My Belly Hurts

MY BELLY HURTS

When a little one is ill, that’s the time when Grandma helps Mommy deal with the uncertainty of illness, provides needed rest, and dishes out comfort. Nobody takes Mom’s place, but there are times Grandma needs to stand along side Mom when she is exhausted. Grandma will rearrange her schedule and not allow anyone or anything to stand in the way of getting to her own offspring in order to make sure the grandbaby is provided the best of medical care.
When the phone call came informing Grandma and Grandpa that Garrett, the oldest grandson, had been admitted to the hospital, the car was packed and we headed to the western part of OH.
“Mommy, my belly hurts bad,” Garrett had complained for several days and was unable to keep anything in his stomach.
His Mom, my daughter Kristin, is an RN. She had followed the doctor’s instructions but nothing helped. He still complained with severe stomach pain.
After two days of treatment in the area hospital, Garrett was transferred to the area children’s hospital.
In Grandma’s thinking, they didn’t move fast enough. Garrett was in pain. He couldn’t hold food or liquid in his stomach. I wanted instant relief. This was a children’s hospital. You would think the medical personnel would be all about making Garrett’s stomach pain go away.
But, again and again, a nurse or a doctor walked in his room, put the stethoscope up to this stomach and listen. No one knew anything or seemed to be concerned that he was suffering.
“Where is your sense of urgency? Can’t you see this little one is in pain? What are you doing for him? Tears fell down both my cheeks. I wanted someone to help my grandson. We were in the area’s children’s hospital, but they didn’t seem to want to help him.
The second day several doctors came to his room. They had the reason for his discomfort. Garrett’s bowel had stopped working. “But, why won’t you give him anything for the pain?” Kristin knew how to talk to the medical personnel better than I did. Grandma was ready to knock a few heads together.
“If we give him medication for the pain, it will slow down his bowel. It is beginning to work on its and if we slow it down he’ll be back in the same shape.”
I was ready to slap my own face. I should have known they weren’t ignoring him. They were acting in Garrett’s best interest.
I thought of hurting people. How much time and energy do we spend trying to take away the pain of those who hurt? But, if we take away the pain, does it slow down the process of working through issues?
“Why does my heart hurt so bad?” I’m sure I sounded like a broken record praying those words over and over again. My emotions seemed to know nothing but heartache and pain. But, could it be God was helping my heart to work?
Does happiness require a pain free life? I always thought so. But, if you have the courage to believe that pain helps work out painful issues that come your way then the will to work through the pain will make you strong.