Steve & Shirley
Monday I had an appointment at the VA Clinic in Winston to follow-up on some lab reports that were showing my kidney functions down and my liver levels high. It was a fasting appointment at 11:30. I got right in to see the nurse and received a flu shot and a T-Dap shot, and saw the doctor right away.
We talked about the change in meds that the VA provides to disabled veterans and what I am taking now from civilian pharmacies. Some of the doses the VA are offering are 1/2 or twice the dose I am presently taking. Needless to say, I wanted to talk to the doc about that before I started taking something I wasn’t sure of. A couple of things I have learned with all these medical problems are (1) know your own body and pay attention to it, and (2) make sure you know what your meds are and what they are for. Don’t take anything without first asking those questions.
He sent me off for some lab work – gotta get stuck!
After coming back from labs my nurse gave me one of these little gadgets where you prick your finger and get a reading of your blood sugar. She demonstrated how to do this (on my finger) and received a reading of 128 (fasting). She said that is high for fasting.
Well, I gather up all my stuff and head home. Take my blood sugar a couple of times this week. Once was after a normal breakfast of Raisin Brand (1/2 cup and 1/2 cup of 2% milk) and a cup of coffee with cream. Guess what? My reading is 206. This morning I took a fasting reading and it was 118. Perhaps I am making some progress. At least my weight is down 10 pounds from last week… right direction.
Today I received a letter from the doc at the VA stating that my iron readings were very low. The chemical is called “Fertritin” and the levels are to be between 25-350. My reading was 5.1. So he has me on an over-the-counter Iron Sulfate 325 MG twice a day for a couple of months to see if it will raise the levels. This is before he checks to see if I am losing blood.
Guess what some of the symptoms of low Iron are? (Peggy is going to love a couple of these) – mental disorders, craving and chewing ice, decrease of acid in the stomach, and taking aspirin. I question the mental stuff… some of you may not. But all the other stuff is me. Four years of aspirin twice a day. Fifteen years of meds to reduce acid in stomach (acid reflux).
I was going somewhere with this devotion when I started… Oh yea… sometimes we need to stop long enough to take a good self-assessment of our actions, behavior, attitudes that show on the outside because they just may be pointing to a deeper problem inside. Perhaps we haven’t seen the problem(s) but maybe others have and we can turn to a trusted friend or pastor for an honest look at ourselves. Is your spiritual levels on the inside low… so low that the Spirit of Jesus is not reaching the outside – to be part of who we are and what we do?
We need to do what Michael Jackson voiced in music… look at the Man in the Mirror. Do you see Jesus in you?
Dear Lord, it is amazing that something as small as crunching ice, when coupled with other evidence, points to a problem that runs throughout my system. Thank you for allowing me to be reminded enough that I stopped to take a look at what was going on and sought deeper evidence and talked with the physician. You are the Great Physician. We place ourselves in your care. Amen.
Grace and Peace
Steve
Filed under: Devotions | Leave a comment »
The Journey 