Trust and Faith April 2012

On the evening of April 24, Matthew asked go play football with friends at the CA turf.  I told him that dinner would be cold if he went, and he thanked me for giving him the option!  About an hour later, he came home crying and said he hit his head and could not see well with his left eye.  He had lost his peripheral vision.  I called my friend Sachi Elliott and told her that I did not know what to do.  She told me to wait and she would figure it out.  Her husband called me back and said the she and her sister were on her way to pick Matthew and me up.  Her sister?  Yes, Sachi's sister is a doctor who just moved to Rokko Island to start work as an ER doctor on Port Island in April.  Amazing.  She did a couple of things with Matthew and then we got in the car.  She asked a lot of questions on the drive to try to get as much information as possible.  We arrived at Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital.  Sachi's sister got us right back to see the English speaking doctor within a few minutes.  The exam was tough.  Matthew cried, said he felt terrible, and just had a rough time getting through the exam.  The good news was that his vision had returned.  Matthew finally threw up as we went into the room for a cat scan.  After that, he was much calmer, and he fell asleep on the bench in the waiting area with his head in my lap.  The doctor came out to tell me that she consulted with a neurologist because she saw a black spot on his scan.  They thought that maybe he had moved during the test, so they asked us to wait for 2 hours and repeat the scan.  Sachi's sister took us back to a bed where Matthew could sleep.  I told them to go home, and I would be fine.  I prayed.  My friend Carroll prayed over text message with me.  I walked around, continuously in prayer.  The time came to wake Matthew and go for 2nd cat scan.  We took him in a wheelchair because he was so sleepy.  He did great, and by the time we got back to the bed, Matthew was completely back to normal.  The ER doctor told us that everything looked good and that we could go home.  I sent Phillip a text to come get us.  We paid (through an ATM-like machine), bought food and drinks at the Family Mart just off the lobby, and waited for Phillip.  When we got home, Matthew showered and fell asleep with Mom and Dad about 2am.

At about 8:30am on April 25, the ER doctor called my cell phone.  She said that the X-ray specialist had found an "old black stain" on Matthew's cat scan, completely unrelated to the injury.  She asked us to see a neurosurgeon that day.  Sachi went over with me again to translate.  The doctor said he was concerned that the spot was a tumor.  He told us to get blood work (to ensure his kidneys are healthy) so that dye can be used for MRI.  We scheduled the MRI for Friday afternoon, but the neurosurgeon could not see us to give results until Wednesday, May 2.

On April 26, I called SOS International (a service provided by Cigna International and Procter and Gamble).  Within 5 minutes, I was on line with an English speaking doctor.  He assured me that the doctor was following the right course of action and that the care in Japan is very good.

On April 27, I called to get an interpreter through Procter and Gamble for upcoming appointments.  I then "cleaned up Rokko Island" with Jessica and her classmates.  I stopped by Tullys to chat with a few ladies and just broke into tears.  My dear friend Carroll prayed with me right there in front of Tullys.  She had a devotion book for me in her stroller.  I walked the green belt with Megan and Lisa.  Then, Phillip met Matthew and me at the bus stop to head over to the hospital.  The MRI took 35 minutes.  The worst part was that they would not let Phillip or me go in with him.  We explained to him what would happen.  He did great.  The radiologist did not see anything "emergency" so she did not call the doctor.  We thought this must be good news, but we weren't really sure what to think.  We pray.  We wait.

On April 28, we watched Jacob play volleyball and threw the football around with Matthew.  We walked around the spring festival on the island for a while.  Then, the Clapps joined us downstairs to watch boys play football, and then came to our apartment for cards.  We pray.  We wait.

April 29.  We pray.  We wait.
April 30  We pray.  We wait.
May 1.  We pray.  We wait.

Finally, May 2 came.  Phillip, Matthew, and I took the bus and then the train to Port Island Hospital.  Our interpreter was already there and helped us check in.  The appointment was at 9:30am, but we waited until 10:00 to see him.  This 30 minutes seemed like it took 3 hours.  Finally, the nurse took us in to the room.  It was so weird that the doctor was speaking to the interpreter, and we had to wait to understand what he was saying.  Dr. Asai said that the spot is so small that he does not know what it is.  It could be a tumor.  The spot measures 6.7 millimeters.  He told us that the spot did not change colors during the MRI, so it is not malignant at this time.  He recommended that we get another MRI in 2 months to see if the lesion is growing.  If not, then Matthew will likely need to get an MRI at 6 months and then annually to monitor.  If it is growing, then we will have to figure out what to do at that point.  It was a weird feeling of relief and yet anxiety.  We were happy that the lesion is not malignant now.  We were happy that it is small.  We found ourselves still curious and anxious, though, that the doctor did not know what it was.

On the train ride home, I asked Matthew if he understood what was going on.  He said that he knew there was a spot on his head and that he will need to get another MRI.  He looked at me with those big blue eyes and bright shining smile and said, "I'm fine, Mom.  Look at me."  Indeed, he is the picture of good health, great athletic ability, and amazing attitude.

I know that these events came together for a reason.  Matthew had a concussion.  Sachi was home to take my call.  Sachi's sister just started working at the hospital April 1.  We found the lesion while it is small.  We need to follow up in 2 months - exactly when we arrive back in the US.  I know that God has revealed this to us now for a reason, and I know that Matthew is in the palm of His hand.  The waiting is so hard, but perhaps that is part of trust and faith, huh?  I kept repeating words from a Perry Noble webcast.  God is Holy and good.  He is beside me always.  God is in control.

Peace and Love,
Tina