Medication; help, hindrance or both? 2 of 3

In the first entry regarding medication, I tried to show how we have all searched out relief from pain and suffering from our very beginning (at least post eviction from the Garden).  I believe that this desire is put into us by God, almost as a reminder of how life could, should, and will be.  He made it that way originally in the Garden of Eden.  He showed us while Jesus was on earth how people responded to Him when he cured them of all manner of illness, injury, and possession.  Within Scripture, we are reminded how our eternal life, in the new earth will be; without pain and suffering.  As I have said before, one of my favorite authors, CS Lewis said it well when he said God screams to us in our pain.  So we look for relief almost as a means as a way to get to that pure relationship with the Father.  One of those ways we try, is the use of medication.

When I first hurt my back, the doctors treated me in what I will refer to as being plugged into an algorithm.  That means, as a patient, when you answer either yes or no, they plug you into a formula and the medications that have been tried and have had some effect for others.  This is not to impugn physicians in general, it is a way to expedite the process of treating so many hurting people.  The problem of course, is that even though the Lord made us similar, we also are made individually.  Medication does not effect everyone the same way and, hereafter, we must be treated as individuals.

This calls for a word on physicians and pharmaceutical companies as a whole.  Right now, as the US government is attempting to make our healthcare system "better", there has been too much said about whether doctors and pharmaceutical companies do what they do for the sake of profit.  We who read the Bible, guided by the Holy Spirit, know that the Lord let's it rain on the good and the bad equally.  In other words, there is no way to lump everyone in these professions together in the same way.  Let me give you an example from my own history on the other side of the medical field.  Years ago, prior to my being a patient, I was a nurse for the trauma unit (4T) of William Beaumont Army Medical Center.  I was an SGT/LPN (LPN=Lower Paid Nurse) but I had also been a paramedic prior to my working there.  I had tremendous experience and certification in trauma care and was given the responsibility of training one of our new RN's (Real Nurses) who was a Captain.  About one hour into my walk through of our "crunch area" and giving him instruction on emergency procedures, this man turned to me and said, "Man, you really take this stuff seriously."  I told him to take a coffee break and went to our commander, and asked the Major if she would find someone else to train this photographer-want-to-be, since he felt I was too rigid about the level of care I expected.  Knowing me as she did, she readily agreed, also letting him know that his attitude would change or his military career would.  So yes, there are people like me, and there are people like him.  However, there are far more like me, than there are like him.  Mostly, physicians and medical researchers are highly dedicated and passionate.

The problem lies in that we must try medicine before we know if it will work for us or not.  Now there can be extenuating circumstances like allergies to ingredients, family history, and other issues that will put some medicines off the mark before tried.  Since my pain is nerve based, they tried neuropathy drugs, which did work, except they also made me sleep for 23 hours a day.  Oral narcotics did so much damage to my stomach and liver, I thought I would have to have my gall bladder removed, but it was just the side effects to the medication.  I've also had those needles of cortisone put directly into my back, in fact the last one was six inches from skin to area of "relief".  Relief was not the operative word for me, but I had to try, and try more than once.  I also had this cute little electric wire put into my spine, with a unit on the outside for my control,not sure how much control I had though.  Never did get the whole idea of that one; and the removal of it was fun, for a masocist! No, for me, the best route of delivery is a narcotic patch that I wear on my skin and change every 72 hours.  Of course the downfall to this medication, is that it is on TV every three days or so with the warning, "Have you or someone you know taken this horrible drug?  This drug is responsible for serious side effects including death!  Call attorney so & so, and we'll look to see if you have a claim."  This drug has also been on the news as being part of murder investigations!  And of course, as with all narcotics, the chance for abuse is quite high.  I know of drug addicts who have tried to suck the gel off of it, which unfortunately for them is almost always fatal.  Remember, I may need this medicine for physical pain, but others are trying to get away from suffering of mind or spirit; a wholly different topic. 

Over the past five years, I have taken five to eight pills in the morning, and more later on.  With the right pain management doctor, family support, and my agreement to try what is available, I am at the least amount of medicine ever.  Well, my dosage of the patch is high, but I need almost nothing else.  It's about the end result.  Can I find something that will allow me to be somewhat more functional and be with my family as a husband and father once more?  Not that I'm not a dad or husband now, but I enjoy being with them, watching the kids school functions, and just doing things like apple picking. 

Finally, it must be known that over the years I followed Scripture and went to the church elders.  I was anointed with oil and prayed over by four of our pastors.  I have had fellow brothers and sisters pray over me, and many pray for me daily.  With this I must be very clear.  The fact that I sill have back issues has nothing to do with my sin, the pastor's inability to pray, or the Lord's unwillingness to care for me.  When it comes to suffering, the Bible shows that I am in good company.  There are times when God speaks of direct physical healing, but that does not always mean instantaneous miraculous healing.  God's healing can be slow, as slow as how I destroyed my back.  What is most important, is what I have learned from this.  We see in the book of Job that his so-called friends want him to confess his dark, horrible sins, and his wife wants him to curse God and die already!  However, it is Job that knew it is God's to give and take.  It is how we accept His grace and His lack of it that is important.  Even in the end of the book, Job is not given an answer to his suffering, but a lesson in who God is, and what is man.  So my joy is in the fact that the Lord has chosen me to be His child, to love me, and to be willing to teach me.  Without my pain, I would have remained quite the arrogant fool, who relied on his physicality.  I have learned to love my pain, and still look for a cure, hoping to use my new found understanding even more. 

Next time, I will try my best to help others make decisions about how to chose doctors and medicine, what to look for when on medication, what you need as a patient in pain, and most of all, how to find God's Word as comfort.  The last is not the easiest, but I hope to show it is most important.  Again, my thanks for reading my ramblings, and please leave me a comment.  If you know someone in pain, please pass this on to them if you feel this may help.  This blog is what I believe to be my service to my fellow man, as God leads me, today.