In ALL things give thanks :)

Today I am so thankful that I found out that I have Shingles. What started as a pain like what you get when you bump into a table, and then developed into a small grouping of little blisters and then within a few minutes a large patch the size as my out stretched hand, has become a blessing in disguise. Yes, I know about the pain that might go along with this disease, but for me, I'm looking at this as something special.

You see, after not having any medical insurance for the past 3 years and needing to get my blood pressure med refilled, I was just put on my hubby's insurance, and I made an appointment a few weeks ago with a dr. I wanted to ask the dr while I was there about my reoccurring abdominal pains that I've had off and on over the past 3 months. I HATE going to the dr's, but was going into this with a positive attitude. The first thing the dr said was "I DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME!" I could not believe my ears. 1)I was paying her for the visit, 2)she knew I was a new patient, 3) I had never met her before. Needless to say, I really just wanted to leave right then. But it got worse... after going around me in about a minute, checking my ears, having me to press this way and that way with my hands and knees, she returned to my file and asked me "I did look at your ears, didn't I?"

I'm sorry to say, but my Kaiser drs in Hawaii would NEVER EVER treat me like this. And they were busy, too.

This experience just reinforced my theory about NOT going to the dr's. EVER!!!

AND then... get this... her nurse called me on Wed and told me that my thyroid was extremely low (which is not a surprise because I haven't taken meds for that in the past 3 years) she also said that my cholesterol was up and that the doctor would give me something at my follow up apt next Fri. That's all ok. I WAS SO ECSTATIC because my blood count was normal!!!! THANK YOU, GOD for GOOD DRS (my Hawaii drs) I have not had a normal blood count in 24 years!!!! So I'm so excited.... WELL...

Yesterday I get a lab request form in the mail from the local Dr's. So, I call and ask if I'm suppose to have another test done before my visit or what this request is for. I'm told to wait for the nurse... she gets on the phone and starts in about how my blood test didn't look too good that the changes in my cardio risk had gotten worse since my previous blood test... she's going on about increasing this med and that med and I stop her mid sentence and tell her she must have the wrong chart or something because I have never had a blood test at that office except the one last week. She THEN asks me my name and birth date. I tell her and then she says "well, I guess we've got something mixed up, but I don't know how this happened"

So this experience and the experience with being told "I don't have much time" led me to the conclusion that "THIS is why I DO NOT GO TO THE DOCTOR'S" I just knew that God had something He was going to teach me...

It seems that when He wants to help me learn something in life or get my attention, he often times uses my physical condition to do so. Today is no exception...

Thurs night I felt a dull pain in my left mid thigh as if I had hit it on a corner of a table... then I felt a little 'off' like I was dizzy, I had a head ache, so I laid down on the couch. Just as I began to rest I felt a sharp stinging pain like I had been bit by something. I looked and saw about 3 little blisters, with in seconds, I had a large patch of this stuff just a few inches away from the original blisters. It didn't hurt too much and it didn't itch, but it was red, raised, and hot.

I was a little scared because 1)how fast it spread, and 2)we hear a lot about the 'flesh eating bacteria' in this part of Washington because there have been so many cases of it. I kept telling myself that that it couldn't be that because I did not have a scratch or a cut for it to enter. BUT what was THIS?

Rick said I needed to go to the Dr's and I reminded him about this latest experience I had and besides, they weren't open on Sat. Then my mom called and I told her about this and she, too, said I needed to go because we do have a history of problems with circulation in legs in our family history. So I called the office that the 'mean' dr was in. They do have an adult clinic that is open today for emergencies. I told the nurse my symptoms and I went.

And God came through again. The lesson this time... don't judge every dr the same... Dr Piatt was wonderful!!!! I told him what I was experiencing before the rash and then I showed him what was bothering me and right away he said "I know what this is 100%... you have a classic case of Shingles" He said he doesn't usually see it on the leg, but that's what it is. He warned me about the pain that I might have and I told him that I have a very high tolerance to pain and he told me he was so glad I did come in when I did because there was a medication that he would give me that will help with the symptoms but it's only effective within 3 days from the start of an outbreak. I was so impressed by THIS dr.

Just when I think I "know it all" God steps in to teach me how little I do know :) I LOVE HIM, so!

I know what MIGHT be ahead, Dr Piatt didn't mix words nor did the pharmacist BUT I am claiming this experience as a blessing... Why? you ask... because I've learned something through this and I bet I have more to learn.