elephant sit on your chest. That is such an apt description of what breathing feels like with my deformed chest cavity too, even without a cold.

Fortunately, my lungs are not diseased, but they are wimpy. So when I get a cold, it tends to visit me longer, because I haven't got the lung capacity to cough all that mucus out of there like most people. I don't count the length of my colds in terms of how many days, but how many weeks.

Until my weeks are up, I'll just keep using my nebulizer and hope I only go through one box of tissues. And isn't that all we can expect out of life. Using the tools God gives us for spiritual survival on this doomed planet and pray for the day when our "tissue days" are a thing of the past.

Revelation 21:4 says "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Surgeries Compared

Talk about an easy surgery. Nothing to fear about laser eye surgery, at least the kind I had today. If you can stand drops in your eyes, you can stand having a laser light drill a hole in your iris. It really was nothing, compared to a total spinal fusion, for instance.

The spinal fusion for my scoliosis when I was twelve was so major, they had to do it in two parts too. First the lower back, then the upper. I was flat in bed for a month, followed by six months in a body cast. Fifty years later, I still remember those details. And the pain was almost unbearable right after the surgeries.

So, even though this eye surgery for my narrow angle glaucoma was in two separate parts, one for each eye, I was pleased that the discomfort was minimal. I even drove myself home just an hour later. If it can just keep my glaucoma in check and prevent an acute attack, it seems totally worth it. Just like the spinal fusion has kept my curvature from getting noticeably worse after all these years.

Our conversion stories, how we individuals come to the Lord, are different too. Just like these different surgeries. Depending on the sin to be overcome, the past experiences in our life, and many other variables, all of us have different stories to tell. But whether the pain is little or great, whether the recovery time is short or long, the end result of turning to Christ is all that counts.

When you know you have a sin problem at any point in your Christian walk, take it to the Great Physician. He will know just what kind of surgery you need to be well and whole again.

sixth grade, in my last cast--second row, I'm the one sitting right in front of the teacher

Dog Surgery

Tomorrow my little dog has surgery. Just a simple spaying, but I'm sure it will be a big deal for her. It will be hard dropping her off at the veterinarian's in the morning. I wish there was some way I could communicate with her to let her know what's going to happen, so she won't be as frightened.

But I can almost guarantee that when I pick her up the next day, she will not hold it against me that I brought her there. Her trust and love for me will be just as strong as the day I first took her into my home. She will have lots of doggy "kisses" to share, despite the pain that she'll be experiencing.

As humans, shouldn't we be that trusting of our heavenly Father? It must pain Him that He can't share everything that may happen in our lives, but we shouldn't hold it against Him. Our love must survive for our Master, even when we are in the very heart of pain and suffering.

We dog owners are always looking for ways to teach our dogs obedience, but let's not overlook what they are teaching us about love.

Back from Class

I'm considering going to a seminar tonight on back pain and care. I've pretty much concluded that my poor crooked spine is beyond any natural help, but will see what tips they might have for me. I'll report later when I get back what I learn from the meeting. (On a side note, it's a way I can get out of the house by myself, since my nephew is here for Dean.)

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OK, back from the "back class". I will have to amend my previous statement about my crooked back. The ONLY help I have for my crookedness is natural. Particularly, exercise and diet. Which I'm always trying to improve anyway. This meeting just gave me some motivation to keep trying. I value that more than the information that was presented.

This emphasized to me that I must work on my witnessing style too. I have to work on not just giving out information. That's not what people are looking for. Most people don't need information as much as they need inspiration and motivation, powered by a genuine caring spirit.

Lord, please help me to attract others to you with bonds of your heavenly love.