O Is For Otolaryngology

O Is For Otolar -what?  What de what?  Oto– how do you pronounce that anyway?

Okay, I’ll be easy on y’all.  Let’s just say ears nose throat doctor or ENT doctor for short.  Whatever he is, however you are supposed to spell it, however you pronounce it, I am very grateful for one certain who-zi-whats-it in Galesburg, Illinois.

A few posts back, I shared the story of Lori who had a polyp removed from her throat.  God wasn’t done.  Lori and I both believe that her story was God’s link to the next abundant act. Here, as Paul Harvey would say, is the rest of the story.

A little back story first.  For years, frankly ever since I married the guy, my husband has suffered from headaches.  He always told me they were sinus related but I didn’t believe him.  Excuse the gross factor, but he was never able to blow out much, ahem, stuff.  He had frequent sinus infections, every cold seemed a big deal, and the headaches frequently ruined our plans for the day.  We’ve tried any number of solutions: decongestants, Netty pot, antihistamines, hot compresses, pain relievers . . .

Oh, the guy also snores.  Loud.  Like a freight train. And as he ages, everything has been getting worse to the point that he has had debilitating headaches two or three times a week.

Several weeks ago, Lori walked through the journey of seeking out an ENT doctor to have the polyp removed from her throat.  She was so relieved and thrilled at the care she received from this particular doctor.  So, when my husband woke up with that kind of headache for the second day in a row, I timidly asked, “Do I have your permission to get the name and phone number of Lori’s doctor for you to consider the possibility of thinking about calling a specialist?”

“You don’t need my permission.” I imagined I heard a growl in there somewhere.
I got the information and asked Lori to pray.  Since I had prayed with her, she was more than happy to do so.

Third day. Monday. No change. Worse in fact.  I don’t want him to think I’m pushing but this is out of control.  I am at my wits’ end.  So is he.  At lunch, I grasped his hand. “Honey, I don’t mean to push you into doing something you don’t want to do, but please call that doctor.  We’ve done everything we know to do and your headaches aren’t getting any better.  You need a specialist.  This could be something more than sinus problems and you can’t live this way.” WE can’t live this way.

“Okay,” he said. What?  Did I hear that right? He immediately got up from the table and called.  Lori must have been praying.
And God must have just been waiting!  The receptionist said, “We just had a cancellation.  Can you come in Wednesday?”

Fast forward to Wednesday.  As soon as the doctor examined Jack’s nose, he said, “You have a deviated septum.” That’s doctor-ese for a crooked nose.  The doctor’s staff did a CT scan right then and there in the doctor’s office and discovered it’s REALLY crooked.  No wonder the poor guy has been miserable!

The first step is to get the inflammation down. In two weeks we’ll discuss what comes next.  In the meantime, the doctor’s office gave us a substantial discount on our bill.  Everyone was so kind, so helpful, so knowledgeable about what needed to be done. Why didn’t we do this years ago?

Sometimes I treat God the same way.  I work and struggle and try to fix things on my own.  I attempt every solution in the world’s book to fix my relationships, get a grip on my patience level, control my eating habits, my self-talk or my fears.  I worry and fret about problems and issues, staying up late and waking up early, creating all kinds of solutions on how to fix things. Nothing works.  Finally, I make that call to my Heavenly Father and ask Him to help get me out of my pickle.  And the way parts as broadly and smoothly as Moses parting the Red Sea.

Why didn’t I ask for God’s help a long time ago?

Just as the otolaryngologist knew exactly what needed to be done to help my husband, God knows the answers to my dilemmas and is waiting for me to ask.

Why didn’t I ask for God’s help a long time ago? Tweet this.

O What else starts with the letter O?  Visit these Other blogs for O-mazing Oratories!