The Danger of Arrogance

Her hand touched the side of the bed and she glanced at me, “Stop pretending.”

The situation was too intense for me to be insulted, for even my protective husband to be insulted. He was after one thing:  an injection of hydrocortisone. 

She was not educated enough to know that particular medicine is nothing a druggie would want and she was not kind enough to assume the best of me. She gave my convulsing body a glance and told me that my shakes were not going to score me any medicine. 

My husband demanded her attention, “Listen to me. This is going to go from bad to worse really fast.”

Her response was practiced and arrogant, “Sir, you are not the only person in this hospital. You need to be patient.”

James took one look at my body that was beginning the signs of going into shock and stepped into the hallway, “I need someone in here that knows what the are doing, NOW!”

Cancer is the easy part. It is under control and non life threatening. But with the removal of both of my adrenal glands, I was left with Addison’s Disease. Besides taking tons of pills everyday and craving salt, I lead a normal life. 

However, if I get any kind of sick or hurt, there it gets a little complicated. I immediately need an injection of 100mg of hydrocortisone and my body returns to stable. If I do not get the injection, my body begins the process of going into shock. I have an estimated one hour before my body begins to shut down. 

The throw up bug had used my home injection and before we could get it refilled, here we were in the ER needing another injection and this nurse had labeled me as a druggie and stuck us in a room to wait. Wait with time we did not have. 

When James, with his pink cheeks blushing, asked me to go on our first date, God knew that on this day, his persistence and protection would save my life. He repeated his demand, “Get a doctor in here now!”  Was yelled in the middle of the almost empty ER in the middle of the night. 

The doctor rounded the corner and immediately saw, and more importantly, understood the situation. He ordered and delivered the injection within minutes and within seconds, I stopped shaking, I gained control of my body and was sitting up and discussing my health with the doctor. Quickly, I was in good condition and could return home. 

When our culture thrives on pointing out the faults of others, when society is quick to judge whomever they please, and when we are told to look out for number one at all costs, I am afraid that we are paying that very cost. Thank you Lord Jesus for protecting me when I could not protect myself. And dear Lord, please help me to learn from this situation that I do not know everything. I have so much to learn!  And the situation is so very often not what it appears to be.  Her arrogance, literally, almost killed me.