Answered Prayer
Pain and exhaustion had immobilized me for almost two years. And while I was trying to resolve those issues I ate my way through the process. It’s what I do. I am an emotional eater. I eat when I am sad, tired, frustrated but also happy, joy-filled and celebratory.
Finally at a 30 lb. weight gain, with sheer panic, I decided I could no longer lose on my own. There was a plethora of choices and I thought I had chosen wisely – a physician specializing in weight loss who had herself experienced the frustration of maintaining a healthy weight.
On a Wednesday afternoon as I drove through a high traffic route to my free 30 minute consultation I turned to God in prayer. “Lord, I want to honor you with treating this amazing body you created as a temple. Please, please, show me where I need to be. If this is the place Lord give me a clear sign. But if it is not to be your will for me then slam shut the front door. Amen.”
I got there 7 minutes before my appointment time, but when I went to open the door I found it locked! How strange? I looked through the window and saw it was all dark. Then noticing a bell, I rang it. About 20 seconds later a slender woman came to the door and said –
“You are early! I am Dr. G. I should have told my assistant to make sure you wait in your car until the appointed time. Well, come in and have a seat. I still need to turn on the lights.” Her voice was clipped and fast paced.
As I sat down in a chair in the lobby, I noticed a young girl dressed in black with the name of the office. She appeared to be an intern. She rushed to open the beautifully etched glass door for the doctor that led to the back offices. The doctor then scolded the intern for touching the glass, told her to use the door handle only and instructed her to clean the glass. The intern hurriedly went to do so.
Somewhat shocked at the way she reprimanded the intern I began to look around. I took comfort in the bible that was laying opened on the end table near where I sat.
A few minutes later, the intern asked me to come through and the doctor spent the first 10 minutes showing me the various rooms before settling me into her office. She asked the intern if she had introduced herself to me and when the intern stated that she merely said she was an intern; the doctor chastised her and made her introduce herself as Ashley on loan from the local university for the semester. Dr G stated that she gave back to the community by “training” interns who were interested in a career in medicine. I thought to myself – after having been trained and worked at Duke University Medical Center as a medical secretary I never once saw such an awful manner of teaching to myself, interns, residents and medical students.
But I was desperate to hear what this doctor could do with my fast ballooning body.
The next 20 minutes comprised of her journey into “health” and how she did it and how she uses it to help others. With use of vitamin and mineral injectables as well as GLP-1’s and a ketosis diet she showed me how others had been successful. Her speech was rapid fire and she was constantly looking at her watch as if she had a flight to catch. When I asked her to slow down; her response was that she wanted me to have all the information. I acknowledged her desire for me to know her plan and that she only had 30 minutes to deliver it. But “It’s like you are on speed!” To which she replied “Those are the shots! You will have this kind of energy too! To which I replied I was not sure I wanted that kind of energy. She then proceeded to give me her fee scale ($$$$$) and told me she would need to know by following Monday because if not I would automatically be dropped from her client list. I told her I was having a cardiac stress test at 7 am in a few days and probably would not be able to get back to her right away. She looked at her watch again and then stood up and stated that her system was all computerized and that the paperwork would be sent to me via email.
The meeting was obviously over. She asked the intern to walk me out “all the way to my car!”
As I returned to the lobby I noticed 4 other interns all dressed in black and a room full of patients all rushing in to be weighed. The parking lot was like that of Costco at Christmas. As I approached the door to exit, the intern rushed to open it and I turned to her and said “Ashley, walking me to the car is not necessary as I am parked right in front of the office”. To which Ashley nervously looked at the doctor who was now standing behind the reception desk before whispering “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am sure. But I will pray for you because I think you are going to need it this semester.” And she nodded!
As I got in the car I felt such a mixture of sadness and anger. Sadness that what this doctor was teaching was rudeness, not kindness; making money over making people healthy, selfishness over selflessness, and hubris over humility. And where was the bible? On a table but certainly not in the doctor’s heart.
Fighting the now end of the day traffic, I suddenly started laughing. I must have looked like a crazy person laughing like a hyena with no one visible in the car. But the Lord was right beside me. Had I not asked God to clearly show me what I should do? And had He not given me my first clue when the front door to the office suite was locked? I should have heard His answer right there and ran! But God has such a sense of humor. He wanted to make sure I knew exactly what I should and should not be looking for in quality care.
I had my answer. But you know what? I continue to think about Dr G and her practice and pray that she somehow learns to put the bible not where it just lays there as a show piece or advertisement but in her heart where it is tangible for all who meet and work with her.
p.s. I never did receive the paperwork in my email….good thing because the day after my cardiac stress test I had a massage and in the same office suite there was a weight loss clinic. When I inquired about it, I was seen without an appointment. For almost an hour I was listened to and the diet plan was laid out for me in a calm and caring manner. And the price didn’t require me getting a loan from the bank. God does answer prayer but watch out for His wicked sense of humor.
Have you experienced a medical visit that brought fear, anger, frustration, and astonishment? Did God guide you through the process or away from the practice? How did you navigate the good, bad, and the ugly of the medical arena? Please share so other might learn – or laugh.
Thank you for reading my post. If you have found it encouraging please consider liking, commenting or sharing it. Feel free to even re-blog – may these words take flight!
I have additional insights I’d love to share with you found in the pages of my debut book: Surviving Medical Mayhem – Laughing When It Hurts. To order a copy or learn more go to my website at www.lorettaschoen.com
Blessings for Health & Wellness.