Finding That Amazing Doctor

My next task of finding the right doctor seemed pretty overwhelming. Where to start? What was most important to me? Obviously I wanted a doctor who removed tumors every day not just occasionally. I wanted a personable doctor who was easy to communicate with. I decided the reputation of the  hospital was also very important to me. I started out on my laptop, reading hospital reviews. As I began to read I realized there were many types of brain surgeons. They all specialized in certain tumors. I researched extensively over the weekend and made a decision I was going to go to Henry Ford Hospital. They had several locations in the Detroit area. I called and got an appointment for 10 days later.

During those days as I waited for my appointment, I did not allow my mind to dwell on all the negative things that could transpire but rather on all that God had already brought me through. I refused to entertain thoughts that didn’t bring edification. My friends and family marveled at how well I was handling this difficult situation. I thought of a story Smith Wigglesworth had told about a woman who was dying and he and two friends went to pray for her. His two friends prayed first and Smith was appalled at their prayers. They prayed that she would die quickly and not suffer anymore and God would give the family strength…..When it was his turn to pray he rebuked the sickness and said he did not look at her in her dying condition, but rather at the God who could heal her! She was immediately healed. That was such a valuable lesson to me to not look at the circumstances but to the God who could change them! Sometimes God chooses not to change the circumstance but he helps us to change the way we view it. When Daniel went to the lions den, God didn’t remove the lions but I believe he removed Daniel’s fear of them. My faith was anchored on healing, a restoration to my ailing body.

The day of my appointment finally came. I had prayed a lot about this doctor. I knew I had to feel very comfortable with him, knowing I was entrusting my brain to his care. He was all that I expected and answered my long awaited questions. He told us that my ct scan was not sufficient for a proper diagnosis and I needed an MRI. We didn’t discuss all that the surgery would entail because there were many variables without the final tests. He wrote the prescription for the MRI and we made a follow up appt. for the following week. He diagnosed the pain in my face as trigeminal neuralgia. It is a very painful nerve condition. It is known as the suicide disease. There is no cure.  It is treated with pain meds to calm The nerves. He made me an appointment to see a neurologist. Oh yay, another doctor!

I was able to get the MRI done the very next day. It was so incredibly loud. It would be the first of many over the course of the next few years. By this time, my friends and family were greatly concerned that I had a brain tumor. I was always very careful to express positive thoughts about what I was going through. I think only God alone knows the magnitude of our fears and worries during these tremendous trials. I can honestly say I never just sat and thought about the reality of having a brain tumor. I was so busy trying to get as much done as possible during those last week’s before surgery. My garden was in full production and our annual golf outing fundraiser was just days before my surgery. The days were flying by and all of my energy went towards crossing off tasks on a seemingly endless list.

Stay tuned for Part 4.