Friday, November 25, 2016

Rashes and the Atonement

On Halloween night I ate way to much candy and so when I ended up having heartburn I figured it was because of that.  It was still weird to me though, because I don't deal with heartburn.  Sure I felt it a few times while pregnant but it was mild.  This was very uncomfortable though.  So much so that I not only felt that acid stuff coming up my throat but I also felt pressure on my chest.  This went on for a few days.  The heartburn, however was quickly forgotten as I broke out in a rash.  This itchy rash was all over my hands, arms, and legs.

It was frustrating me after a few days because, well, being itchy all the time is just frustrating!  I really thought it was the candy and so I cut out sugar.  But it wasn't making a difference.  In fact it was getting worse.  So eventually I went to the doctor.  He thought it was a bad case of eczema and gave me some oral steroids for it.  I always deal with eczema but I have never had it bad enough to have to take oral steroids.  
   
 I did notice a difference but by the time I finished the medicine it wasn't completely gone.  A few days went by and it came back but this time it was everywhere on my body except for the bottom of my feet and hands.  Luckily the only thing that creeped up on my face was this weird patch under my left eye.
At this point it had been past 2 weeks of having this rash and it finally dawned on me that it might be this pill I was taking before working out.  It coincided with this rash so I looked up the side effects and sure enough there were people on the internet complaining about heartburn and rash!  

So I went back to the doctor, showed him my new level of rash awesomeness, and told him about the CLA I was taking.  He thought I was probably right and gave me a prescription for more steroids.  He was surprised that I asked if I could please have a shot as well.  It's hard to explain how irritable one gets when they itch all the time.  I just wanted it gone.

As of now, I'm still on the steroids and I'm watching it slowly disappear.  The shot did wonders because even with my first round of steroids, the itching part never went away.  This time, it was significantly reduced by the next day after receiving the shot.

Well, I was thinking the other day about this whole thing.  It's almost been a month now of dealing with it.  I've tried my hardest not to let it get to me but wasn't always successful.  Obviously trying to fix it on my own (many lavender bath to soothe the itching, bandaging up the tips of my fingers because they eventually got so bad that they just cracked open and bled, ointments, and pretty much anything you can think of) wasn't working.  I finally "gave in" and went to the doctor who gave me medicine to help heal me.  But unfortunately, I went back to taking those pills unknowingly,  making it worse. 

Isn't sin like this?

Sometimes we do things that we think are ok.  We don't really think hard about it.  It just sounds like a good idea.  Not really thinking there would be consequences.  

Sometimes sin is like that.  Maybe we aren't close enough to the Spirit because of things we are or are not doing in our lives.  It's hard to hear the Spirit try to direct us in a certain way if we aren't really paying attention.  Sometimes sin can come in forms that we didn't necessarily realize we were heading toward.  But we do recognize that something is wrong in our lives.  It just doesn't feel right.  And before we know it, we are hurting.  And we just want it to stop.

So we seek out a healer.  Physically or Spiritually we turn to something or someone that will ease the pain. 

Just before going to the doctor, the second time, I received a Priesthood blessing.  The most important thing to me that I was told was that I would learn from this and would be compassionate to others dealing with similar things.  That night is when I realized the timing of the CLA pill I was taking.  A few days later is when I was able to realize, in a new way, just how important the Atonement truly is.

So I want to bear my testimony that I believe Jesus Christ is a healer.  He heals our wounds.  He and the Father want us to be close enough to the Spirit so that we can have happy lives!  Listening and doing as the Spirit directs can truly lead to joy. 

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you" (John 14:27)

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