Not a long post tonight other than to report that I went to the Neurologist today for a stroke follow-up and not only got a good report, but my next appointment has been scheduled 6 months down the line. The longer between appointments the less concerned they are for you! Praise God!
Anyway, I will post more tomorrow. I just wanted to share the good news! Off to bed for me!
Goodnight and God Bless.
Tom+
Well I went “Back to the 80’s” again tonight, but Amanda stayed home. She hasn’t been feeling too good for weeks, and I am beginning to think that it doesn’t have anything to do with being married to me. She has been coughing her brains out (not literally) for a couple of weeks. I think it is worse, and she and Ben will head to the doctor in the morning. I am very thankful for that.
Steph is not feeling all that great either and has a low grade fever. Scott however is doing fine. That is a good thing too….he has one more show Saturday night.
Anyway. though I am certainly the wrong kind of doctor to be working here at home, I am the right kind of husband and father. So I am off to take care of the sick, the weak, and the weary. I really don’t mind, and if I do, maybe I can count on them later to take care of me!
Goodnight and God Bless.
Tom+
A few years back, after I graduated with my doctoral degree, someone gave me a t-shirt as a joke that says, “Trust me, I am a doctor.”
It of course was good for a laugh. It is one of those kind of shirts that guys sometimes wear because they actually think girls will fall for it. But in truth, girls are pretty smart and they know that most of the guys who wear those shirts are not really doctors, nor do their “property of the Indianapolis Colts Training Camp” or “FBI” shirts mean they are pro football players or special agents. (As a side note, my “property of the Indiana Pacers” shirt DID WORK on Amanda…even though I am just 5’9″ I believe she was distracted by my “I have decided to give up my career in the NBA for the ministry” line….clearly she was spellbound by my noble character)
But as for my “Trust me I am a doctor “shirt, I sometimes wear it around the house. If I wear it out however it is always under something. I guess I am a bit embarrassed by it, but tonight as I was out (wearing it under a jersey) I was thinking, “why should I be embarrassed?”
If the truth be told, I really am a doctor, no not an MD, but a kind that really can be trusted. And I suppose if you think about it, I am the kind that can provide people with what they really need! I can’t fix all that ails you, but I can give you what you need to live forever. I cannot keep you pain free, but I can introduce you to the very One who made the heavens and the earth, who knows pain Himself, and who will walk alongside you, or even carry you through it. What better kind of doctor could I be?
Maybe I should be wearing that shirt out after all…..I don’t need another girl, after all I have one……but I’m seeing that there’s really a lot of truth in its words. And it just might lead to the writing of some very helpful prescriptions!
Nite my friends and God bless….
Tom+
Because I was heading back to the neurologist yesterday I wanted to wait until after my appointment to post. Though I was only one of three people in the exam room (my doctor, my wife, and I) and though I certainly was apprehensive, I do want to report that it all went pretty well. In a nutshell, basically, I have a bit of work to do to get to where I both need and want to be. I have indicators of problems in a few areas, but as I told Amanda in front of the doctor, not loading the dishwasher is a problem I had pre-stroke, and was not a neurological issue that he needed to deal with….but I digress. (but I still struggle with the dishes)
The bottom line is that even though there are a few test results we are still waiting for, they will not change my bottom line. I will have some speech therapy, I will watch myself, I will work hard, and I will do all I can to make sure I recover and that this never happens again. Thankfully the chances of a repeat performance apparently are extremely low, so hopefully sooner or later I will get back to only seeing my doctor for check-ups like everyone else. My face is still a little numb, and I stutter a bit, but I am 46 and have a 10 month old baby……I already ache all the time. And if Mel Tillis can overcome stuttering to record tons of country songs, why should I worry about a few sermons? After all, maybe the change of pace in my “giddy-up” will help a wake a few people up!
I want you all to understand though, despite my making fun of it, I do take my health very seriously, as we all should. Laughing for me however, helps me to deal with things as I go through them, particularly hard things. In truth, the Lord only gives us this one body, and you have to take care of it. I want you to know that I am working hard to take care of mine. I hope and pray you are too.
Please praying for me as I continue to walk forward. I appreciate it very much and it is the most helpful thing for me that you can do.
God Bless, and thanks!
Fr. Tom+