It’s been a full month. At the end of October, as most of you know, I had a stem cell procedure and last week I had my four week checkup. It all looks good so far. My knees are starting to improve, presumably regenerating tissue to repair a torn meniscus in each knee. Aside from the injections I also received an infusion and so I am somewhat anxious to see what develops as time goes on. I was told the greatest improvement would come during the first six months after the procedure.
I’ve learned quite a bit about stem cells. Once activated after the harvesting procedure, they enter the body through infusion and/or injection and determine where in the body they can start the healing process. Scientists are still learning about the magnificence of our bodies and there is still much to learn about the possibilities as we continue to unravel some of the mysteries of the way that God created us.
In any event, I can tell that positive things are happening. As long as there is tissue for the stem cells to work with, healing is possible. My hands are more nimble, My skim is improving and I have even had two people tell me that I look younger. Go figure – I’m not sure that I agree with that! And the entire family is interested to see how things go during the next three to six months.
Anyway, all was going well until last Wednesday night – the night before Thanksgiving. Our Black Lab, Eva, was spayed a little more than a week ago and the vet urged us to make sure she stayed calm during her recovery. I have been diligent putting on her leash to go out and have kept her from jumping, running or otherwise stressing the sutures that she received during the operation.
It was somewhat late and I took her out for the last time. She must have seen a rabbit or something and suddenly, she wanted to play… To cut to the chase, she somehow wound me up in the leash and I tripped over her… Down I went… hard… on my left shoulder… and Eva thought I had gotten on the ground to play with her. Well, with my still recovering left knee, and now my really sore left shoulder, I couldn’t get up off the ground. I was cold, wet from the rain that we had that day and was in quite a predicament. Luckily, I had my phone and called Janet who was still inside. Thankfully, she answered and came down to help me get up. It was a little dicey but soon thereafter, I was back on my feet.
We got out the heating pad, I took some Ibuprofen and settled in, hoping that I would be good for preparing the turkey the following morning. It was one of those events that Janet and I weren’t anxious to share with the kids. After all, we didn’t want the kids putting a “For Sale” sign in the front yard as we were shipped off to some assisted living facility! Not in this lifetime. And I’m sure that our older readers will agree that there are some things better left unsaid to the kids.
But it quickly became evident that I wouldn’t be able to hide my injury on Thanksgiving day. So, in a preemptive move, I called each of our three kids and let them know that I had suffered a little fall. Of course, I rightfully blamed it on Eva, but I was waiting for the fallout, especially from Kristin, our oldest daughter. However, I was pleasantly surprised… rather than getting angry that I didn’t call her for help, she causally let me know that all would work out well – after all, “You have stem cells for that!”
I had to laugh. It seems that our family thinks that stem cells are good for everything… but you know what? After several days, I have to say that I almost feel back to normal. This is miraculous in that several years ago, I actually seriously jammed my left shoulder, including my clavicle; and have had some trouble ever since. As I was laying on the ground, I seriously wondered what further damage, if any, I had done to my already weakened shoulder.
Of course, Kristin let me know that my stem cells were screaming that they had a new assignment – to rush to my shoulder. But I hope they don’t forget that they need to repair a meniscus in the next several months. Anyway, tonight’s verse is from one of my favorite psalms. The psalmist tells us, in Psalm 139:13-16, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
My encouragement this evening is that our bodies are more amazing than we have the ability to understand. After all, God created us in His image. My prayer is that we will continue to unravel the complexities of how God created us so that we may enjoy an even greater quality of life than we can ever imagine. And then, on to eternity! Praise God. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…