In this series—soon coming to a close—I am sharing some of the lessons, thoughts and observations gained and gleaned from my experiences in Pardee Hospital a week ago.
Early on, we solicited thoughts and insights from our readers on what might be the spiritual significance of the fact that this is the second time that Dr. James has experienced severe pain from blockage due to gallstones.
The first was two years ago (mid-August) and the subsequent surgery took place in this same hospital on September 1st to have my gall bladder removed.
I learned then that gall stones actually begin to be formed in the liver and some can end up in the gall bladder. Two years ago, it was a huge stone totally obstructing the neck of the gall bladder. As the pain was so very intense, there was no time for any alternative treatment to work to dissolve the stone. So out came the gall bladder.
Now the diagnosis is that there were four stones in the bile duct again preventing the liver enzymes and the pancreatic enzymes from getting to where they needed to go in order to help in the digestion of lipids (oils, fats). Hence, the severe pain and my pancreas dysfunction number at over 2000 when the normal range is ~ 30-50.
So, from the spiritual perspective, I posed the possibility to our readers, Is there some spiritual significance to the fact that the guy whose ministry name, Stone Kingdom, is unique, and which I believe was given by the Father back in 1988, that he ends up being hospitalized twice (second witness) for gall Stones?
I am well aware of the fact that the Scriptures tell of “the gall of bitterness,” and that bitterness can be a result of unforgiveness. I know further that if one is striving to be an overcomer, that forgiveness is the sine qua non.
That is, if one holds onto resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness, then one is likely to not qualify to be in that number of the Overcomer Company which will enjoy the blessings of the first resurrection ruling and reigning with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom.
The overcomers are also known as the Barley Company, about which we had been in the middle of teaching when this “attack of the gall stones” (like a title for a horror movie🕵🏻) intervened in my life.
I search my soul frequently and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me any unforgiveness, resentment, or bitterness that may be hiding deeply within but I am aware of none.
Thus far we have received several responses of what this all might signify and we will share them in due course, but this is the final request for this “stoning” episode. You can send your thoughts/insights to me via postal mail (PO Box 9, Fletcher, NC 28732); or via email ( James@StoneKingdom.org ) —which is not case sensitive.
We left off yesterday with my account of the nurse bringing me down to the room where patients are prepped to go into surgery. It’s a relatively large room with curtained cubicles, and with space for about eight or ten beds—just guessing, I was too preoccupied with finishing up the conversation with the staff about the dangers of “nuking” food to count the cubicles.
Shortly thereafter, I had one staffer after another coming by to do this or that. One laid a clipboard on the stand beside me and left. I picked it up and saw that it was multipage consent forms for the release of liability for the M.D.’s, nurses, and anyone and everyone else involved in my treatment.
Basically, it boils down to “we will do our best, but we cannot guarantee anything.” Knowing that it is called the “practice” of medicine for a reason, and that it is a combination of an art (doctor’s skill, intuition, hunches, etc.) and a science (hard data that tends to prove or disprove a practitioner’s hunches), and given my desire to get this problem taken care of so I could get back to “feeding His sheep,” I read them all thoroughly and signed the consent forms.
The anesthesiologist then came by and began to tell me about the process of what was about to take place. I asked him, Will you be in the OR doing the work? He said that he had five surgeries to be supervising simultaneously, but that the nurse anesthetists would be doing the actual work.
Having a family member who is a nurse anesthetist I suspected that such would be the case. So I related to him (which he already knew from reading my charts) that I had been in Pardee nearly two years ago for the gall bladder removal operation.
I told him of my background, how I had a trained voice, both for singing as I had been in folk group in high school and the seminary choir. Later I had a rock ‘n’ roll band while in the Air Force, and a “command” voice as I was a leader of men in the Air Force (no big deal, just a flight commander who barked the orders to a hundred airmen), and that I was trained further as a broadcast voice in the School of Journalism at the Ohio State University, and how for the past 35+ years have been a Bible teacher giving oral lectures, and thus the importance of my voice.
I told him how after the surgery two years ago, having had a breathing tube down my throat, that my voice had never recovered the power, stamina, and vocal quality that I once had. Was there anything he and his staff could do to prevent further damage to my vocal cords? …so that I could continue to bring forth vocal chords as I sing unto the Lord with fellow believers. (That last part was unspoken.)
He was sympathetic and mentioned that there are now ENTs (ear, nose and throat) doctors who specialized in dealing with people (singers, preachers, etc.) who need their voices to be in tip-top shape. He added that they inject steroids into the vocal cords…and that is when I tuned out, and thanked him for the suggestion.
But, he added, we normally use a size 7.5 but I shall instruct my nurse anesthetists to use a size 7 tube for you. He assured me that they are all very skilled at their jobs. I believed him and I placed my faith in God, as always, that He would guide them to do their “threading the needle” through my vocal cords with utmost skill.
He left my cubicle with the signed consent forms. The curtain was open the entire time I was there. There were very few patients left in the pre-op prep room at that moment.
Suddenly, two nurses came through the prep room wheeling a bed, evidently having just come from one of the OR’s and they wheeled the bed out the exit at the opposite end. It took me aback as I realized immediately that they had just lost someone on the operating table because the body was covered with a blanket (not a sheet) from head to toe and was tucked in behind the head and shoulders.
I later called my family member, the nurse anesthetist, and she confirmed that my surmise was correct. If it had been someone with a badly-wounded face that was very gross for hospital visitors to see, the face might have been covered, but not with a tucked-in blanket.
Further, she said the patient would have had breathing tubes coming from the mouth or nose and protruding through the facial bandages, and more details she shared with me.
She also confirmed about the possibilities of working with an ENT specialist concerning my vocal cords. I told her I would be doing some non-invasive alternatives first, while praying to Father for restoration. (Hint, hint; would you readers also keep that in your prayers for me, please?)
I know I teased yesterday about the word “oops,” but this is all I have time to share today. So stay tuned for “the mystery of the oops.” 🤔
(To be continued.)
~END~
