Prayer Request (Again!)

[lilitalienboi16]

Hey everyone,

I went to the ER today because I was having bad heart palpatations last night and chest pain on and off for the past year or two.

I was in the ER for about 5-6 hours where they ran numerous blood tests, did an ultra sound of my legs (look for clots do to having flown to italy over the summmer) and an EKG. My blood pressure was elevated when I came in and I was displaying Tachycardia.

The dr. also noticed a heart murmer which in and of itself is not serious however, I told him, I had never been diagnosed with one my entire life in all my visits to the pediatrician growing up as a child and even when I went in to see my primary care doctor between the ages of 18 and now 25.

This is concerning because developing a heart murmer (as opposed to having been born with one) means that something serious is occuring to the heart including possible endocarditis.

My blood tests were all normal except my 2dimer protein test which tests for levels of a certain protein involved in blood clot formation. It wasn't elevated to the point of risk but it was elevated to the maximum safe limit. This could be due however to recent cut (even a shaving cut) etc... So there isn't anything decisive about this.

I'm going to follolw up with my primary care doctor to have an ecto cardiogram done as requested by the ER Doctor to follow up on my heart murmer and see if that is what has been causing my heart issues as of late.

The doctor did say that if my dimer protein count is high that it could mean I could have a heart attack and die but he said that hes more suspicious of the murmer as the clotting protein test is very non specific to the point that even a shaving cut could cause this test to read high which is what I mentioned earlier.

Anyway, prayer would be appreciated. As you could imagine, I'm a bit shakin up by this. Otherwise, I'm a healthy 25 year old. I'm 170lbs and 5'9 in height, I'm not overweight and even consider myself athletic. I hope and pray everything is okay with me.

Thanks and God bless,

Alex

[cjwood]

alex, my prayer for you is being given even as i write these words.  i ask our Father to give you peace of mind and that whatever is going on with your heart and such is something that is treatable if not all together curable.  you are so young still, and i pray that in His merciful love for you that many, many more years are yours to live with good health.  He has your back sweet brother.  and your heart  .

claudia

[lilitalienboi16]

alex, my prayer for you is being given even as i write these words.  i ask our Father to give you peace of mind and that whatever is going on with your heart and such is something that is treatable if not all together curable.  you are so young still, and i pray that in His merciful love for you that many, many more years are yours to live with in good health.  He has your back sweet brother.  and your heart  .

claudia

Thank you claudia, my nerves have really been shaken by this. I try not to worry.

[cjwood]

i remember when i first got my breast cancer diagnosis alex.  i literally fell to my knees from the enormity of it all.  how it jangled my nerves and made me think about things i did not want to think about.  but, God is in the details alex.  He knows all that your journey will involve.  as another dear and wise brother in Christ reminded me just yesterday, God WILL NOT give you more than you can bear.  there have been many things in my past which i could not believe i had any strength to endure, and even in my current divorce matter, i find myself being so very thankful that my God and Father knows just how much i can bear.  because He knows when i try to gauge how much burden i can carry, i see such a weak and frightened woman.  but, we will be okay.  He will not leave us comfortless, even in the face of possible health scares. 

we are here for you lil brother.
claudia

[Rhys 🕊]

Prayers for you Alex that all will be well

We all go through hard things in this life and thanks to Claudia too for mentioning what she has been through. Many of these things we don't understand and yet we wished we did. We have to trust in God and we learn to do that as he does not give us all the answers but always answers our prayers as He has already planned.

It's hard not to be concerned and worry. I know I still do with my issues even though I know I shouldn't. I know as I grow in His truth I get less concerned as I know even the bad and unpleasant stuff is of Him. The future may sometimes look pointless from our perspective but not from His.

I was thinking today well if I only had this and that happened and this worked out then I would be better off. But then I thought would I really be better off. The world says yes and so does the church but when we fully understand that God knows what is best for each of us we will trust Him more and rest in Him. This is all of Him and He must do it and not us as how can we. We are on a journey that God takes us through and it's up to Him to show us in His time.

John 8:36 If ever, then, the Son should be making you free, you will be really free." CLV

I wish I had an easy answer for all of this but I don't have that one. Yes seek God and His truth but even that is His doing. Maybe my part is to say be encouraged and your not alone and pray. Suffering may be different but we all suffer. Continue to look to Him, that's what I do even when I don't know what to do and are fearful.

Jos 1:9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

This verse below I like very much and gives me great peace:

Nahum 1:7  The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

Safe in Him always and always good is He even in the midst of trouble

He knows all our days and what is best and who else would you want to say that than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Well my heart goes out to you but you know like I know nothing can change His will, even if we do the wrong thing it can't change His will for us. He will never fail us so rejoice in Him. Rejoice in the one whose love never fails and never ends.

Bless you Alex

Rhys

[Rene]

my nerves have really been shaken by this. I try not to worry.

Alex,

It's understandable how you are feeling.  Even with all that we know, it is still unnerving when we are faced with health problems.  It's a natural reaction.  However, you have the advantage of coming to know our loving Creator, and I am confident this knowledge will sustain you during very difficult times. 

You are always in my prayers.

René 

[lilitalienboi16]

Dear Rhys, Rene and Claudia,

Thank you for the encouragement. I greatly appreciate it. It makes me feel much better knowing that my petitions are not being made alone but that my brothers and sisters will petition God with me on my behalf. This alone is tremendous comfort.

I can see why you find great comfort in Nahum 1:7. What a beautiful, profound and inspired Words of God.

I have to go in monday or sometime during the week for my echocardiogram due to my doctor being off on the weekends. I'll let you all know what happens with that as soon as I know. God willing, its nothing and this has all just been a bad fluke.

Thank you again for the prayers.

Blessings and love in Christ,
Alex

[Dennis Vogel]

So young to have these problems Alex.

IMO, many of our health problems come from what we eat. Sugar and salt being the worst.

I pray this gets better.

[loretta]

Alex, praying that you will be sustained by His grace in these difficult times

Not grace to bar what is not bliss,
Nor flight from all distress, but this:
The grace that orders our trouble and pain,
And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain.

[John from Kentucky]

Alex,

The problem I have with your prayer request is the same one I have with all the prayer requests and prayers I've seen on the Forum.  They do not follow what Jesus says in the Scriptures.

Silver and gold I don't have, but what I have I give to you.  Study Jesus' words.

When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men.  Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Matthew 6:5-8

[Rhys 🕊]

Alex,

The problem I have with your prayer request is the same one I have with all the prayer requests and prayers I've seen on the Forum.  They do not follow what Jesus says in the Scriptures.

Silver and gold I don't have, but what I have I give to you.  Study Jesus' words.

When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men.  Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Matthew 6:5-8

I'm sure most of us do pray like this and we don't go around making a show of it. But what is wrong with sharing your concerns and what about this passage:

Jas 5:13  Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
Jas 5:14  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Jas 5:15  And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Jas 5:16  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.


We are told to pray for one another so what is wrong with knowing what the issue is so you can pray about that. Once you know the situation from the person then go into your inner room and pray.

I'm sure many prayed for Ray because he shared what he was going through, was he wrong to do so and therefore should of been quiet about his suffering.

Nothing will change God's will but does not mean we can't play a part and being informed helps to care and love others.

2Th 1:3  We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
2Th 1:4  Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
2Th 1:5  This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—

How do others know unless you share. How would you hear about it when we don't physically visit each other to see what others are going through. How can I boast about others and rejoice in God for what they suffer if I don't know and they don't share. I would be left alone to think I'm the only one suffering here as everyone else seems fine.

Sorry but I think share what you want of the struggles you go through whether medical or any other afflictions that you suffer from.

If we can help others in anyway either by praying, encouraging or giving advice then we should. If you don't say anything about what you are going through then how can we.

Well that's how I see it and could be wrong but just adding my 2 cents for what it's worth.

Rhys

[cjwood]

really john f kentucky??  is not part of this section of the forum called "prayer requests".  why oh why is that a part of this section, if we are not to post prayer requests here?

claudia

[lilitalienboi16]

Thank you everyone for the prayer and support.

I just wanted to add that even if we can't change the mind of God, it is always a tremendous comfort to know we are not alone: that our brothers and sisters in Christ, the most important family we have, is with us. We are together through the spirit of God that binds us all and that alone is power from above. Furthermore, I know it is through prayer that God brings about the things which He had foreordained. Things that to us might seem we had influenced Him in doing, knowing however that He had already planned it before the foundation of the world.

With love,
Alex

[loretta]

I used to be a firm believer in faith healing prior to coming to BT.  Now I often wonder about the spiritual meaning of this scripture.

Jas 5:14  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (emphasis mine)

Jas 5:15  And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.

[Rene]

I used to be a firm believer in faith healing prior to coming to BT.  Now I often wonder about the spiritual meaning of this scripture.

Jas 5:14  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (emphasis mine)

Jas 5:15  And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.

Hi Loretta,

I believe the scriptures you quoted primarily have a spiritual application. I have come to appreciate more and more the importance of a spiritual healing in contrast to a physical healing which, after all, is only temporary.  To be experiencing a "spiritual healing" is the process that leads us to life and ultimately salvation.  Jesus clearly stated:

John 6:63 - "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Here is a brief email reply from Ray on the anointing oil:

http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,6721.0.html

Is the use of Anointing Oil scriptural? What's the basis? And can you use engine oil? Thanks, Andy

        Dear Andy:

        There are two examples in all Scripture regarding "anointing with oil" for the purpose of healing.  Mostly it has reference to recognizing someone for a high or spiritual office, such as anointing a king or priest. It was always done with olive oil, which signifies purity, health, light, life, and spirit.  Physical rituals are not needed when one lives the spiritual application of the physical ritual--as with circumcision, for example.

        God be with you,

        Ray

[Kat]

There are so many Scripture that tell us to pray, that it is obviously a good, even necessary, thing to do.

1Thess 5:25  Brethren, pray for us.

Col 1:9  And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Jesus prayed, spoke of us praying and even told us how to pray giving us the model pray in Luke 11 and Matt 6. Paul compared our prayers to hope, just as we hope in God to save us, this is a demonstration of our faith (His gift) in God. And though we do not know what God is working out in somebody's life through their trials and suffering, it is good that we sympathize with them, show compassion, and not be indifferent to their suffering. This is a way that the Spirit indwelling comes in to help us in our prayer and that is of course God directing us,  and helping us to know what to pray for.

Rom 8:22  For we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth.
v. 23  But it is not just creation alone which groans; we who have the Spirit as the first of God's gifts also groan within ourselves as we wait for God to make us His children and set our whole being free.
v. 24  For it was by hope that we were saved; but if we see what we hope for, then it is not really hope. For who of us hopes for something we see?
v. 25  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
v. 26  In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express.
Rom 8:27  And God, who sees into our hearts, knows what the thought of the Spirit is; because the Spirit pleads with God on behalf of His people and in accordance with His will.

But in order for God's Spirit to work through us in our pray, we must pray. 

James 5:16  Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

I believe the Spirit indwelling becomes more and more active/strong as we sense it working and practice/use it.  But of course this is how God works in us to bring us towards the spiritual and away from the carnal fleshly way of thinking.

John 3:30  He must increase, but I must decrease.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[loretta]

tks Kat.

That was a lovely post on prayer.

[lilitalienboi16]

Update: So I went into my primary care doctors office today and he was following up on what the ER doctor said. He listened to my heart and told me that I did have a slight murmur and that if I had not had my heart palpitation episode that he would have completely overlooked it. He said not to lose sleep over anything and that we will do an echo cardiogram just to take a look inside and see how the valves are doing and figure out what the source of the sound is. He said that its faintness leads him to believe that it isn't anything serious and that its possible my palpitations were caused by a small valve slippage but also that excess caffeine, stress, poor sleep or any combination of these could lead to the palpitations I experienced in the night. Due to my age and relative health he feels that there shouldn't be anything serious going on.

Thank you to everyone who has and is praying for me.

God bless,
Alex

[Rhys 🕊]

Good to know.....thanks for update

[cjwood]

i like your update alex.  take it easy now and live your life.  that's all any of us can really do after all.   

claudia