Some of you have been aware that I've had some serious breathing and heart problems, but have avoided getting into the medical treadmill on it.
I want to thank you for your concern and kindness to me in emails. It's times like these that make you aware of the true blessings in your life and at the top of the list is friendships. Because I'm not spending much time on the computer, I thought a blog post would be the best way to communicate to all what is going on.
I had been in on Wednesday for blood work since I felt my thyroid was low, and he requested that we do a CBC and a Chem Profile since he was concerned about the atrial fibrillation (one of my symptoms) and severe shortness of breath.
He called on Thursday to tell me that the blood tests came out perfect, other than the thyroid which did indicate it was low. He recommended a chest x-ray and EKG which I refused. He had even contacted a Christian cardiologist that was "up on" herbs to tell me what alternatives might work best. God is awesome and I've seen Him meet me through this doctor who is truly in the field of medicine because of his love of people.
I didn't sleep at all Thursday night so I was ready for the chest x-ray when the clinic opened. The results showed a lot of fluid on both lungs, so talk of going to ER ensued to drain off the fluid and get the heart rate under control, but ER was not a consideration for me. A little background on my avoidance of the medical world ....
When I was in my teens and 20's I had various health issues and not-so-good experiences in the realm of doctors and hospitals. In my 30's my parents (actually grandparents who raised me) both died from hospital errors. The doctor was very up front with me. I often wonder if it was because this was too common at this hospital and he wanted somebody to sue. We're not into the government fighting our battles. God handles such things with much more peace.
Having been trained in the natural health realm and alternative therapies, it's been easy to avoid the necessity of doctors along the way, but when you get into a crisis where you can't think clearly (lack of oxygen) and physical exhaustion is involved, it's hard to gain any ground. I also realize there's a balance between the two realms of the herbal kingdom and the medical way of doing things. The problem is that most doctors are not willing to work with you unless you blindly follow their recommendations.
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| The heron is vigilant about noticing movements in the water, as we should be to noticing movement in the spirit as we heal. |
I agreed to the EKG and ultrasound, but with each test the diagnosis got worse. Surgery was recommended as the only real solution to the problem, since progressive heart failure would occur. Of course, initially moving the fluid off the lungs was critical, and I agreed to the drug (generic Lasix) for that, confirming that I could switch to an herbal diuretic when I got relief with the breathing. I took that as soon as I got home with no problems.
To regulate the heartbeat (atrial fibrillation aka afib) another drug was prescribed (Metoprolol). The one-half of the low-dose tablet that I took later that evening turned into a nightmare experience. If I hadn't read the possible side effects I would've thought I was going to die or at the very least lose my mind. All I remember is rolling and groaning for 7 hours. My husband said that I was delirious, but we made it through, and afterwards with enough fluid moved off, I was able to sleep which was a huge blessing.
The overall cause of all of this (pulmonary and afib) stemmed from the mitral valve being ineffective. It was not operating as it should and was heavily leaking (known as mitral valve regurgitation). I've had symptoms for many years so it's been a process to get to this advanced state of affairs.
The left atrium has already enlarged trying to keep up with the regurgitated blood flow, and of course, the concern of blood clots as blood pooled there created the recommendation of Coumadin since aspirin would not be potent enough. I've heard enough about Coumadin to decline that.
In all of this, even through the initial shock of all the negative words, I stayed focused on the fact that this is a report of my physical body. I am body, soul and spirit, so it's only a partial picture of the possibilities. Randal and I both agreed that the "last word" was not within the medical realm, but within the heavenly realms.
One very cool God thing that the Holy Spirit reminded me of .... when I reviewed the blood test results I noticed that one item was out of line and the doctor hadn't mentioned it. It was "Platelet Count" which has a normal range of 130-400. My result was 129 so you can see why he still considered all the blood work perfect. However, what that showed me is that my body was already on the VERY low end of platelets which would make clotting less likely. That was a God moment for me, although the entire time on Friday was obviously guided by God since I was in a realm of total discomfort physically and emotionally. But, as stated, not at all increased any by the doctors or medical techs.
With this fact, I feel I can manage the clotting factor with an herbal alternative, so now it's a matter of finding something that will regulate the arrhythmia.
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| They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 |
True doctors (those in the profession by calling and not as a business choice) have a grand place in our world to relieve pain and aid the body to harness the power of healing that is there. Yes, drugs have their place, even though they were created more for the patent-earning income than for balance within the body.
In Asia I am told they combine drugs with herbal medicines to counter-balance the side effects. God's herbal kingdom has a built-in balance, which is why herbs are so much safer to use. You can't patent an herb ... it was made by God, so drug companies have to take out the active constituent to get a patent for the billions of dollars to be made.
So, back to choosing God's Word for healing. Isaiah 53:5 prophesied of Jesus bringing healing and I Peter 2:24 tells us that "by His stripes we WERE healed." I've learned many interpretations of this over the years depending on the denominational churches we were in, but when you go back to the Greek, it's obvious that this is physical healing. The word for salvation (sozo) also includes physical healing, so any time you see the word salvation, it includes healing.
That shouldn't be so hard to understand since Jesus healed ALL while He was here ... at least all who would believe. It required belief from the person also, which is why the Bible says He couldn't heal in His own hometown.
"Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith." Mark 6:4-6
More on healing and many other Scriptures that reveal the Truth.
Either I believe "By His stripes I WAS healed" or not. My needed surgery is actually in the renewing of my mind as we were commanded to do in Romans 12:2. In time the herbs will also build and strengthen until my full healing is manifested. We all have a measure of faith from God, and Jesus says that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains. The problem comes in when we mix our faith with our unbelief. All those years of wrong teaching.
God's promises are always true and He promises we will be taken care of ... better than the lilies of the field :-) Under the shadow of the Almighty. An awesome place to dwell. We are told oodles of times not to fear and that's what the media is consistently trying to get us to do ... along with the "power" of the medical world. To see the glass half-empty so we will doubt that God has REALLY provided for us (same temptation Satan used with Eve).
I believe we "bring on" so many of our troubles by what we think. I see it so clearly in my own life. Somewhere the message was implanted that I wasn't worthy or good enough for all that God has given .. and all that was provided for on the Cross. My flesh still wants to "work" its way to heaven by DOING something to earn my way. It's a battle we are waging war against every day. I look back and find that I made choices that made my life more difficult in many ways. It's like I thought making things harder would produce some kind of good results. It's the spirit of legalism and religion that makes us think that we need to add to what Jesus did.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ.' Ephesians 1:3
Deuteronomy tells us that disease and sickness are curses. Nowhere in the Bible is disease called a blessing and nowhere does our New Covenant in Christ use disease as a lesson to teach us something. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." God doesn't need disease to teach us. I certainly swallowed that wrong teaching down for so many years until I thought about it.
What father would strike their child with disease to teach them something. Would you let a child run into the street and be hit by a car so he learns not to do that? Would you allow a toddler to place its hands on a hot stove? "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Matthew 7:11
Do you believe a God that would sacrifice His own Son to bring us back into personal relationship with Him could strike us with disease? I've also believed that Satan is the author of disease but he first has to get permission from God. Well, I no longer believe that Satan is God's messenger boy. He's evil and Hell itself was made for him and his angels, so God isn't using Satan to perform His work on earth.
God is a good God and Father. We humans can't stump Him up. I know that I don't believe many things the Word tells me. At least not in my heart. I've got head knowledge on a lot of things, but not revelation to implement the Truth after so many years of having untruth fed in. And that untruth still resides as belief until my mind is totally renewed with the Word.
So it's what I think that will make my life what it is. What I believe shapes my life, so it's not God who's messing up, it's me. How many times did Jesus say, "Only believe" during His time on earth. It's because we are spirit, soul and body. Our body responds to either our soul's instructions or our spirit's. And that choice is made by us, whether we have disciplined ourselves to choose the Word above what we see with our physical senses.
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| Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour |
In John 3:6 Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." What Jesus was saying was, flesh is flesh and spirit is spirit. You cannot perceive the spirit through the senses of the flesh. They are totally different worlds, or realms, of reality.
"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:6
The carnal mind cannot understand the spiritual realm. And carnal isn't just sin. Strong's Concordance shows us the meaning of the word carnal (or flesh as in some translations):
4561 sárks
flesh ("carnal"), merely of human origin or empowerment - is generally negative, referring to making decisions (actions) according to self – i.e. done apart from faith (independent from God's inworking). Thus what is "of the flesh (carnal)" is by definition displeasing to the Lord – even things that seem "respectable!" In short, flesh generally relates to unaided human effort, i.e. decisions (actions) that originate from self or are empowered by self. This is carnal ("of the flesh") and proceeds out of the untouched (unchanged) part of us – i.e. what is not transformed by God.
Therefore I am choosing life through the spirit. Romans 8:6 says, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Sounds like good results. Yes, it's not easy work. For whatever reason, it's not initially easy to spend hours and hours in the Word until you get your mind so full that it will continue to feed on the Word no matter where you are or what you're doing.
The Bible tells us to "pray without ceasing" in I Thessalonians 5:17. Prayer is communication with God, most of which is thanksgiving for what He's already done, and praising Him for the Word, His Truth, as you meditate on it day and night. When you see with your spiritual eyes, you will know that You've Already Got It, so there's no need to beg God for it.
It's a matter of revelation as Paul spoke of when he wrote to the Ephesians (chapter 1) that he was praying for them. Notice his prayers weren't for God to fix things. He knew things had already been provided for through Christ, so his prayer was that they would be able to receive them.
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 1:17-20
Note that we have the same power within us that raised Christ from the dead. This is the power that works what the medical world calls "miracles." Where the body doesn't go the route of the diagnosis or prognosis, but instead something from the inside out occurs and a person is totally healed.
There are many such amazing stories and they need not be considered as good for somebody else, but not applying to ourself. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). You can view many healing journeys on Andrew Wommack's website as I have. Hearing other people's healing stories builds belief that we can heal also.
Again, thank you for your friendship, love and kind words. My online friends are very special to me!
Updates Posted Since:
My Visit To The Emergency Room (3/3/12)
A Heart Set On Healing (7/13/12)
Jesus Healed All and Has Healed Me (7/30/12)
Trust Me and Rest (8/24/12)
You Have An Enemy But Victory Is A Choice (9/13/12)
Dealing With Long-term Disease (9/30/12)
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