Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord; may your love and faithfulness always protect me.

• Psalm 40:11

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

• Psalm 73:23

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

• Matthew 28:18-20

Before the holidays, I was in the hospital.  It started with a trip to the ER, driving myself there.  It ended with a night stay in the ER, but only because I did not think my answer through carefully.

They asked, “Do you have anyone staying with you?  We know two friends are coming, one to drive your car and the other to drive you home.  Are either of them staying?”

I said “No.”  That led to me being admitted for observation for the night.

Many people had said it was best.  They inserted a catheter, something I had never experienced.  It stayed for three days.

But the nurses checked my vital signs, but I did not drink much water, which was a requirement.  More water meant more spasms and more trouble for the nurses.  So they ignored that part.  But it was not a burden on the nurses.  I was not attached to the monitor, so I got out of bed.  I weathered the initial storm of spasms, then took my Foley bag in one hand and the pole for the IV (totally unnecessary since I was supposed to have been released earlier.  I heard the nurses arguing and they said that since I arrived with an IV, they would leave it on until it was empty.)  Note: In the middle of the night, the nurse noticed me walking around my room, carrying the Foley and rolling the pole for the IV.  I said, “The bag is empty.  This would be much easier if you discontinued the IV.”  At least she did that.

She fussed that I walked too much, but I said I was walking off a spasm.  The catheter was inserted when I was lying down.  Thus, all the body parts and catheter parts aligned better either vertically or horizontally.  Anything else set off a series of spasms that I preferred to endure standing up.  Note: I never asked for pain medication.  I got none either.

Neither did I get a single prescription medicine from the pharmacy.  Although I had a very ugly visit by the pharmacy tech.  She made it a guessing game.  I take six pills in the morning.  I could easily recite all six.  I take thirteen pills at night.  Recite them?  I fill a pill pack and when one is missing, I fly into a panic in that I cannot remember all that stuff?!?!  So, she got the idea that I really did not take any pills, but I bet you the insurance company will be billed for them.  And the two medications that the doctor wanted me to take immediately after the surgery were delayed 24 hours, leading to unnecessary pain.

So, my observation was not observed.  I got practically no sleep.  More on that in another post.  I took care of myself.  But the insurance company is going to have fun with the bill.

But God is with me all the time.  Their question is a simple check box on a form.  The hospital staff does not really care.  “Will someone be with me all the time once I get home to care for me?”

YES, and God will do a much better job than your overworked and underpaid nursing staff.  They gave me no care because I was not hitting the NURSE button every five minutes.  Note: The checkout nurse was so nice and so efficient that I cannot say enough nice things about her.  She took care of me for the last 6-7 hours I was there and she did care.  But she was not there all the time.

And next time, when I go back to have the kidney stone removed (only getting a stent due to the location of the stone on this first ER trip), I will have friends drive me there and pick me up afterwards.  And in case they want the name and phone number of the person who will “stay” with me, I may need a backup plan, but God was with me, even in the hospital.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.