We may never know...

When a doctor visits with a patient to discuss diagnosis and treatment and testing and medications they usually end the conversation with “Do you have any questions?” Yesterday I asked the one they can seldom answer, but I always ask anyway. “Why?”

Gary’s doctor, who is also mine, smiled and replied, “Leave it to you to ask the one thing I can’t answer.”

I asked the same question of the surgeon who did Gary’s endoscopy and shared the results with us last night. And I basically got the same response, although not accompanied by a smile.

Dedicated, educated, caring men and women practice medicine in offices, clinics, and hospitals all over the country. They can and do tell us how to improve our health and how to prevent some diseases and conditions. They offer advice on what to do, what to eat, what medications to take, what to avoid. But they know and we know that “things happen” anyway. And when they do we often have to settle for “I don’t know.” as an explanation.

As a somewhat OCD personality (my family should stop laughing) I find that frustrating and I must find a way to deal with it. My own health ailments do not come with an obvious explanation either. Oh, doctors talk about genetics and anatomy and diet and circumstance, but when it comes right down to “why me, why this, why now?” we are often back to “I don’t know”. That is usually followed by “let’s try this…” and you find yourself headed down the path of long-term health care.  Such is life. There is no app for perfect health.

So, with Gary’s current health conditions we find ourselves grateful that they are not more serious. We have been duly warned that this could easily happen again without any warning. And I have been advised as to how to deal with the next episode without “undue concern”-like that’s possible!

I don’t know why this happened or why I have several friends and family members who have had even more serious health problems to face this week. We go forward with the knowledge that God is in control. Explanations may be revealed in heaven, or perhaps we will never know…

Comments

[Nancy Wilson]

Amen!

[Megan]

OCD? In the family? No, not possible.

"I don't know" is merely a stop along the path of knowledge. I consider it a personal challenge most of the time.

Patience and unpredictability are just so hard to deal with.