Recently, I spent a few days in a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. It began one early Saturday morning at about 2:00 am, when an excruciating pain in my right flank awakened me. I was not too alarmed by this pain because I knew what it was; it was pain I was well familiar with. You see I had just had a surgical procedure the previous Tuesday called a Lithotripsy, which in layman’s terms are intense sound waves, which break up kidney stones. I had had a particularly large stone in my right kidney for some time and had already had a failed attempt previously, to take care of the monster. You see, this stone was 9mm in size, about the size of a 9mm bullet. But I had been assured that this last attempt had been successful in breaking up the stone, and I need only allow the smaller broken pieces and "sand" to pass from my kidney over a number of days. I had been drinking huge amounts of water diligently doing my part to rid myself of the remaining residuals.

Unfortunately, one of the larger pieces entered my ureter leading from the kidney and proceeded to lodge itself there, as it was too large to pass all the way through. This in turn caused the functioning of my kidney to bog down. Had I known this upon awakening Saturday morning at 2:00am I would have not been so "macho" and decide I could pass this thing on my own that was giving me so much grief. I had been well acquainted with Kidney stones, this was not my first stone that had given me so much trouble.

Three hours, about a hundred prayers and three large bottles of water later, I conceded. I threw in the towel and asked my wife to take me to emergency. (The prayers were actually more like pleading and begging for God to take away my pain). My wife was more than willing to accommodate me as she had been begging me to allow her to take me to the hospital for some time prior to my surrender. However being the stubborn, "I can handle it" man-human, that I am, I insisted on riding it out. Wrong decision!

When I got to the emergency room in Arizona where I live, the emergency room doctor informed me that the only Urologist in town was "out of town" for a week, and funny I should pick this week of all weeks to have a kidney stone! Ha Ha. He said he would do his best to get my pain under control but my best chance was to make the 2 hour trip to Las Vegas, either in my own vehicle or by ambulance if they couldn’t regulate the pain. Three hours later after trying numerous pain medications intravenously to ease the pain, the only thing that would effect it was Morphine. And they had to give an injection every hour as the pain would come back!

If you have never experienced a kidney stone, on the move, there is no way to describe the pain. May God bless you all with never having to experience one!

I was finally taken to Las Vegas by ambulance. I received Morphine twice on the way there lying flat on a gurney. My wife followed behind the ambulance and actually managed to keep up. I know God was with both of us that day, as she refuses to drive over 65 on her own.

Speeds frighten her.

That day she maintained speeds of 75 and 80 behind that ambulance for two hours. When the ambulance turned in to the driveway at the hospital in Las Vegas, the vehicle dipped enough for me to catch a glimpse of her car, directly behind us. She stayed with me the whole trip! Praise God!

That night and the next they kept me on an I.V. Morphine pump that had a button I could hit on my own, to inject when the pain got too intense. Thank God it had a timed lockout to only allow so much in a given period. Once every hour the pain would wake me up and I would hit the button, from Saturday night until Monday morning, it went on, my wife at my bedside next to me.

The first night she slept in the chair in the hospital room. The head nurse, Diane was kind enough to bend the rules a little and allow her to stay with me as I was the only patient in the room. My wife is the greatest blessing God has ever given me other than His Only Begotten Son.

I thank God daily for His gift to me, my wife. I don’t deserve her, trust me, she is only another example of God’s amazing Grace.

I finally had surgery on Monday morning, the doctor used a laser to blast the larger stones and left a device in my kidney (a stent) to keep the tube open so I could pass the remaining "sand". I had some complications following the surgery as there was more bleeding than anticipated and I had to be catheterized all of Monday night. (Which is another horror story, I might add). But Tuesday morning came, they removed the catheter and I was able to function on my own, and the doctor said, "You can go home".

My wife helped me get dressed and they discharged me, with a handful of prescriptions, and directions on when to come back to have the stent removed. I felt battle weary, and worn out from fighting the pain, one episode after another, and I couldn’t wait to get home.

You’re probably wondering what kind of message of encouragement I could possibly be leading to here, but I have one, I assure you.

I didn’t feel God’s presence throughout this whole ordeal. But I know He was there. I kept having thoughts (looking back now, I know were from the Enemy) that God was punishing me for my sin. And I know better than this, I know God’s Word, I know who I am in Christ. I have written numerous articles on God’s love, His faithfulness, how unchanging He is. The fellowship we have in Christ Jesus.

Yet, the devil uses these moments of weakness to attack. I would concentrate on my pain, instead of on Jesus. Then I would remember God’s word and begin to focus on Jesus, and I would pray.

In looking back I was never afraid that I wouldn’t get through this, I knew in my heart that God would help me get through this, no matter what came at me next, I knew he was there with me, because His Word said so! And every time he helped me get through one obstacle, I thanked Him for it. I prayed for His mercy in not allowing more pain than I could handle, but I knew He was in control. And I was carried by Him, through it all, because I believed. Because of my faith in Him!

No matter where you find yourself, regardless of what you’re experiencing, hold on to Him, lean on Him, and He will carry you through it. Never believe the lies of the enemy, holdfast to God’s word for it is the only truth.

"Yea though I walk through the valley�?

Thank You, my heavenly Father.

May God bless you all richly, in Jesus Name, Amen."

Love in Christ, Rev. Michael <:)))><

Copyright ©2005 Michael Sparr