Our visit to the city for Carol to get checked out for a pain she has been having turned out to be an amazing experience of amazing grace. This past Monday we flew by our mission helicopter to the airport that serves the city where our doctors are, a 45 min flight. Then a one hour and ten minute taxi ride to the city because of heavy traffic as the highway gets within a couple of miles of the city.
So, it was about 10:30 before Carol got to the hospital and went to sign in at a doctor’s clinic. We have never been to her before, but she had been highly recommended to us. Carol found that she would be number forty one on the waiting list and the doctor was not due to arrive until 1:30! Carol didn’t sign in. The receptionist told her that there would be a sign-up sheet on the door in the morning and if she was there to sign up at 6:00 a.m. she would be sure of seeing the doctor that day.
Oh how we wished that Dr M were still around. Dr M had been our internist and surgeon (world class) and friend for many years. After retiring a couple of years ago, he and his wife went to live in the States where their families are. Carol wandered around the hospital looking for the surgeon that had been recommended to us by Dr M’s wifereceptionistnurse when Dr M retired. Carol figured that maybe the surgeon would not have such a long waiting list as the other doctor and she could get in to see her. As she wandered looking for the surgeon’s clinic she went by Dr M’s former clinic rooms. There was a sign on the door that said, “Dr M is back”! He would have clinic the next day from 10 to 1.
What are the chances of Dr M after retiring and living in the States being back just when Carol needed him? Amazing Grace! Dr M checked her out, found a spot where there is pain when pressure is applied, and gave her lab requests for mammogram, ultrasound, and bone scan.
More grace followed. We went to the radiology department. The waiting area was nearly full. Carol signed in and was immediately taken for mammogram and ultrasound. Apparently, all the the other people we waiting for xrays. She got the results within half an hour. Both negative. Amazing Grace.
We then went to the nuclear department to arrange for the bone scan. She was given an appointment for Thursday which we thought meant that week – the next day. Gene went back there later to ask a question about something and learned that the appointment was for Thursday next week.
Next week was not a good option for us as we had already had trouble finding a hotel room because of a Rotary Club convention. So Gene asked if it could be the next day instead of next week. The girl said she would check it out. Came back and said for Carol to be there at 9 a.m. the next morning. The radioactive medicine to be injected had been ordered from Manila, would arrive at the airport next morning, and should be at the clinic sometime between 9 and 11 o’clock. Amazing Grace again!
We were told that if the doctor who reads the results happened to be available she might get the results the same day. Or it might be a few days.
The next morning the medicine arrived at the hospital about 9 a.m., was injected, and after a three hour wait for it to infiltrate the bones she had the full body scan which took about 1 1/2 hours. She got the results within a few minutes! Amazing Grace again. Results were negative – no problem. Amazing Grace again.
What was not negative about the bone scan was that she was radioactive for the next 24 hours so Gene couldn’t get closer to her than one meter. 24 hours without hugs! For us, that is suffering!
Dr M said no need to do anything more. We had read online that there can be many causes of breast pain and sometimes no reason for it can be found. We are now at least confident that it is not cancer.
Every time we needed a taxi, even at 5:15 am when we went to the hospital for annual lab work, we got a taxi immediately. Amazing Grace.
Carol had had a toothache off and on for a couple of weeks. It became abscessed and extremely painful while we were in the city. So after the bone scan, the next morning we went to see if our dentist could fit her in. We arrived at his clinic early so as to be there when he arrived. We sat in the waiting room with only one other person – an elderly Chinese man named William. He is of a religion which teaches eternal salvation through good works. We were able to share the true gospel with him for about 25 minutes. Gene has a Bible on his smartphone and read Ephesians 2:8,9 to him and we discussed it. Little by little he seemed to be getting the idea that eternal salvation is based on the cross and not works, but still skeptical. We suggested that he ask God to show him the truth. Another Amazing Grace situation. Please *PRAY* for William’s salvation.
Oh, Carol was able to have the first stage of a root canal done that afternoon. She is taking antibiotics and the pain is now nearly gone. Amazing Grace.