Chapter 9 of ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (Healing 101).
CHAPTER NINE
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU BELIEVE AND TEACH HEALING AND THEN YOU BECOME SICK?
“You know you are an author when you have a stroke and you consider your trip to the hospital as research for you book on healing.” (Rodney Lewis Boyd, author)
PHASE ONE (In The Beginning)
I was in the process of writing this book about healing, and then I was surprised by having a stroke which I would learn later was a cerebellar stroke., and now I am a chapter in my own book. What the d-evil meant for harm has backfired on him. The one who oppresses people with sickness and disease tried to put out the fire of proclamation and declaration that God is the healer, but taking what he thought was a bucket of water and throwing it over me but it turned out to be a bucket of gasoline and KABOOM, the passion of proclaiming Jesus as healer flamed up. Here is my story, as best as I can remember it, with help from my wife Brenda filling in the details.
On June 15th 2017 it was a morning like any other morning. I woke up at 5:00 in the morning, drank some coffee, checked Facebook, read the Bible, prayed, and kissed Brenda good-bye. It was just another Thursday.
I ate breakfast which included microwaved frozen meatballs, with hot sauce, barbeque sauce with cheddar cheese on top microwaved to perfection. Ahhhh, the breakfast of champions. I got in the shower to get ready for work with anticipation of a full day of patients to see and suddenly the shower walls started to spin like a carnival ride. I appeared to be having an episode of vertigo. In an effort to stop the spinning I put my hand on one wall and my other hand on the other wall. The spinning did not stop but seemed to intensify. Without warning the entire shower appeared to turn on its side and it seemed to me that I was thrown to the shower floor hitting my back on the spigot and just lying there in a daze. In reality I fell down in the shower floor.
I finally reached up to turn off the water which was beginning to turn cold. I must have been laying there for a while. I tried to reason how to get out of the tub but all I could think of was how impossible it seemed. I eventually swung my leg over the side of the tub and with great effort pulled myself out of the shower. Once I overcame the barrier of the side of the tub I flopped down into the bathroom floor. Somehow I stood up and eased my way to the bedroom. At this point my memory is getting hazy but I do I remember grabbing a garbage pail and started throwing up. Somehow I made my way back to the bedroom and I remember that I flopped back on the bed thinking that I was a mass of sweat, however in retrospect it could be that I was still wet from the shower water coming down on me. From this point and for the next twelve days Brenda filled me in on the gaps in my memory.
When Brenda came home she said that I was fully clothed which I have no recollection about putting on my clothes. I did not call anyone and don't remember anything until Brenda came home from work earlier than normal at around 1:00 P.M. I barely remember her quizzing me about what was going on and it seems like we determined that it was just vertigo, like Phillip our son had when he was in high school. We were going to the doctor the next morning to check it out. At this time Brenda has told me that I was awake, alert and conversing with her. Time passed and again I don’t remember a lot of what took place. Apparently a few hours passed and it was time to go to bed. Again, I don’t remember anything even though I appeared to be cognizant and conversing with Brenda. Time passed and it was time to go to bed for the night.
Brenda told me not to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom unless I woke her up. Of course, I had to utilize the facilities and reasoned that I was feeling better so I got up without waking Brenda made my way to the bathroom, did my business and made my way back to bed. Ah sweet success. Later on that night the same thing occurred, except this time I was stumbling towards the bathroom and fell face first into the bathtub busting my mouth and nose with blood everywhere. Brenda appeared instantly and comforted me with the words, "I thought I told you to wake me." I believe I actually remembered this but things are still fuzzy.
I finally got back to bed after Brenda cleaned me up of the blood from my mouth and nose, however we were still thinking that it was vertigo and that we would go to the doctor in the morning and get a shot and some medication. At this point it never occurred to us that I had experienced a stroke.
The next morning Brenda had to go to work for a hospital case until she could get somebody to replace her. She was not gone very long. Again, it appeared that I was doing better and was still cognizant and conversing with her. She called Phillip to come over and help her get me into the car to go to the doctor. When Phillip had his episode of vertigo years ago when he was in high school he reminded his mom that it took both of us over an hour or more just to get him downstairs because of the vertigo. Phillip had the wisdom to tell his mom "no" and to call for an ambulance, which she did.
The ambulance came along with a firetruck in our driveway. One of the last things I remembered for the next twelve day was the EMTs coming into the bedroom with a stretcher and they transferred me from the bed to the stretcher. They took me to Saint Thomas Medical Center in Murfreesboro where I was in a room within the Emergency Room for a couple of hours. During this time they took me for a CT scan to check out my injuries to my nose and mouth when I fell and hit my face on the side of the bathtub. It was during this time that they saw that I had a cerebellar stroke which was at the base of the brainstem. Now, as a Speech-Language Pathologist, I have worked with hundreds of people who have experienced a stroke. The most common strokes occur either on the side of the brain. On the left side of the brain is where the speech-language and hearing centers are located. On the right side of the brain is where cognition and reasoning can be affected. On each side of the brain, in the right and left hemisphere there are motor strips that affects speech with dysarthria or slurred speech. The nature of the event is that if the stroke takes place on the left side of the brain, the opposite of the face or body can be weakened or paralyzed and the reverse if it occurs on the right side of the brain, the left side is affected. The stroke had occurred in the cerebellum on the left side due to a possible blockage. The cerebellum is located at the base of the brain stim and is known as “the drunk stroke” because it affects balance and mimics being drunk. Balance and equilibrium were affected which included the vertigo at the initial time of the stroke.
Brenda called the surgery center to report that a stroke had occurred. One of her co-workers at the surgery center, a nurse anesthesiologist told her to get me to Saint Thomas Nashville immediately. A doctor came by to check on me and Brenda voiced her desire for me to be moved. The neurologist also came by and concurred that it would be best for me to be moved. They reasoned that if I needed surgery like the removal of the plate from the back of my head to ease the pressure of the swelling of the brain, that they would be unable to do that surgery in Murfreesboro. During this time Bruce and Jill Coble came to offer their support to me and Brenda. As the word got out, the prayer wheels were set into motion.
They placed me in an ambulance and off we went to Saint Thomas West. Brenda, my son Phillip and his wife Jamie followed the ambulance and by the time they arrived, they already had me in a room with I.V. going. Wow what a difference from laying in the emergency room for two hours in Murfreesboro to being in ICU in Nashville immediately. I was in the Intensive Care Unit for nine days and then transferred to a regular room for three days before my discharge to in-patient rehabilitation.
Again, at this point I don’t remember very much and Brenda and friends have been helping me peel back the onion and filling in the gaps in my memory. Left to my own devices when I try to tell the story I tend to embellish the facts. Over the next few days friends and family came to see me of whom I remember very little about their visit.
PHASE TWO (The Intensive Care Unit)
For the next nine days I was in the intensive care unit and then was transferred to a regular room. Of the twelve day I remember very little. Sometimes when I am telling the story of these days, Brenda will stop me and say, “It didn’t happen that way.” So, know that the facts have been checked before they were placed in this chapter. Thank God for Brenda and anyone who came to visit me while I was in the hospital and specifically in the intensive care unit.
Prior to the stroke (not mine, I do not claim it or take ownership of the harassment and oppression by the d-evil ) although, I do accept my stupidity for poor diet, minimal exercise, etc.), I had taught and requested from those taught (concerning healing) that if I ever got sick and went into the hospital, do not come to the hospital and visit me with doubt and unbelief. Do not pray that the “will of God” unless you believe that the “will of God no earth as it is in heaven” was healing. Since the stroke I have looked very hard up to heaven and as of this writing I have not found strokes, diabetes, heart difficulties, cancer, arthritis (fill in the blank of any sickness) in heaven.
As the word leaked out, many prayers bombarded heaven from many places around the world. My pastor, Allen Jackson (no not the singer) was leading a group/tour in Israel and they prayed. It has been said that if you pray from America, it is a “long distance call” but in Israel it is a “local call.” Men, women, children were praying prayers of faith. Obviously, I was not praying for myself, or at least I don’t remember doing it. Maybe my spirit (little s) within me was interceding via the Holy Spirit.
If you are interested in my other books including:
1. Never Run A Dead Kata (Lessons I Learned In The Dojo)
2. Pro-Verb Ponderings (31 Ruminations on Positive Action)
3. Speaking and Hearing The Word of God (A Speech-Language Pathologist Perspective)
4. Chewing the Daily Cud (Volume 1)
5. Chewing the Daily Cud (Volume 2)
6. Chewing the Daily Cud (Volume 3)
7. Chewing the Daily Cud (Volume 4)
8. Written That You May Believe (21 Things To Believe From The Gospel of John)
These books are available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, WordCrafts Publishing. They are also available in various forms of e-books including Kindle and Nook.
WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR READING OF ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (Healing 101)
While lying in bed at the hospital in the intensive care unit I had many visitors flowing in and out including, family, friends, doctors, nurses, therapist and various hospital staff. According to Brenda, most of them were wonderful.
A FEW STORIES TO TELL
I will limit many of the stories to just a few. Each one speaks to me about the “goodness of God in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13)
Initial Arrival
I was transferred from the hospital in Murfreesboro Tennessee to one in Nashville Tennessee. A lady that Brenda worked with at a surgery center told her to get me out of the one in Murfreesboro and down to Nashville. The physician’s in Murfreesboro agreed. By the time Brenda, Phillip and Jamie got down to the hospital in Nashville I was already in a room in ICU and hooked up to I.V’s being seen by the Stroke Team. I had been in the E.R. area for a couple of hours previously due to no room in the facility. I did have a CT Scan where they found the cerebellum stroke.
My Physical Condition
During the nine days in ICU, for the most part, I was awake, alert, cooperative, cognitive and talking making sense. On the surface you could not tell I had a stroke, although you could tell something was not right. On day three, I took a turn for the worse and was not responding at all. This is when Brenda was told that if the swelling of the brain (the cerebellum and surrounding area) did not go down, the prognosis was that (1) I would die (2) They needed to consider Hospice. The physicians told Brenda, Phillip and Jamie that they needed to have a family meeting to discuss my options. The prognosis was not good, but faith does not come by prognosis but by hearing and hearing the Word of God concerning Christ. (Romans 10:17)
NOTE: Somewhere in my mind I have thought that they were told, if I didn’t die I would be paralyzed from the neck down. Brenda says she does not remember this, but it does make for a good story. Take it with a grain of salt as something in the mind of someone who had a stroke.
Cause and Effect
Many have asked what caused the stroke. There most likely are many variables that contributed to the stroke. A big part of the problem can be traced back to poor dietary habits. As a home health Speech Pathologist, I drive a lot. At the time I was driving from Cannon County to Coffee County, to Bedford County to Franklin County to Moore County. There were lots of driving and lots of stops at fast food places and convenience stores for snacks. My diet was an overload of carbohydrates from burgers, chips, candy and to neutralize it was diet soft drinks. While I was in the process of losing weight and did some exercise, it all took a toll on my body. When the stroke occurred, they found that my blood sugar was up in the 400’s to 500’s with an A1C of 15.3 with 7.0 being normal. The physician said they do not know if it was the stroke that caused the elevated blood sugar or the blood sugar caused the stroke.” The bottom line is it happened
GODISNOWHERE
Brenda tells me that I had wrote (or had someone write) down GODISNOWHERE on a piece of paper and later had it written down on the white board in the room. I would then ask everyone who came in to read it for me. They would normally read God is NO where to which I would reply read it again to which they would read God is NOW here. I would respond that it all depends on how you look at it with the eyes of doubt or the eyes of faith. I was a witness not knowing I was a witness. In Acts 1:8 it says, “You shall receive power (dynamic ability) after the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall BE my witnesses….” To “be” a witness is a noun and it is who you are. To witness is a verb and it is what you do. In the words of Mike Gibson, who is now with Jesus, “This is who we are, this is what we do.” Apparently, I was doing it not knowing I was doing it.
The Sternum Rub
During this time when I was not responding, there was a nurse that sat on the side of the bed and began to do a sternal rub. “A sternum rub is the application of painful stimuli with the knuckles of closed fist to the center chest of a patient who is not alert and does not respond to verbal stimuli.” (www.ems1.com) In my mind as I tell this story, I say that the nurse hopped on top of me in the bed and straddled my chest and began the sternum rub. Of course it did not happen that way as Brenda is quick to correct me. As stated, at the beginning of this section, she sat on the side of the bed, but my story is more exciting. The only thing that aroused me is when my friend Trent Messick would say loudly, “Rodney!” I would arouse momentarily.
The Lifelines
During this down time, Brenda, as strong as she was and is, was being overwhelmed. Trent and Laura Messick, dear friends and brother and sister in the Lord became Brenda’s lifeline. They were there to pray and support Brenda at this time. Laura had a word of wisdom to get music going in the room because that was the language that I understand. So they got my phone and began playing everything I had on my phone including Elvis Presley, various Christian artists and styles, and Kenneth Hagin reading Healing Scriptures. In retrospect this was a turn-around moment in my recovery.
Many people came to visit me but I don’t remember any of them in that 12 day period. People like pastor of Springhouse Worship and Arts center came, prayed and sang to me. Bruce and Jill Coble came when I first went into the hospital for prayer support. Wayne Berry who at the time was worship pastor at Springhouse came and sang Elvis and other songs in my ears and prayed. I keep finding out about others who came that I just don’t remember but they were encouragement for Brenda and the family.
King of the Whole Wide World
One song that I vaguely remember was Elvis Presley’s song from the movie Kid Galahad, King of the whole wide world. I remember thinking that this was a song of faith. It speaks of a poor man who wants an oyster while the rich man wants the pearl in the oyster but in the contrast is the man who can sing when he does not have a thing he is to be known as a king of the whole wide world. At that point I did not have a thing health wide but by faith I was a king who served the King of Kings.
The Return
Apparently from what Brenda tells me, I was out for a couple of day but at some point, I woke up and slowly returned was awake again and slowly returned back to where I was before the downturn a few days earlier.
While I was out of it, Brenda was praying and the Lord spoke to her and said to her, “I have heard your prayers and answered.” It was moments like these that became points of encouragement as she walked by faith and not by sight. By sight there appeared to be no hope, no confident expectation, but by faith the was hope.
As a Speech-Language Pathologist, part of my job was to do cognitive evaluations and the doctor came in and did what I do to many people. He asked me to repeat three word, a truck, a train, and huckleberry. According to Brenda I repeated the first two words and then attempted to lift my head towards the doctor and said, “I’ll be your huckleberry”. For those not familiar this is what Doc Holiday said in the movie Tombstone. The doctor looked at Brenda and said, “What did he say?” Brenda responded, “I think he said he will be your huckleberry”. It was at this point that Brenda knew that I was back.
I’m Thirsty
At this time, in the earlier days of this stroke, they were trying to reduce the swelling of the brain with a drug called Mannitol. This is a saline/sugar based solution. After a few days I was very thirsty and I told the doctor that I needed something to drink. He told me that I would have to have a Speech Therapist to clear me to eat and drink. Brenda said I got adamant and said, “I AM a Speech Therapist and I say I can drink!” His response was that I could have a (singular) ice chip every 15 minutes.
At one point Brenda had to leave for some reason and while she was gone, I spied some snacks somewhere in the room and I had my friend Gary Montgomery (along with his wife Rena) to bring the bag over because I was hungry. Gary didn’t realize the restrictions so he brought me the bag and I began to scarf them down. Brenda came in and corrected that situation very quickly.
Arrival of The Speech-Language Pathologist
One of the many jobs that a Speech-Language Pathologist does is to clear the patient to be given food and/or drink. Brenda tells me that I had around a 45 minute conversation with her about the mechanics of swallowing, speech therapy, various teachers in schools, etc. Of course, once again I don’t remember her or the conversations. She eventually cleared me to eat and drink.
A few months later I was at a Speech conference and in the class we were talking about how people are in the hospital and sometimes the swallowing evaluation is delayed due to a Speech Pathologist is not available over the weekend and how this would delay the patient from having food or drink for a few days because no one was there who could clear them to eat or drink. I relayed my story to them (adding in some humor). At the break for that session a lady came up to me and told me that she could say that my story was true, because she was my Speech Pathologist who had the conversation. That is one of those God moments.
Rehab and Beyond
When released from the hospital I went to (1) Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital for a couple of weeks and then to (2) Pi Beta Phi outpatient rehab at Vanderbilt. Each one has many stories to tell but that may be for another time. I will say that at St. Thomas Hospital (West), Stallworth Hospital, and Pi Beta Phil Outpatient Rehabilitation, they had wonderful Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech-Language Pathologists. I never had to have Speech during the whole time. Thanx and a Tip O Da Hat to Robert McPeters and Bruce Coble for driving me to outpatient rehab. Suffice to say, progressively got better and was discharged to home. I was released from Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital on July 14th 2017, which was our 45 wedding anniversary. What a blessing it was. I was still not 100 % but a lot better. They gave me things to do on my own. As of this writing I am 95% better, still get light headed and dizzy at times but better. I was eventually released to drive.
The Blood Sugar Connection
As stated before the blood sugar was out of whack and the physicians are not sure if it was the high blood sugar that caused the stroke or if the stroke caused the high blood sugar. Whatever it was, I had high blood sugar after the stroke. I am unsure of the initial numbers but it was 400+ for the blood sugar readings with the A1C readings being at 15.3, with 7.0 being normal. At some point during my stay I was on four shots of insulin on a sliding scale which was given for the convenience of the nurses. When I returned home I went to an endocrinologist that had a nutritionist in the practice.
Since the visit to the endocrinologist and the nutritionist my blood sugars have been progressively getting better to the point of three of the insulin shots being discontinued. I am currently taking one shot of insulin in the morning and metformin 2 times a day. I have also changed my dietary habits watching carbs and attempting to increase exercise (which is a struggle). The A1C has progressively declined: 15.3, 14.5, 6.9, 6.6, 6.1.
As I attack the diabetes problems on the physical level I am aggressively fighting it on a spiritual level. On the spiritual level,
1. I am renewing my mind with the Word of God concerning supernatural healing.
2. I am practicing Romans 4:17-21, where Abraham had a promise of a child that was delayed
coming. Abraham
- In hope against hope, believed
- Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since it was about a hundred year old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb (Romans 4:19) When it says “he contemplated his own body”, it means he took stock of the reality of his old worn out physical being.
- YET, with respect to the promise of God he DID NOT WAVER IN UNBELIEF
- Instead of wavering in UNBELIEF He GREW STRONG IN FAITH giving glory to God
- He gave glory to God
- He was FULLY ASSSURED/PERSUADED that what God had promised, He was able to perform.
- He knew the God who gives life to the dead and CALLS INTO BEING THAT WHICH DOES NOT EXIST. Many versions say it this way, “He calls things that are NOT as though they were.
Where many are concerning healing they call things that ARE as if they will never change. With this in mind, I have begun to speak to my body as a mountain and tell it specifically what to do. Every time I take my medication I speak out loud, “I thank God that I am NOT a diabetic. I thank You Lord that my blood sugars are normal, I thank you Lord that my A1C readings are within normal limits. I thank you Lord that my pancreas and liver functions like it was designed to function. I never personalize the dis-ease. I never say my diabetes, my stroke, my (fill in the blank).
Ever since I have been doing this I am seeing a progressive decline in my numbers. The A1C readings have gone from 4.5 down to 6.1 where 7.0 is normal. Blood Sugars keep coming down on a more consistent level. I do the same thing with the lingering effects of the stroke like feeling imbalanced.
Weight Loss
When Brenda and I first started dating back in 1969 I weighed a whopping 136 pounds. Over the years I ballooned up to 325+ pounds. I lost down to 287 pounds and stayed there for years. Around 2 years ago, I joined Weight Watchers (again) with a goal to lose down to 200 pounds. Into the process I lost down to 230 pounds and then the stroke occurred. Since the stroke I lost down to 188 pounds and now am leveling off between 190 and 205. While the stroke was horrible, the weight loss is a good thing.
Retirement
During this time on September 1st, I officially retired. At some point Brenda encouraged me to go back to work at my old job two days a week because I was spending too much time watching Gunsmoke. Can you really watch too much Gunsmoke? I now work two days a week (seeing a limited amount of patients) and I am off on Mondays, and Wednesdays, Fridays. I have time to write, play music, spend a couple of hours in Bible study and met people to eat lunch. I also do housework, cook and get ready for Brenda to come home. Brenda says when I met people for lunch it is called ROMEO, Retired Old Men Eating Out.
Final Thoughts…Finally
Well, that’s my story and I am sticking to it. There are so many stories and people who came to see me and have prayed for me that I don’t remember but I am forever grateful to them all. I am especially grateful to Brenda who stayed by my side from the beginning until now. I am also so grateful to be around to see the birth or our first granddaughter Emerson Grace Boyd born to my son Phillip and his wife Jamie. I am overwhelmed with the feeling that this life is so precious and that life is too short to waste time on things that just don’t matter.
I hope this chapter and actually the whole book will be a source of encouragement to press into the God of possibility as you are faced with impossibilities of life, whatever they may be.