Pride comes before the fall

I just walked through,with my mother, an example of God's love that left me with a great feeling of victory.

As most of you know, my mother fell and broke her hip Friday night. She was admitted to the hospital and we were told they would operate Sunday or Monday depending on when her blood thinner was out of her system. Well, things got a bit complicated.

Saturday morning, we were told at about 11:00 in the morning, that her blood was ready for surgery and that she could go at any time. So, we waited. But, I had not seen a doctor or surgeon at all. I asked several times to see one, but by the late afternoon, I told a nurse that I would not sign consent for surgery till I spoke to one and I finally went home.

At home I got a call at 9:00 in the evening. A doctor was calling to get consent. This was a bit irritating, but I gave verbal consent for surgery in the morning. We got to the hospital and waited. Time for the surgery came and went. We asked what was going on and were told that she had been bumped and would have surgery at 1:00 in the afternoon.

My mother, of course, can not eat nor drink while we wait. Now, 1:00 comes and goes. Word came to us, only because I asked the nurses to find out, that she was bumped till 3:00. Already in a weakened state, my mother had now, from lack of food and drink, stopped talking, taking commands and can not lift her arms nor head. So, I begin to get irritated.

Then, 3:00 comes and goes. My husband and I pray constantly and our prayers are of deep concern for my mother and the physical state that we see her declining into. No longer are we able to just accept the words relayed from surgery, we are now visibly disturbed. Our mouths begins to express our feelings.

She is now bumped till 8:00 in the evening. My husband and I find ourselves bouncing ideas and thoughts off of each other about what was happening. Worried about my mother we begin to think about resending the consent.

This is a Catholic hospital that I use to work there. I know the ins and outs. My husband and I begin to raise a little trouble. The nurses, who have all day, intercede on our behalf, were the first, to receive our wrath. My husband snapped at one and she quickly backed off. Trying to give us more excuses, he let her know that we did not believe, anymore, these excuses. I demanded to speak to a nun. This caused quit the stir and options were given to me, that excluded the nuns.

It felt like we were walking in the flesh. Anger would rise up in both of us and we would, at first, express this anger to each other in "our next move". I would say a quick prayer, but the next thing that would happen, my reactions would feel far from Godly especially when we got the next word from surgery. "Surgery will be a 3:00 am.

No, way, was my response. "I am resending my consent." A doctor from surgery, finally, shows up in my mothers room and starts to explain to us why it was taking so long. The problem was, he was repeating back to us everything that we had been saying for hours. Everything that he had heard the nurses say was our concern. But, he did say, that they were canceling the surgery till the morning.

Our concern for my mothers well being was so great, I spent the night at the hospital. A friend from my prophetic team stayed with me and so started a very long night. My mother got to eat and drink and we saw strenght begin to come back to her body. But, of course, at midnight, again, she had to stop eating and drinking.

In the night, a women was put into the bad next to my mother. She, too, had a broken hip. When morning came the hospital staff began to prep both women for surgery. It felt like the top of my head was going to come off when they took the other woman off to surgery and we just sat there. By, now, my prayers were more of a plead to clam me.

Finally, after 2 days, we went down to surgery. I have to go to pre-op, with my mother. Her inability to remember, makes me her spokes person and someone needed to speak to the anesthetist. My senses on edge, every thing in the room look surreal and my thoughts were suspicious of everything.

She lay on the gurney and I sat at her side. I over hear a word that caused my very being to explode. "BUMPED". Oh,no. I could not have heard that. The other lady, from my mothers room, was now being wheeled into surgery and she had not even been there 24 hours. The nurse came over and said she had been bumped for 30 minutes. My anger welled up, but I decided 30 minutes was not bad. But, my suspicions were standing at attention.

I joined my husband and friend in the waiting room. Unfortunately, it was very obvious to anyone in the room, that we were not a happy group of people. Not five minutes into our wait, I heard my mothers name ring out into the room. The women who was to tell you when surgery was over, was now holding the phone into the air saying the phone is for you. Walking to the phone, I asked myself, "am I in a really bad movie."

On the other end of the phone was the pre-op nurse. "The surgery has been bumped to 3:00 this afternoon." There was a very long silence at that moment. I sat there and she sat there. My husband and friend sat close by watching me. The women who oversaw the waiting room was patiently waiting for me to end my conversation. The room was pact with people waiting for their loved ones to get out of surgery. I...was slowly loosing it.

"What am I suppose to do now?" was my slow response. My tone and volume caused a sudden silence to fall across the immediate area and my husband said, "Oh, no." I heard on the other end of the phone. "Just go to your mothers room, she will be up there in a few minutes." Another silence fell over the phone. The room was waiting for my next words. My words came out commanding and deliberate. "This surgeon is fired."

That was when chaos hit the hospital. My words sent ripples through that institution and I immediately became famous. The nurse on the other end of the phone was lost. She did not know what to do next. I told her, "Get me a new doctor and get it now." People around me shifted in their seat uncomfortably and my husband was hanging on my every word. The women waiting to run her waiting room comfortably, was getting anxious. "I will have to call you back, I don't know how to do what you are requesting" was all the pre-op nurse could say.

We sat and waited. Leaving me to my own thoughts, in a time like this, is never wise. I got up from my seat, went back over to the desk of the poor women trying to run her waiting room and asked for a patients rights pamphlet. I was going to begin to make phone calls. She said to me, "perhaps you would like this instead." I looked at what she had given me and on it were phone numbers of people overseeing surgery. So, I went to the phone.

The person on the other end of the call immediately said, "Is this the daughter of Nancy". A bit surprise by this, but not unnerved, I stated, "You bet it is." "Get me a new doctor."

Now, I will begin to shorten this story.

My husband and I met with this wonderful women. She talked me into letting the surgeon operate. The surgeon was now at the hospital. She did operate and my mother is well. However, this surgeon continued to make noise and met with us. Her ego is so large she could not even recognize what she had put us through. So, I told her. She was stunned and blamed the hospital. My husband said to her. "If it is the hospitals fault, then give us a phone number to talk to someone about this problem". She was up against a wall, but gave us the number.

The next day we met with the head of surgery. She, being forthright, told us the truth. Finally, the truth. When this doctor was told that there would be a 30 minute delay she told the hospital that she would not operate then till 3:00. Her time was to important to be delayed.

With the truth at our side, we continued to demand a new surgeon. We got the director of surgery as a new surgeon. This doctor has been wrote up. All is resolved.

So many people were praying for this situation. I, however, felt like, most of the time, I was walking in the flesh. Fighting for my mother and for any others that this doctor has or will hurt. It felt like my prayers were few and my flesh took over.

But, at the end of it, you ask God. "What was that all about?" The answer. "Correction". I have seen a lot of correction lately. So, have many of my friends. God using those that are usable and bringing correction to the people.

This doctor, had put herself above God. Her arrogance and pride were what fed her life. She hurt those whom she saw as less than and thought she was untouchable. God used me to stop this doctor. He kept my mother safe and me from hitting anyone. I can't say that I walk in righteousness the whole time, but God did use me to His end.

I am grateful to God that He saw us through this horrible ordeal and that He sees me fit to be used. I am glad it is over and I pray that this doctor gets and keep the message from God. Reform has come to the hospital, by way of new rules on communicating with families of loved ones and I hope with handling the prideful among them.