Unshackled Echo ~ July 15, 2019 ~ CAT Scan

I went to the doctor Monday to have a follow up and hear the results from the CAT Scan I had last week. It's been too long since I've had the sarcoidosis examined. My ophthalmologist said that the problem that I've had in my eyes for about 10 years and which was getting worse and worse actually was sarcoidosis in my eyes. He got a little frustrated with me because I had not mentioned the sarcoidosis in my chest when asked about any other serious health conditions. The surgeon who diagnosed me after a biopsy of my chest had not acted like it was in any way serious and didn't follow typical treatment protocols, so I kind of ignored and forgot about it.

I didn't get any new information about the sarcoidosis this week. I guess I'll have to wait until the referral for the pulmonologist comes through for the most recent scan to be compared to the old one, but I did get some new information about my health. Evidently the scan shows that I have a gallstone. I was told that I would need to have my gallbladder removed but that since I am not having any serious symptoms it should wait until after I see the pulmonologist.

Well, my thought was no, it can wait a lot longer than that, thank you very much. I have almost no symptoms, and those I do have are not bad or painful enough to give up what I would have to give up if I had my gallbladder removed. I like my diet the way it is, and it's going to take a lot more than the symptoms I have to make me sacrifice being able to eat the foods I want to eat. I have too much of my grandfather in me, I guess. He was an eat what you want and adjust insulin accordingly kind of diabetic.

But early this morning I got a taste of what it might mean to ignore this issue for too long. I had bloating and stomach pain to such a degree that I nearly screamed. Worse, I nearly got up at 5:30 AM on a day that I did not have to be up early. Ugh. I haven't had stomach pain like that in a very long time. It took over an hour for the pain level to subside enough for me to go back to sleep, but I still hurt too much to sleep well.

As I lay there hurting, I did some thinking about the situation. I had a motorcycle wreck in 2012, which led to an emergency room visit and a CAT Scan. They didn't find any issues from the wreck, but they did discover spots on my lymph nodes in and around my lungs. Fighting panic from fear over possible cancer I waited for the biopsy to tell me what was going on. Not cancer. Sarcoidosis. I had been a charity case without insurance at the time, and I guess the doctors and the hospital involved wanted to keep the cost at the absolute minimum, because the standard months long run of steroid treatment and the follow up with a pulmonologist that usually happens in such a case never occurred. In fact the surgeon told me it was nothing to worry about. It turns out that not worrying and and not treating are not really synonymous.

The sarcoidosis is much worse than I was initially led to believe and was also in my eyes. I would go blind without treatment. Thankfully the treatment is working, and my vision is already better, but when my ophthalmologist strongly suggested that I might see if the sarcoidosis in my chest had also gotten worse over the last four years and need treatment, I listened. Hence last week's CAT Scan.

And so far, nothing new on the reason I had the scan, but something else has been found. These inadvertent discoveries often happen. There's a problem with one thing, and examining that situation may or may not show anything but does show an unrelated problem. Then we have to decide what we are going to do with the information. With the sarcoidosis, I definitely want it treated. With the gallbladder, if I'm honest with myself, it's going to have to be as bad as it was this morning or worse, every day, for a while, before I will seriously contemplate having my gall bladder removed. I think the surgeon downplayed the sarcoidosis because I couldn't afford treatment. I think the PA is overplaying the gallstone a little because I have good insurance now and the health care system loves to yank gallbladders when people are insured and there's the slightest excuse.

But as I thought through the pain this morning, I saw some spiritual similarities as well as differences. Sometimes spiritually there are also inadvertent discoveries, inadvertent to us anyway. God always knows the full and complete diagnosis of our mind, body and spirit. But sometimes we go to God over some pain or situation and instead of addressing it like we expect, He shows us a seemingly unrelated area and says, there's a problem here we need to address.  Sometimes He shows it to us before the problem gets real bad and begins causing a lot of pain and damage, and sometimes the problem is revealed as spiritual things are getting infected and about to rupture. But whether we want to pretend it isn't there and it's no big deal because we think there's nothing to it or that it really isn't all that bad compared to the sacrifice to self that changing would cost us, God is not a human doctor with fallacies or hidden agendas.  His timing is always perfect, His understanding is complete, and He never makes a mistake about whether or not something needs to be dealt with or if it's serious or not. All sin is serious and leads to death in our lives. It can't wait. It can't be ignored. It can't be tolerated.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

- Psalm 139:23-24

This should be our attitude regularly, Daily we should be going to Daddy, the Great Physician and saying search me, show me, lead me from death to life. It's more important than check ups and follow ups with physical doctors. There is nothing worth holding onto and risking the spiritual sickness that happens when we ignore the call to keep appointments for exams and treatment with God. Today let us ask Him to show us anything that He wants to treat within us, and let us not underplay, delay or act like it isn't important. Even small sin brings death when left untreated.

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

July 15, 2016.

This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.