Stress Fractures!

Three years ago, I had a really bad ankle/foot injury.  I proceeded to the doctor and was told that it was just a bad sprain.  No x-ray was done.  No other possible diagnosis was explored.  Over the last several years, I've had repeated problems with this left foot and ankle.  Over the course of the first year after the injury, I continued to have problems.  When my foot would hurt to the point it kept me up at night, I would schedule an appointment to see my doctor.  I was told that once you have a sprain, you are susceptable to repeated injury over something as minor as stepping on a pebble.  Again, no x-ray was done.  No other possible diagnosis was explored.  After the first year of hearing this I accepted this answer as the fact for all of the pain I continued to deal with.  Everytime I did anything requiring physical excercise - walking, running, dancing, etc...I would be in pain.  So I quit trying to excercise.  Which is not good.  At VBS and on Sunday mornings, whenever I lead children's worship, I would reinjure my foot and thus always wore an ankle brace.  Though it didn't stop the pain, it kept me going.  

My old injury resurfaced this week.  I have no earthly idea why.  I don't remember any specific event that would have caused it to flare back up again.  I didn't do the power shopping on black Friday.  I didn't walk, run, or dance.  All I did was clean house, decorate for Christmas, wrap presents, and teach.  Normal everyday activities that should not end up causing any type of foot injury.  But it happened.  The pain and swelling returned, so much so I have not slept for three nights.  I can't bear to put weight on my foot nor did prescription Loritab stifle the pain.  It all came to a head last night when bruising appeared on my foot in places, my veins starting popping out, the swelling became more, and patches of bright red appeared.  Scott and I were fearful of a blood clot so he rushed me to the ER.  Thankfully I didn't have a blood clot.

My foot was x-rayed, for the first time ever since I injured it, and they did discover a broken toe that I didn't know was broken.  After a thorough examination my foot was diagnosed with Stress FractureS!  In fact, the attending doctor felt that had been my problem all of this time.  Basically, I didn't stay off of my feet long enough for them to heal completely and kept reinjuring my foot.  In addition, because of my medical condition, they felt that my bones are under duress which is what is making my foot so prone to injury.  So today, in about two hours, I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.  GREAT!  Just what I wanted for Christmas!  However, I can't tell you how relieved Scott and I are that it wasn't a blood clot!  Praise God!

So I'm home today, elevating my foot.  Restricted to walking on crutches for at least this week - maybe more, taking Ibuproferin and icing down my foot.  As I lay here completely bored out of my mind - because I'm not one to sit around - I began thinking about these stress fractures and how if they had just had a chance to heal then maybe I wouldn't be in this predicament.  Then I began thinking about stress and how stress in our lives fractures so many things if we don't deal with it in a healthy way.

Stress, fractures!  Unchecked stress fractures our relationships, our families, our marriage, our jobs, our homes, our future.  Unchecked stress fractures our physical health, our mental and emotional well-being, and our spiritual condition.  When we don't deal with the stresses in our lives in a healthy way, we are allowing that stress to dominate our lives.  We become anxious and maybe even fearful.  We feel overwhelmed and out of control.  We shift our focus from the ONE ABOVE to these stressors in our lives.  For many of us, we are under multiple stressors at the same time.  It also seems that once we get one stressor out of our lives or under control, another soon appears to take it's place.  And if we don't deal with this stress in a healthy way, the fractures will never heal.

Did you know that when we constantly worry and fret over these stresses, we are basically telling God that we don't think He can handle it!  Hanging on to worry adds to the stress.  Hanging on to the fear adds to the stress.  The fractures become worse.  Trying to deal with stress on your own is sinful - it's prideful.  Since stress will affect all of us throughout our lives, as God's people, we need to learn to deal with it in a godly and healthy way.  God gives us a way to deal with the stress in our lives.  Psalm 119:47 gives us the way to begin to deal with stress.  It says,

As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands.  Psalm 119:47

At the point we are feeling stressed and pressured, we are to FIND JOY in God's commands!  If our focus is on HIM and finding JOY in HIM, then we are filled with a peace that surpasses all understanding!  In fact, Philippians 4:4 commands us to "Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, I say rejoice."  This isn't a choice, it's a command for us to rejoice in God!  We are to rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS - not just when we 'feel like it', not just when things are going our way, not just when we are at church -  but ALWAYS!  When your boss criticizes your work - REJOICE in the LORD!  When your coworkers get swine flu and you have to take on their workload as well - REJOICE in the LORD!  When your foot stress fractures go undiagnosed for several years - REJOICE in the LORD!  We are to ALWAYS carry a joyful spirit that celebrates the LORD and HIS PEACE that resides in our hearts.   So the next time stress causes you to be worried or anxious, meet it head on.  Claim the joy God has promised.  Say the words of these verses, aloud if you need to, "LORD, I chose to rejoice in YOU!  I find JOY in YOUR COMMANDS!  God, I give you this stress - YOU can handle it better than me!"

We are to place our TRUST in God and HIS PROMISES and no matter the outcome, HE will help us through our troubles and trials.  But we MUST LOVE HIM, OBEDIENTLY SUBMIT TO HIM and TRUST HIM.  Don't allow stress fractures in your life to worsen or go undiagnosed.  Don't ignore the stress, instead give it to Him. 

In His Love, Cathy