So the doctor looked at my arm today — for the first time since last Wednesday. Actually, a doctor was unavailable, so a “physicians assistant” took a look. I’m not sure what a physicians assistant or “PA” means, but if my experience is any indicator, a PA must be someone who is too clumsy, brusque or untalented to make it as a doctor.
First he took a pair of tweezers and yanked at any loose skin, scab or foam he could find in my larger wounds, then he took a tongue depressor, covered it in antibacterial gel and slapped it onto the wounds and rubbed it around while I tried not to scream. Then for his grand finale he took the stitches in the top of my arm out — the best part was when he went to grab my arm for leverage, and jammed his fingers right into my wounds. “Oops, sorry,” he said as he grabbed, no less gently, a little higher up the arm. It was a couple hours after my appointment before I was able to stop shivering in pain.
He did have an actual doctor come in to review his work, and that doctor has referred me to a plastic surgeon to find out if I should have some skin grafted on over the holes in my arm. So that’ll be fun…
I’m also taking some time this week to heal in other ways. After a 94 hour work week, hot on the heels of a winter retreat/hospital visit, I am realising that I can’t successfully do everything. So this week I’m going to work just one job, and put in some significant effort to try and earn this raise my boss just gave me. And at then end of the day I’m going to go home, and spend some time with my wife, and with my son, and with my God. Cause I haven’t had a lot of time to talk to any of them in the past little while.
I know there are mixed feelings on me taking this vacation (what does it mean when I think a “vacation” is only working one job?) and some people aren’t 100% behind me taking some time to recover. Those people can talk to my “out of office” message!
To everyone else who is with us in prayer and in encouragement, this has been an incredibly challenging and re-shaping year for us already — we’ve had some huge changes in our lives, and we’ve done our best not to break stride or let anyone down while we figured out how to make all these things work — but now we need some time to regroup, and we could really use your love and support while we do that…
Jon, being a dad amd a husband alone are full time jobs. Everybody needs to realize there is only so much space in the jar, so better put the big rocks in first. There’s only so much time in the day and no one has any right to tell you where your priorities lie. If you have it in you so work the one OTHER job, great! Remember Buddy’s message about the 3 things he wants to be good at…sounds like you’re doin’ just fine…
Hey, we’re definitely praying for you guys.
In regards to the doctor’s assistant, I know how you feel. I will never forget the time I was in seeing a specialist when I was about 8 years old and the “assistant” was sent in first to talk with me.
I was sitting there with my dad and the “assistant” asks me, “Do you live on your own?”
The rest of his questions just seem to become meaningless after that point.
we got your back in prayer. rest up and enjoy the fam…i will donate you some skin if you need it…haha.
I am with Howe on that one =P
Why did God choose Gideon, threshing wheat in a winepress to hide from his enemies, and hail him as ‘a mighty man of valour’? Why did God choose David to be king, who had not at that point done anything except herd sheep? Why did Jesus spend so much time talking about who were were to be and so little time talking about what we were to do? It seems that despite all the world’s pressure for us to do things, God seems to be relentlessly more interested in the kind of person we become: devoted to Him, caring of those around us, nurturing our souls.
Good Boy and nicely put!Rest up!
Thanks everyone.
Bill, that’s the best PA story ever…