1 Hospitalization Turns into 2

A Week of Worry

The Car Gives Up the Ghost

During this time, we had another complication thrown at us. Our car went belly-up. The brakes gave out with only a few noises for warning. In the middle of town, 40 miles from home, we were lucky to get it a block down the road to the mechanic. It looked as though it would be at least $2,000 to get the repairs completed. This was not encouraging, as we didn’t have that kind of money after paying what we could on the first hospital bill.

The mechanic was not very convincing and told us that we could drive it home while we waited for the parts. We lived so far from there, and up a winding mountain road. I was too rattled to even try to get it home. My Son-in-law (SIL) came to our rescue. Another little prayer that went a long ways!

He drove the car to a dealership he trusted and had them check it out. They confirmed that it was a good thing we didn’t try to drive it home. The brakes had basically disintegrated. They said we would get by cheaper in the long run if we got a new car. I, of course, was seeing dollar signs every where I looked. However, they worked it out for us to drive home a nice little (new) car that had all-wheel drive and great gas mileage. (These were my only requirements in a car.) Just a couple of days later we were driving it to Hubby’s next appointments.

Timing was everything with this one, as within 3 days of getting the car Hubby ended up as an inpatient in a hospital 50 miles from home in the opposite direction. There would have been no way I would have made it to the hospital everyday if we hadn’t gotten the new car when we did. The payments are a bit high, but the blessings far outweighed that inconvenience. God’s timing was outstanding, once again!

1 Hospitalization Turns into 2

Hubby’s heart was in great distress throughout the year. This was our major concern. The cardiologist was very clear that if he got the slightest cold symptom then he had to high-tail it to the Emergency Room, as it could be a great strain on his heart.

That’s what happened. Hubby had gotten a respiratory virus. We thought it was a cold, even a bad cold.

During that time of his illness, anytime we called to ask questions the standard response was to go straight to the emergency room. It was understandable as his health was so precarious, but it sure was annoying. Sometimes I just wanted to talk to someone that didn’t sound like an AI robot, and hear anything that didn’t sound like a recording each time.

We were lucky in that he had a choice of hospitals to go to. The clear choice was the hospital just over 50 miles from our house. They had better facilities, more equipment, and what we thought was more concerned personnel. That is a bit of a subjective statement, as you will find all kinds in every situation.

We thought he was just going to see an ER doctor, get some meds and go home. Not this time. They admitted him and he was there for 3 days. I was able to visit with him each day, but needed to go home at night. At least I had a reliable vehicle. That was a worry I was spared.

After 3 days, multiple tests, and a nurse that could not be bothered to discharge him on time, we were finally able to leave. It was during the traffic congestion in the afternoon, so it took over an hour and a half to get home. Hubby barely made it out of the car before he passed out in the driveway.

We live in an area that gets no cell service. We do have WiFi so we can text, but at the time, we even had spotty phone service while outside the house. I couldn’t even call 911.

Our daughter was starting to get used to some of my cryptic texts, I think, so when she got the “911” text she was all over it. The ambulance was there in about 15 minutes with her and SIL right behind them. Hubby was admitted for 2 more days to a different hospital, with the diagnosis as RSV.

What was an added complication was that I caught RSV from entering the hospital. I was fine when I went in there and feeling like I was dying by the time I got home. Our daughter handled the hospital visits during the next couple of days as I couldn’t seem to move. I was not even ready for him to come home when they discharged him.

It was a tough week all the way around. We learned, however, not to take any symptom lightly. Many of the medical professionals did not seem to expect him to survive that week. But God has kept him around. There is a purpose to everything we are going through.

One of the most difficult parts of being a Christian is that it does not make us immune to life’s trials and tribulations. You can wonder, “Why has God allowed me to go through such hard times?” But you will grow to understand that God has a purpose for you. God is preparing us for … something…?

I spent quite a lot of time this week worrying about everything. How did a little cold turn so bad??? Would Hubby survive? What would the doctors say? Would I be able to make the car payments? What about the additional medical costs?

It is not always easy to turn it all over to God, but it can be done. When I finally threw my hands up and gave it all to Him, things actually got easier. This is something that I have to remind myself on a regular basis. It is not a case of ‘Once learned, it is Retained.’ This is a challenge for me. I make a lot of decisions, but I don’t know enough on most of these new subjects. It is easy for me to get overwhelmed.

I just need to remind myself that I need to turn it all over to God.

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. ~Psalm 55:22