Angels Among Us...

I have been asked a couple of times to share my Angel story/cancer story, and one of those times was just recently.  It is a story I've not really shared before, except at times when it would be helpful or when there is a discussion about Angels among us. I may have shared it at some point, so my long-time connections may have heard this story, or parts of it.  I will go ahead and share my little Angel encounter with you and I hope that it might help someone to trust and believe.

Back in 2005, my heart started racing and I was scared I would have a heart attack.  It just started. I wasn't doing anything stressful or wasn't anxious about anything. It just started racing.  It was the weekend and Joe rushed me to the ER.  When we arrived, my heart rate was up around 140 beats per minute and totally out of whack.  They took me back quickly and got me hooked up to monitors.  Nothing they tried in the ER was working to get me back to normal rhythm, so I was admitted to the hospital.

The next day, every test they could run was done.  I was put on blood thinners.  The bad thing about atrial fibrillation is that it can cause a stroke when the heart does get back to normal.  Here is an explanation I pulled from a medical website:

• Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is the most common type of irregular heartbeat. It occurs when one or both of the upper chambers of the heart – called the atria – don’t beat the way they should. This can cause blood to pool in the left atrium, where a blood clot can form. If that clot breaks away, it can travel to the brain, where it can cause a type of stroke called an ischemic (is-KEE-mic) stroke. An ischemic stroke occurs when a clot lodges in an artery supplying blood to the brain, reducing blood flow and depriving part of the brain of oxygen and nutrients.
• AFib affects more than 2 million people in the United States. The odds of developing AFib go up with age. In fact, it is estimated that AFib is the most common type of irregular heartbeat in people over the age of 65.

Now, mine happened 10 years ago, so I was only 53 years old. Later in the afternoon of that 2nd day, they came in with all kinds of equipment and a full hypodermic needle. They explained that they were going to stop my heart for just a few seconds, which they hoped would kick it back into normal rhythm. All I heard was "We're going to stop your heart"!!! Well, they did and let me tell you it is a very weird feeling. My heart started right up again, and right back into Afib. It didn't work for me. They then told me that the next morning they would have to use the paddles on me. Something I could look forward to. Right.

All the staff left my room with all their equipment.  Shortly after that, a young woman with long blonde hair (almost to her waist) came in. She was dressed like a candy-striper (ruffled striped pinafore), and walked up to my bed, fiddled with the IV bags and tubes a bit, and just kept saying "I bet it's your thyroid" "I bet your thyroid is causing this" over and over, sprinkled in with other casual conversation things, but "I bet it's your thyroid" kept coming out of her mouth.  She smiled and left the room.

She wore something similar to this, only there were ruffles on the top, around the arms. 
I can still see her in my mind, even now.

Not too long after that, a nurse came in who I recognized.  I asked her if they had checked my thyroid.  She told me yes, and the tests came back fine.  I told her that young nurse who was just in here told me she thought it could be my thyroid causing the afib.  The nurse asked me who it was. I described her and was told no one like that works on this floor and they don't have candy-stripers anymore.  She must have thought I was losing it!

At that point, I wasn't sure if it really happened or I may have fallen asleep and dreamed it....but it stuck with me.

Early the next morning, I woke up when the nurse came in the 'do her thing' and I told her I felt different. She looked at the monitor and realized I was back in normal rhythm!!  No paddles, as long as it stayed steady.  Well, it did and I was released in the late afternoon.  As they always do, I was told to see my regular doctor within the week so she could follow-up.  I was put on a new medication that would slow my heart down and hopefully keep it steady, as well as warfarin to keep my blood thin.

Flash forward to my appointment with my doctor the next week.  I asked her if she could order a closer look at my thyroid.  There was no reason my heart should have done what it did, and one of the nurses had suggested I needed to check my thyroid. (Yes, I told her that, but only that.)  Dr. A. ordered an ultrasound on my thyroid. I have a wonderful doctor who listens to me. 

She got me in, in just a few days.  The ultrasound found a tumor on my thyroid.  A biopsy was done and it was cancer.  Surgery was scheduled and my entire thyroid was removed.  The tumor was less than a centimeter and had not grown through so I was very lucky.  I still went ahead with the suggested radioactive iodine treatment (quarantined for a week), but five years later, they declared me cured.  You really can be cured of thyroid cancer. Praise God.  And praise God for sending that Angel to my room, whether she really walked into my room, or just walked into my dreams....I would not have known to ask for a closer look at my thyroid had I not had that visit from my Guardian Angel.

Sometimes we just need to be quiet and listen.  
Just listen.

So that is my Angel story and my cancer story. I thank her every day, to this day, for watching over me. I thank God for sending his Angels to watch over us. I do believe they walk among us.  One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 91:11 (Notice the 911 connection! Call on them in emergencies!):

For he will command his angels concerning you, 

to guard you in all your ways;

Thanks for reading my story. Sorry it got so long. I hope it has meaning for you.

Happy September!!  Peace & hugs!