Advances in healthcare, not today but maybe tomorrow

So for the past week I've been feeling a bit better than the weeks before which I am very thankful for! However I was not so lucky, a few nights ago, when I awoke from a severe burning pain on the right side of my chest, every time I took a deep breath it hurt more. It was like the pills I took ripped out a hole to connect my chest and lung, needless to say it was unusual pain and a hard type to get back to sleep from. So I lay pushing on it, praying it would go away...what a start to a day. Finally it hurt too bad and the Tylenol didn't work so I had to resort to my last half of a Valium. Which although I'm thankful I took it and it worked like a dream (haha cause it put me to sleep), I can't help but feel worried because the Tramodal is not nearly as strong or effective as the doctor said it would be. So in an attempt to get off the strong drugs, I have not taken the Tramodal for 2 days and nothings changed. Which makes me think that I was right, and it wasn't helping at all just polluting my body with chemicals.

As I have been in more pain these last few months, I have been watching my church, Northview online at the link below: http://northview.org/messages_comments/the_gift_of_suffering_for_jesus_sake/http://northview.org/messages_comments/joy_in_pain/

Northview has been doing a series on pain, titled "an uncommon joy". Through which, they've provided biblical views on why people suffer. In this service a little girl who suffers from a skin disorder sings with her dad a cover of "your hands" by JJ Heller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlL8LayF0uw. 

In the song the first part of lyrics she sings, 

"I have unanswered prayers, 

I have trouble I wish wasn't there, 

And I have asked a thousand ways, 

That You would take my pain away.

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crookedly lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

When You walked upon the Earth
You healed the broken, lost, and hurt
I know You hate to see me cry
One day You will set all things right
Yea, one day You will set all things right"

Though I feel the same way as those first few lines, I find understanding why I must go through this is not my problem. I mean I don't fully understand, my situation and the circumstances, but I understand the christian doctrine and theory as why suffering is allowed. My problem is that although I understand the theory it's incredibly harder to put that theory into practice. It's one thing to understand how to build a house and a completely different thing entirely to attempt building a house. The problem is that knowledge and understanding don't take the pain or hurting away, they don't build the house alone. There needs to be action, and that is hard. Joy is not found in the suffering but, it can be found in everything else. So that is what I try to do, to focus on other things, like how much fun it is to play with the kittens we have. They're 8 weeks and we've given two away but still have three. They are so rambunctious, climbing up and down the bike in the entry, while fighting each other. 

Another great thing is that I finally got to go for an appointment with the fibromyalgia specialist's intake counsellor. All that happened was say 15 minute long answering basic questions that almost all specialists get you to fill out, to determine your previous and current states of health. Yet, the counsellor told me that this doctor is known for diagnosing pain disorders within a few appointments. I wonder if it's because he can always fall back on fibromyalgia (which is basically undiagnosed pain as there is no known cause) as the cause if nothing else is found. But, regardless I'm trying to be hopeful that he will find something that is causing all this. 

Also it is good to read that there are great advances coming in the health world as the mayo clinic has a very interesting article on teaching the immune system to fight cancer. That would be huge, not only for those with cancer but also for anyone with an autoimmune or other disorder, because if they can teach it to fight cancer why not Hashimoto's, or Lupus? So it's good to know that there is always hope out there. 


Other research that's of interest is that the mayo clinic is also coming up with a vaccine for cancer.


Though researchers are getting closer at helping patients, I think God is behind them pop-ing the ideas into their heads. Kinda like when my family is discussing where to go on the weekend and I say,"we should go to grandville". And then two minutes later my sister says, "I know! we should go to grandville!"  as though she thought of it all by herself.    :) 

~ElysiaB