Alright....so Jacobs been working in the ER having a good time (most of the time), although every day he comes home and says we are missing out. His way of being sarcastic that why dont we do what other people do and go to the ER instead of just calling your Fam doc and go in for an office visit (most docs have what they call, "acute care visits" slots, which is just time they have set aside in their schedule to see 'emergency' things that come up that cant wait a month till a regular visit to see-sometimes the phone monitors (that is one of my many terms for the ladies (it always seems to be a lady) who do the appointment making for the dr's) will give the patient a hard time and say you cant see the doc for like 5 years would you like that to be on monday or Wednesday, etc....but the way i bypass that is I call, they answer and I say, I would like to speak to a nurse please. I lay out my 'acute' issue with the nurse and they get me in....anyway where was i going with all of this..oh yeah
So in the ER jacob mostly sees things that could very easily have been dealt with in an office visit but will now cost so much more to be dealt with in the ER..so he likes to tell me how we need to start being ER folk...I tell him I hope to never have to use the ER, for myself or the kids...
The ER is also where you see come pretty crazy things and sad things (like one of his patients who was Matties age, the dad purposely twisted his leg bones till he heard a snap)..that was a sad day....of course he did not admit to it at first. I just hate abuse!!! no matter what kind. I am tired of people who are hurting taking their hurt out on other people!
Alright, now yesterday he had a patient who was 10. He asked me when I got home if I wanted to know how much she weighed...173 lbs! As much as jacob weighs. She was in because she was having a hard time breathing (for obvious reasons). her parents were overweight considerably and jacob was just so sad for this kid.
You know there are many days where jacob just thinks about doing Manipulation all day. When you see patients to treat them with manipulation they want to get better that is why they are there. They also usually start getting better right after the first appointment (which makes you feel great as a Doctor) and they are always happy to see you...now contrast that to most peoples appts with reg fam. docs. As a fam doc. it is his job to tell them they need to stop smoking, they need to lose weight, etc...it is his job to make sure they are not there just to get prescription drugs for their various addictions. Most people dont tell their doctors the truth to certain and usually pretty vital questions and yet expect them to not screw up on them (with constant threat of getting sued). This is not the kind of health care jacob wants to practice. He did not want to go through school, debt, and all the learning just for the chance to take care of people who dont choose to take care of themselves (seriously, he has had patients who realize during the appt that they have had another toe fall off (diabetes) and could care less).
Jacob and I talked alot the other night about how our bodies are sacred like the Temple. They house our spirits and there is a connection. You can only be so sick and still be able to grow spiritually. Maybe I seem extreme to many but I really feel like we , the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, should be some of the healthiest people there are. We have the Word of Wisdom, it not only tells us what things to stay away from (the ones we know, tobacco, alcohol, tea, and the ones we like to not know, Meat (we should be consuming so little (unless of course we find ourselves in a state of famine or coldness all the year long) that we dont consider it ever to be the main part of a meal or in general a diet. As a side note we on average consume over 200 lbs/person a year of meat...
The Word of Wisdom, given in the 1800's, also gave warning of something we can see now...how many will conspire against us (and our health) inorder to make a profit. It also reminds us of many good things to consume for our bodies. I just love the words at the end of the Word of Wisdom, the blessings. It reminds me of the Temple. It reminds me that we were never meant to be so sick here.
But then we also have the Law of the Fast. I used to think that this law was just about providing for others through a sacrifice of our own. Yes, that is an important part of it. But on my mission, another very important part was taught to me by participating in fasting so many times for others. Through the act of fasting (with a spiritual purpose) we learn that we (our spirits) our stronger than our bodies. Once I understood that simple truth fasting no longer cause hunger in me at all, regardless of being around food or not while fasting. I learned that my spirit, and its honest desire to fast for a purpose, was stronger than any body desire. Knowing this can set us free of so many traps.
I believe that we are supposed to be at harmony with our bodies. Yet, as members we have a way to gain spiritual strength that extends to knowing that I dont have to give in to a certain craving for a drug, or food, etc..that will not serve either my body or spirit. I am so grateful for the restoration of the church for so many many reasons but the desire to share with others what I know has only grown stronger because I want others to know about the Word of Wisdom and the Fasting Law as well.