What ARE You Expecting?

Well, I know that you’re waiting to hear the report from yesterday!  It was an excellent appointment.  And on top of that, the weather was great in the City by the Bay, the views were gorgeous and driving up and down the famed streets of San Francisco was a little unnerving at times while quite exhilarating at others!  But… back to the appointment.

As I had mentioned previously, this was an appointment with an expert in the field of memory care, and it showed!  Not only was she very knowledgeable on all phases of Dementia, but she was also extremely personable, informative, comfortable, compassionate and caring toward my wife and I.  This has not always been the case with other physicians we have been too.  While not really changing the final prognosis (in the natural course of things) of the problem, she did fill in all the gaps in the journey we have been walking for the last five years.

Using the information from my wife’s family health history, she explained to us why one of the original doctors made such a confusing diagnosis of my wife’s condition when he compared her initial test results in contrast to her actual abilities at the time.  This history also explained why some of her close relatives have reacted to her condition in the way they have.

The Doctor understood and clarified why my wife is so responsive to the emotions of those around her, and agreed with me in my attempts to surround her with those who are happy, encouraging and “up!”  She illuminated us as to the reasons for all the different stages that my wife has gone through and explained the things to be aware of in the future.

She  was even in agreement to the therapeutic powers of my wife’s interactions with our dog!  In fact, she also had an Australian Shepherd, was well aware of their enthusiastic behavior around people, and gave us some tips on how to better control her so that we could resume taking her on walks with us.  This is the 55 lb pooch who jumps on the bed every morning to give my wife a joyful good morning lick (or two, or three… or more), the one who regularly attempts to squeeze in between us on the couch so that she can nuzzle up to Piper, and the silly one who loves to skip up and down and perform a doggy dance just for my wife’s pleasure!  Whoever said that dogs are man’s (or in this case, woman’s) best friend, surely knew what they were talking about! 

So, to put it in a nutshell, this appointment proved to be very helpful in our understanding of the fight we are in, gave us good support and will provide us with a means of good follow up as we will be seeing her about every two months.  (The last two doctors had said that every six month’s was more than adequate!)  Our new Doctor also made it clear that she will fight with us to assure that the insurance company approves all the meds that are prescribed to help lessen the effects of the condition.

What do we do now?  Like I stated yesterday, we keep focused on the truth of God’s word concerning the outcome of this battle.  Romans 8:2 says “For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus, has set us FREE from the law of sin and death.” (Good News Bible).  The previous verse explains the results of our freedom from the old laws that used to govern us.  It says that “There is NO condemnation NOW for those who are in union with Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1 Good News Bible).  In other words, my wife is NO LONGER subject to the condemnation or verdict of sickness and it’s sentence of an early death. 

As a Believer, she is only subject to new law of “God’s love which Christ Jesus shows (or demonstrated) to us.”  Romans 8:38 Gods Word ©) … And what was one of the acts of love that He showed or demonstrated to us?  He “healed every kind of disease and sickness”  (Matthew 4:23 Contemporary English Version) and “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil” (Acts 10:38 King James Version)

Remember, our actions of faith assure us of the things that we are EXPECTING to come to pass.  (see Hebrews 11:1)  What we choose to focus our attention on defines the result of our journey.  Therefore join with me in keeping your focus, your thoughts and your attention on the truth of God’s word, no matter what the circumstances of life try to tell you.

… and then regularly test yourself by asking: “What Am I Expecting today?”