1740AFC100617 – Aloha Friday Good News
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! This will be very short. Last week I told you I hadn’t the wherewithal to do the research and writing for a fresh post and referred you to that Sunday’s readings as well as a message from 2013. Today all I can do is update you on what has happened. You won’t find this online anytime soon. This entire post will go to Facebook without any online links.
First, please look at this Scripture passage. From Philippians 4:6-7 – 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
So, many of you know Crucita and I have been quite ill for the past couple of weeks. We caught some kind of flu that was very debilitating and is still holding on relentlessly. It involved both an upper respiratory clobbering as well as a lower GI component. Hydration and nutrition became seriously impaired for me. The end result was that my blood plasma got super-concentrated. That caused the concentration of medications I take to also become super-concentrated. The result was that my blood pressure meds made me hypotensive and my anticoagulant medication was about 4 times more concentrated so that it became toxic. I was coughing so much and so hard (because my lung secretions were also concentrated) that I tore muscle and fascia in my abdominal muscles. Blood leaked out through the tears and I ended up with a 6-7″ band of bruises around my tummy and blood also leaked into the organs below that. This happened around 2 AM Sunday, 10/1/17. It was time for action.
I went to the ER. After a thorough exam, I was admitted to get the bleeding under control. My percentage of red blood cells in my veins had decreased from 46% to 33% – despite the dehydration! I was discharged 10/4/17 after receiving 3 units of blood products (FFP – Fresh Frozen Plasma) used to control the bleeding. They also had to treat my coughing as that was still an issue. It addition, I had consistent pain in my left shoulder so upped my pain meds (Tramadol) for that. Today I came back to Wilcox Clinic and was seen by a Physiatrist (use the link). She (and Crucita and I) were hoping it was just a bad bursitis. It turned out to be a tear in the Rotator Cuff Tendon – about halfway through – that will require surgical repair later this year. I was so relieved to know why the pain was so intense and so localized! She went ahead and injected the joint with long-acting cortisone to within 48-72 hours I expect significant release from that pain. I’ll have to be extra-special careful not to tear it any farther; and, no, I have no idea whatsoever I could have done to cause such an injury. If you know me, you know I’m not the sport-and-fitness type! I expect to be in the healing process for the next 6-8 weeks, then the surgery on the shoulder!
Now, look at that Scripture again. Every healthcare professional or paraprofessional I spoke to said, “Well, good thing it wasn’t an intracerebral bleed!” (A hemorrhagic stroke.) And so I choose in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God as my message for you today.
Many of you sent words of encouragement, prayers, and concern; Mahalo nui loa! I continue in my prayers for MBN members who have asked for our prayer, for the folks suffering the terrible tragedies in Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, all along the Gulf Coast, and in the Great Northwest as well as everyone with cancer.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Belovéd!
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
1740AFC100617 – Aloha Friday Good News
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! This will be very short. Last week I told you I hadn’t the wherewithal to do the research and writing for a fresh post and referred you to that Sunday’s readings as well as a message from 2013. Today all I can do is update you on what has happened. You won’t find this online anytime soon. This entire post will go to Facebook without any online links.
First, please look at this Scripture passage. From Philippians 4:6-7 – 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
So, many of you know Crucita and I have been quite ill for the past couple of weeks. We caught some kind of flu that was very debilitating and is still holding on relentlessly. It involved both an upper respiratory clobbering as well as a lower GI component. Hydration and nutrition became seriously impaired for me. The end result was that my blood plasma got super-concentrated. That caused the concentration of medications I take to also become super-concentrated. The result was that my blood pressure meds made me hypotensive and my anticoagulant medication was about 4 times more concentrated so that it became toxic. I was coughing so much and so hard (because my lung secretions were also concentrated) that I tore muscle and fascia in my abdominal muscles. Blood leaked out through the tears and I ended up with a 6-7″ band of bruises around my tummy and blood also leaked into the organs below that. This happened around 2 AM Sunday, 10/1/17. It was time for action.
I went to the ER. After a thorough exam, I was admitted to get the bleeding under control. My percentage of red blood cells in my veins had decreased from 46% to 33% – despite the dehydration! I was discharged 10/4/17 after receiving 3 units of blood products (FFP – Fresh Frozen Plasma) used to control the bleeding. They also had to treat my coughing as that was still an issue. It addition, I had consistent pain in my left shoulder so upped my pain meds (Tramadol) for that. Today I came back to Wilcox Clinic and was seen by a Physiatrist (use the link). She (and Crucita and I) were hoping it was just a bad bursitis. It turned out to be a tear in the Rotator Cuff Tendon – about halfway through – that will require surgical repair later this year. I was so relieved to know why the pain was so intense and so localized! She went ahead and injected the joint with long-acting cortisone to within 48-72 hours I expect significant release from that pain. I’ll have to be extra-special careful not to tear it any farther; and, no, I have no idea whatsoever I could have done to cause such an injury. If you know me, you know I’m not the sport-and-fitness type! I expect to be in the healing process for the next 6-8 weeks, then the surgery on the shoulder!
Now, look at that Scripture again. Every healthcare professional or paraprofessional I spoke to said, “Well, good thing it wasn’t an intracerebral bleed!” (A hemorrhagic stroke.) And so I choose in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God as my message for you today.
Many of you sent words of encouragement, prayers, and concern; Mahalo nui loa! I continue in my prayers for MBN members who have asked for our prayer, for the folks suffering the terrible tragedies in Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, all along the Gulf Coast, and in the Great Northwest as well as everyone with cancer.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Belovéd!
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
About Chick Todd
American Roman Catholic reared as a "Baptiterian" in Denver Colorado. Now living on Kauaʻi. USAF Vet. Married for over 50 years. Scripture study has been my passion ever since my first "Bible talk" at age 6 in VBS.
