Resting In Hope

Psalms 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Those who know Gary and I, know that Gary was in the hospital and has been faced with some potentially serious health issues, and I am recovering from a couple of surgeries. Finding time to add to a blog has been hard. We have made time to rejoice in the Lord. Our hearts are glad, and we rest in his hope. I want to thank all those who have sent prayers up in our behalf. We sincerely appreciate all the calls, cards, visits and prayers.
We now wait for Gary's appointment at UAB with the Neurologist, in July. I recently heard someone say, going to UAB was like "Going to Mecca". I don't know about that, but it is a process, and it is the best choice when faced with serious illness, for over all quality care.
On a positive note, Gary's facial paralysis is almost completely resolved, and he seems to feel some better each day. A trip to the UAB ER last week, got him medications for the headaches, that do not make him just sleep. He returned to work Monday. He is exhausted each evening, but won't yield to it.
When you hope for the best diagnosis, MS or Strokes, which to you choose? Thank God, we don't choose. We will have to leave that to the only one who is in control. Still, we can't help but wonder. And calling the situation a coincidence is an understatement.
While researching "Bells Palsy" and again reading everything I can find on MS, I am learning more about both conditions. The Internet is an amazing tool when used for research. It is also full of a lot of junk. Sorting through the junk to find the small nuggets of truth is a time consuming process to say the least. I feel for the newly MS diagnosed people who have no medical knowledge base, trying to find and understand their disease. The main MS sites are great for the basic info, and the medical journals are great if you can understand them. The message boards and chat rooms are a dangerous web of misinformation and emotions. There a lot of folks posting their opinions as fact. Looking at the disease from a nursing standpoint, we are taught to look at the objective facts. Life, however is not objective, it is subjective. It is subjective to every part of a person's being; emotions, environmental, spiritual, financial, socioeconomic, interpersonal, ect. It has been my experience that just because the facts indicate one thing, there is always more to each individual. I try not to give a lot of advice. (quit laughing, I said, "I Try!") My strongest advice is to get multiple opinions. You know your body best, if something is not right, don't ignore it. Do your homework, talk with your physician as an educated patient, or find someone you trust to be with you. Ask questions, expect answers, and pray for God to guide you. The medical world is not unlike an abyss to the patient who doesn't know what is going on. Be careful not to get sucked in! Believe me it can happen to the best of us!