Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Moussa

I saw Moussa (a patient from my previous entry entitled "Moussa") again today during one of his visits to the hospital. He was walking without crutches and told me that his leg and foot were doing great.

If I wasn't familiar with his medical history, I never would have known he was wearing prostheses.

He then hopped on his bike and rode home:-)

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Healings

Just recently a friend asked me for more stories of God's healings at the hospital. Here are a few accounts which took place after last Thursday's prayer rounds.

Last week a woman was hospitalized whose chest xray showed significant infection in the base of both lungs. We suspected fluid accumulation but a needle aspiration of the lung was not successful. Her tests for TB were negative. Treatment for possible heart failure was initiated along with aggressive antibiotic therapy. I had been conducting rounds in her ward that entire week and from Monday to Wednesday she remained extremely short of breath with a high fever. I wanted to place her on oxygen, but the machines were all in use. Concerned about her status, I placed her on my “attention!” list for the doctor on call. That evening, the team made their prayer rounds from room to room, and after returning home I presented her to God during a private time of prayer. The next morning, she was no longer short of breath, her fever had broken and she stated she felt much better, and that she had slept very well.

That same evening, a young man returned from the OR after undergoing a bladder stone removal. I was told he had been placed on oxygen, which is highly unusual for a young, otherwise healthy patient healing from this type of operation. Upon arriving in his room, he was in obvious distress, his chest heaving and his abdomen sucking in with each effort to breathe. He was spitting out bloody foam every few seconds. Keeping him on oxygen, turning him on his side so he wouldn't inhale his saliva, I requested we administer an immediate dose of IV steroids, suspecting a reaction to the anesthesia. I turned the case over to the doctor on call and returned home. That eve upon returning for prayer rounds, he was still on oxygen, bringing up a large amount of saliva and struggling to breathe. We prayed for him, and that evening on my own, I placed him in the hands of God.

The next morning when I returned to the ward, I headed directly to his room. He was sitting up in bed and while a bit weak, no longer had any difficulty breathing. I was able to remove his oxygen.

Currently hospitalized is a gentleman who was diagnosed with HIV quite a number of weeks ago. However, unable to accept the diagnosis, he kept his illness hidden from his wife and refused to be placed on treatment. Subsequently his health took a turn for the worse, and his family brought him to us. Struggling with multiple infections due to his decreased immune status as well as the symptoms associated with HIV, he remained in denial during his two week hospitalization. I had been praying for justice for his wife, and as a team we prayed that he might come to terms with his diagnosis and accept treatment.

That evening, during a visit by the prayer round team, he confessed that he had received an amulet, a form of witchcraft, for protection and that it frightened him. He confessed this, asked two of our missionaries and our chaplain to take the amulet and burn it. That same evening, he accepted his diagnosis, shared it with his wife and has since begun treatment. He is not yet out of danger, but God delivered him spiritually and he now has peace.

Praise be to God.