First of all, complaining disappears when we realize that Jesus cited psalm 22 on the Cross. In that psalm there is the statement: “I can count all of my bones” (Psalm 22:16). In other words, He’s been so terribly beaten that every bone is screaming with pain. But, being an idiot, I still complain. And then…
- “But Father George! Father George! The saints never complained! Stop complaining!”
Yep, that would be right, not even Saint Jerome complained… ever…
But, it is true that my complaints about my health are stupid, narcissistic, distracting, a waste of time:
- Me! Myself! … — I — …
We’re not victims in suffering. It was original sin and our own rubbish sin that brought on what we experience, sickness, death, the violent aggression of others. These are the effects of sin freely chosen with the sin. Even those who have not committed any personal sin (babies in the womb, neonates, nevertheless do suffer because of original sin. There simply is no justice in our complaining that: “It’s not fair!” and “I don’t deserve this!” or “Why does that innocent person suffer!” Sin is terrible. The effects of sin tell us that.
And then there’s me, an especially wretched sinner. I deserve everything I get and an eternity of hell. But I’ll tell you what:
- God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten, actually innocent Son, to stand in our place, Innocent for the guilty, taking on the death we deserve for sin, thus having the right in His own justice to have mercy on us, that mercy gratuitously granting us the grace that turns to glory in eternal life. But on this earth, we suffer, justly. And that educates us, is an occasion by which, with grace, we can be drawn to Jesus on the Cross, being in awe of this majestic intervention of God: Thank you, Jesus, for reaching so far down into this quagmire so as to grab us and bring us to heaven.
Then, when finally noticing the suffering of others by Jesus’ grace alone, my tiny little world is opened up to this majestic intervention of God in our dark and violent, aggressive world. Does God know anything about our suffering down here? Jesus didn’t avoid suffering. He embraced it for us. He knows:
Meanwhile, we can hardly help it, weak as we are, our souls have bodies, and we do notice how we fall apart. Just as Aussie Mum wants to stay alive to do yet more good in this world by writing about Fatima, just as Saint Paul was torn between going to heaven and staying on this earth to help us get to know Jesus, it’s good for each of us to use our wits to do what we can for ourselves so as to help others while we’re in this world. We will die when Jesus calls our name to go before Him. And in heaven our prayers will be powerful before the Most High for those still on earth. But until then, in the midst of “shuffling off this mortal coil,” we have to do what we can, if anything, to assist the bit of formed dust we call our bodies… so as to help others.
But I know nothing, and need advice. So I complain until someone tells me I’m doing as good as can be expected, or has an adjustment or two to suggest. For me, at the moment, in my myopic world, my present experience which I hope Jesus will accept also as an act of intercession for Aussie Mum, is…
Bones!
- Of recent, the pounds of decades-old-metal inside tibia bone in one leg (25 fractures in all) has been shifting a bit. Just an annoyance for now – like getting struck by lightning once in a while – but this might be a catastrophe waiting to happen with bones getting weaker as I get older. I once got horrific radial fractures, just because, going about for a long time afterward on Canadian crutches. I suppose this is all my fault for not wearing my Forrest Gump leg braces when I was a little kid.
- Much more recently, the scoliosis in the back continues to compress and fracture – the fracturing bit like getting struck by lightning – so that I now have a back brace… if I wear it… I suppose this is all my fault for not wearing the back brace when I went into Junior High School.
- Excuse my great syntax: A week ago, February 29, coming back from offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass across the mountain, arriving home, still in the driveway, leaning hard over the tall center console of Sassy the Subaru Forester, picking up multiple things out of the passenger seat floorboard, and, being lazy, not wearing my wrap-around back brace for the first time since I got it February 23, my right anterior rib cage, just at Rib 9, catching on the top edge of that center console while I leaned hard on top of it, broke next to Rib 8… over the top of the console, not pressing into me, not puncturing anything, but the ribs sliding over the top of that center console, breaking hard and very suddenly over the top of the console as the rest of my body instantly dropped a few inches, with the weight of my body no longer being supported, breaking Rib 9 away from the lower chest. It was so very sudden: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Yikes! Like lightning. Who would’ve thought? Now a week later, the swelling of the lower right chest is receding. So, that’ll be three months of fun before it heals. But at least no surgery or anything else is needed, just making sure to take deep enough breaths to get oxygen. It’s because of the movement brought on by breathing that takes ribs so long to heal. But you gotta breathe. Thankfully, Rib 9 is just below the lungs. Walking is now even more of an adventure with every step!
Dunno if anyone has advice about ever-weakening bones…
Vitamin D3
I’ve always had extremely low levels of D3. Production might be fine, but this may be an effect of my HAE. Dunno.
- One lady’s intuition had her ask me if I’m taking any supplemental Vitamin D3.
- Yes, between 5,000 – 10,000 IU. That’s a lot, but it has finally brought me up to just below the average of the “normal” range. But the second I let that go for a bit, the D3 immediately drops to about nothing.
- Another lady, a nurse during her shift, said that having zero D3 is completely normal.
- Um… Not sure about that… She was really annoyed to have been asked a question.
Regardless, having a lifetime of trouble with D3, and no cancers as far as I know, does mean weakening of the bones… methinks…
Any advice?
ARISE! LET US BE GOING! 
Oh, I take1 pill that is a combo of 5,000(IU) D3 and 125mcg K2, and another 10k(IU) of D3 per day. I don’t spend much time outside. I am told that the K2 is to help make sure the D3 goes to the right place. I’m supposed to take 125mcg per 5,000(IU) of K3 (375mcg total), but the extra pill 10k(IU) of D3 has no K2 int it.
Why? It’s D3 alone is much cheaper. Prolly a mistake, a false economy, and I’ve resolved to spend the extra money on the combo supplement, once I’ve run out of my current supply.
Y’know, Father, we are all born complaining! Our complaint, though should be with man, not God, since the slap on the tuchus(sp?) came from the doctor who delivered me. Also, complaints should go up the chain of command, not down. A leader should never complain to subordinates, or in front of them. But that is man’s way, not God’s way. Yes?
Yikes, Father George. Broken ribs are so painful. We will say extra prayers for you. Hang in there. God bless you!
They’re already feeling better
Oh good! Still gonna pray extra, ha ha! 🙂
Will be praying extra for those ribs!! …been there, done that. No fun. I agree with sanfelipe007 about the K2 along with the D3. It helps with absorption. Thanks for letting us know what is ailing you – it is not complaining – communities share their ups and downs so we can pray for each other. (:
Yes, definitely need vitamin k with D3. Also, make sure to eat some fat (such as bacon!) with D3 as it is a fat soluble vitamin.
Except Friday
How about sardines? The flesh provides fat (omega 3 fatty acids) and the edible soft bones provide calcium.
From what I have been told by doctors and also read, vitamin D and calcium is essential for strong bones. A few years ago – actually it might have been almost 10 years now – a blood test revealed I had no discernible vitamin D. This troubled my doctor and he started me on supplements of D3. Like your experience, Father, those supplements eventually brought my vitamin D level up to just below average. I don’t know if it helped, but since I had read that zinc improves the absorption of vitamin D, I took a zinc supplement as well. I have no idea if those supplements are why, even though my bones are not in good condition (osteoarthritis in spine, hips and knees), I have not had any broken bones but perhaps adding zinc to your vitamin regimen might be a good idea. Doctor thought osteoporosis would be in my future but it has not eventuated.
Fr. George, You are in our continued prayers. That sounds awfully painful. My bones are not where yours are. Having scoliosis and recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis, the physicians have pushed Fosamax or Prolia recommendations on me. If you have not already heard of them, take a look at the side effects. I myself am not willing to take on those risks just yet. I am trying a product called AlgaeCal – they’re bone builder pack to be specific. It is overpriced and I will not know until my next scan if it is helping me personally. The technician who performed my dexascan shared this product with me on a post it note and said “I’m not a doctor, but I’ve only seen one patient’s bones increase in bone density in all my years doing this and this is what they said they were taking.” I’m hopeful and will keep you posted.
Thanks Jchi. Very helpful.
Prayers for you, Fr. George. I am going to share your comments with a couple of friends who also complain – (so do I) I think it will help them feel better at least spiritually and emotionally.
Would you please add a computer friend, Wendy, who recently broke her arm? She showed a picture of her x-ray and the arm looked like it was snapped in half. It looked like a pencil in two pieces. The only thing holding her arm together was her skin and muscles. The Dr. says she will never have full use of her arm again.
However, I do believe that if it is God’s will she will be as good as new.
I will add Wendy to my prayers too and as you say, her arm will be as good as new if it is God’s will.
Re: Sardines
I tried the sardine only diet, and I loved it until I started smelling like sardines. It took about four days for me (actually others noticed) to notice that my body odor had changed…
“What have you been eating?”
Thanks, Aussie Mum. By the way how are you doing? My family and rosary club are still praying for you too.
That must have been an uncomfortable realisation, 007. I wonder if seasoning the sardines with onion, vinegar and perhaps herbs would do away with the odour. I haven’t eaten sardines everyday but have a can of wild caught sardines on hand for Fridays. They aren’t my favourite food but I tell myself they are good for me. What I liked as a child were fish or shark sandwiches. They were so nice that my taste buds still recall their taste and make me wish to taste them again. We were living on Sydney’s southern coast at the time (1957-1962/3) and my father would sometimes go out with my maternal grandfather in his fishing boat and bring home a catch of fish including small shovel nose and hammer head sharks (not man eaters). The left over cooked fish or shark from the evening meal was made into sandwiches the next day. My mother would slice or dice raw onion and soak it in malt vinegar overnight with a little salt and sugar (more sugar than salt). The following day she would combine the pre-soaked onion with the left over fish, sprinkle on a little of the vinegar mixture, and put it on fresh buttered bread. Scrumptious!
I am very grateful that you, your family and rosary club are still praying for me, Joisy Goil. Thank you all very much and please know that your prayers are helping me in many ways.
You ask how I am doing. I have grown weaker, become exhausted with very little exertion and lose my breath, and sleep more although sometimes I’m only in a half sleep. Nevertheless, mentally and emotionally I don’t feel like I’m dying despite everything pointing to it. The hospital referred me to palliative care on discharge because, as one of the doctor’s explained, they could play heroics but doing so would kill me sooner as my body would not cope with the conventual treatments. For example, they cannot put in stents to drain my swollen, waterlogged kidneys because that would require anaesthetic, as would other surgery, none of which my failing organs could survive (my kidneys alone are down to 16% function). It is not known what will overtake me first: total kidney failure, further growth and spread of the cancer that started in my bladder and has already spread to my womb, a massive haemorrhage that can’t be stopped next time, or blood clots because I am now off blood thinners to delay the next haemorrhage after taking that medication for 13 years (since 2011 when large blood clots hit both lungs). Even so, I don’t feel depressed and attribute this to the Mass regularly offered for me by Father Byers and all the other prayers being offered for me, and hope for a miraculous cure through the intercession of Sister Lucia if God allows. I am very grateful for your kindness, cannot understand why I have been so blessed, and pray for you all by return every day.
Thanks so much for everything, Aussie Mum. You are a treasure.
I love sardines straight out of the can, but I’ll try the onion and vinegar as an antidote.
I’m praying for you Mother Yvonne. It sounds like you are swimming in grace. I am with you right there as you are with me at Adoration before The Lord. I say your name and The Lord says, “I know.” I will continue to pray for all your children – be assured of that.
“I am with you right there as you are with me at Adoration before The Lord.” Thank you 007. Thank you for caring for my children in your prayers. Thank you for not leaving me alone in my worries for them and thank you for your accompaniment (spiritual closeness) as I negotiate what would, without that spiritual help, be a fearful and lonely stage of life as my body fails. Thank you for praying for a miracle to reverse that physical degeneration and allow me time to finish my life’s unfinished work. Thank you for your friendship – for caring for your sister in Christ – and I promise, should I be in heaven and you still on earth, to be with you where you are as you are with me at Adoration before Our Lord in heaven.
Thank you Yvonne, and thanks be to God.