God has your back!

When we arrived at the doctor’s office yesterday for my follow up visit about 3 weeks after my back surgery, the parking lot was packed.  It was the same way in the waiting room.  My wife Marta had taken the day off so that she could drive me to the appointment for a couple of reasons.  First, one of my restrictions following the surgery was that I was not supposed to drive.  Between taking pain medications and muscle relaxers which can make you drowsy and the difficulty that nerve irritation can have on some people’s ability to feel and manipulate their feet adequately, NO DRIVING is a common restriction for a few weeks following back surgery.  The second reason she wanted to go was to hear everything the doctor told me.  I have been to doctors before and apparently omitted “pertinent” information when reporting back to my spouse.  Marta also wanted to divulge to the doctor an unconfirmed report that one day when I was left alone I had swept our entire house (which has tile floors throughout) using a Swiffer Max broom.  This report has neither been confirmed nor denied and no reliable photos or other evidence have yet surfaced to sustain the accusation.

We arrived for the 10:45 am appointment at 10:30 am.  We were finally called back about five minutes past noon!  Many years ago this would have bothered me greatly and I would have felt the need to let somebody know exactly how I felt and maybe even given them a piece of my mind.  Through the years I have learned a couple of things.  One, I cannot afford to lose any more of my mind.   I need to hang on to every piece I have, so I no longer give a piece of it away so freely, especially when it only involves me having to wait.  This doctor’s office has never had problems with making me wait before, as a matter of fact, I usually get in early and the receptionist did indicate they were running behind and stated they would get to us as quickly as possible.  So what happened on this day?  I don’t know.  Maybe they had overbooked for the day or maybe there were some special cases which required extended time and attention from the doctor.  Maybe some people were having hard times dealing with the emotional issues of learning that they would have to endure yet another surgery.  Maybe someone had been in a car wreck in the early morning hours and the doctor had been in an emergency surgery.  I don’t know what had occurred.  But I do know this.  I was okay.  I was waiting with my wife.  We had time together; time to plan our lunch, time to plan our day and time to laugh about what a memorable anniversary day this would be compared to the other 25 we had experienced before.

We ended up having a good report with the doctor.  He reviewed some new X-rays and said things looked great.  (The screws and rods were much bigger than I imagined them to be!)  The doctor told me to do even less than I had been doing and not to worry about my walking chart for the next 2 months so that the sciatic nerve pain would go away completely.  I was given the okay to take some occasional “strolls” but not to go on my 4 times a day walks for exercise.  In essence, he told me to take it easy and come back and see him in 2 months.  I received permission to drive and a note to go back to work in a couple of weeks.  It was a good appointment, even though we had to wait.

When it comes to unexpected delays and waiting, I think of something I heard an older man say in Sunday school class about 20 years ago that changed my perspective.  “Some people get all upset about that flat tire on their car.  They jump up and down and yell because now they are going to be late for work or late for some other event.  But what they don’t know is that by taking the time to change that tire, the Good Lord helped them avoid being in a wreck on the highway.  You may not know the reason for the delay, you just have to know that you are in God’s Hands.”

Whenever I become anxious about how long something is taking I remember what that man said.  I also remember what King David said in Psalm 94:19

When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.    Psalm 94:19

Don’t let delays get you down.  Trust in God, place yourself in His Hands.  Stay focused, stay positive and know that God has your back.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

Last night I only woke up two times – yay!  When I did I was able to fall back to sleep within 20 minutes or so, unlike yesterday  when I had napped too much the evening before and as a result ended up watching infomercials between 3:00 and 4:00 am.  I have seen a lot of late night TV in the last 3 weeks.  Want to know how to grow luxurious flowing hair on a bald head or lose 10 pounds in 10 days?  I’m your man!  But you better catch me quick because that info is fading fast as I am slowing but surely getting back into my regular sleep patterns.

Today I am preparing to go to the doctor’s office for the first follow up since the fusing of my L4 and L5 vertebrae.  We will review X-rays of my back taken before and after the surgery to determine the success and to get an idea of how well the bone graft is taking on the metal cage that has replaced the disc.  We will also talk about the lingering (but lessening!) sciatic nerve pain in my right leg which has now centered in my foot, review my chart tracking my walking times and medications, and discuss my prognosis which includes my return to work.  While those are very important and memorable events to take place today, those are not the most important event of the day for me.

Today my wife Marta and I celebrate 26 years of marriage!  The Lord has blessed us through those years.  We met and were married only 4 months later.  And though I would not recommend such a short engagement for others I must say it has worked out very well for us.  The bible tells men that we are to love our wives “as Christ loved the Church”.  My wife has made that easy.  She has been a wonderful wife, mother, friend, helper,  and soul mate throughout the years.  There have been times that were rough and times that were difficult but the Lord helped us to pull through those difficult times as a couple.  In the times when I am weak, frustrated, or so consumed with some task or project that I lose sight of the big picture she is strong and offers words of wisdom to help me reshape my focus.  In times when she is tired or feeling down, the Lord has blessed me to be able to encourage her and remind her of just how special she is.  My wife has been such a blessing to me.

As I check in with the physician today, I also want to be sure to check in with the Great Physician and let Him know how grateful I am for the last 26 years.  God has blessed me with a good wife and a good marriage.  I pray that the Lord will bless all the current marriages and the marriages to come in my family, in our congregation and amongst my friends.  I know that God will bless those marriages as couples commit themselves unto Him and commit themselves to love one another in a godly way in the easy times and hard times.  If you bring God into your marriage, you can rest assured that God has your back.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

Last night was a better night; I was able to rest!  I still woke up every 1.5 to 2 hours but at least I was not watching the clock waiting until I could take another pain pill.  I took some pain medication at 10:30 pm and did not need any more until 5:30 am.  I had some good success in mitigating the sciatic nerve pain that I had been experiencing following the fusion of my L4 and L5 vertebrae two and a half weeks ago and I would like to share what I believe are the reasons for the success.

1.  The use of a Heating Pad.
2. A Contour Sleep Lumbar Pad from “Relax the Back” store.
3. Cut back on physical activity during the day.
4. Continued prayer.

My wife picked up the Contour Sleep Lumbar Pad at the Relax the Back store for me and it made a great deal of difference in my ability to get comfortable in bed.  It allowed me to sleep on my side or on my back without my incision hurting as much and also helped with the sciatic nerve pain.

In my lay person’s opinion, I think that the key to reducing the sciatic nerve pain is getting the muscles in the hip area to relax as much as possible and to get the inflammation to decrease.  As one cannot take ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory drugs during recovery from back surgery as they hinder the bone graft procedure, a heating pad is a must have.  The heating pad helps with the circulation, loosens the muscles and reduces the inflammation to that area.

I called my doctor’s office and discussed the pain I was having the previous 5 nights and my inability to sleep.  The Physician’s Assistant stated that even though the nerve pain was not present the first week I was home, there had probably been a cumulative effect of the healing process and my increasing my walking from a total of 45 minutes a day to 55 minutes per day.  She asked me to cut back to about 30 minutes per day for a few days to allow my body to rest.  I will do so because one of my main goals is to FOLLOW DOCTOR’S ORDERS.   This will allow for the best outcome.

And the fourth ingredient in the mix for the better night of sleep is of course, prayer.  Thanks to all my friends and family who are praying for me. I truly believe you have helped me to have a better night’s sleep.  Keep praying for me not to overdo it and to continue to follow doctor’s orders.  The Lord is good, He hears our prayers and He answers them.  Our God has our back.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

Last night was a long night.  I ended up watching the clock waiting until I could take some medication to relieve the pain in my back and right leg.  I believe that the pain was caused by my tossing and turning in bed.  I was fine when I went to bed and I had not walked or been involved in any other activity for the 3 hours prior to bedtime so I guess that must be what happened. I have spent most of the nights sleeping in a chair in the living room that reclines like a hospital bed.  It has a firm but padded back, keeps me from tossing and turning and has the added benefit of having a dachshund sleep by my side so that I have a perpetual heating pad.  (NOTE: I do not pick up the dog!  The chair is next to the couch and the dog walks across the couch and the end table to get to the chair.  I know, it’s sick, but still within the protocol following Spinal Fusion surgery.)

My goal is to fully follow my doctor’s orders (and to get a good night sleep) so that I have the best outcome possible.  For me, an avid runner, this means no exercise other than walking for the next 6 – 8 months.  It also means not picking up my granddaughter.  It means not pulling weeds in the yard.  It means not doing a lot of things…things that I must sacrifice in order to meet my goals and fulfill the plans that the Lord has for my life.  I want to be able to walk at Disney with my wife, kids and grandkids without lagging behind due to a bad back.  I want to be able to pick up and hold my grandkids and someday my great grandkids.  I want to be able to stand up and preach and walk and move around as the Lord directs for many years to come  Those are some of my goals.

What are your goals?  To what do you aspire?  What dreams do you dream?  There will be sacrifice and commitment involved.  But know this, if the Lord has placed those dreams and aspirations in your heart the commitment and sacrifice will be worth it!  Anything the Lord wants you to do, He will help you to do!  Oh and He does have things for you to do!  The bible says in Jeremiah 29:11

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

 The Lord has glorious plans and a future for each of us.  So I ask again, to what do you aspire?  What has the Lord laid upon your heart?  As my cousin told me one time, “The time will pass and you will either have done it or wish you’d done it.”  Don’t be left wishing you had fulfilled your dreams.  The bible promises in Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Delight yourself in the Lord today.  Discover the plans and goals that He has for your life and start your journey today.  Make a commitment today.  You can trust the Lord with your future, God has your back.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com