I Can do All Things through Christ who empowers me

“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” ~Philippians 4:11 I am sharing this testimony for others who may have been unfairly judged and put through hardships. I have lived in chronic pain for over 30 years due to a spinal disease and injuries. After my first doctor decided to close his office, I found a great doctor who was also a Doctor of Orthopedics. I was mostly bed fast and he began prescribing Opioid pain medication. I was with him for almost 14 years before he became ill with a brain tumor which ended his practice and took his life. I had never heard of “Pain Management” but found it to be a nightmare! I had never misused my medications and never even thought about it. But soon I found no doctor would take me as a new patient. Finally my insurance company scheduled me an appointment with one. I found at my first visit, he believed me to be a drug addict, and rudely treated me as such. I was very upset to be accused of doing something I had never done. He changed my medication to another one and kept my remaining medication. I found it was WAY too strong! I felt so dizzy and carsick, I could not drive, or even walk around my home too much without becoming more dizzy. Since this Opioid had a score mark in the middle, I asked if I could cut it in half? He said if I did, he drop me as a patient. Every day after taking the afternoon dose, I would have to set my alarm clock and sleep for 2 hours. During my third week, as I took my afternoon nap, I dreamed I was drowning, only to wake up finding I could not get me breathe! I rolled over on my side and kept pushing in against my lungs until I could breathe again. I called my wife at work after I was breathing better to tell her what happened, only to find my mind could think of the words but I was not able to speak them. She came home immediately and took me to the emergency room...where I was admitted into the hospital. By evening my voice was back. During my appointment the following week with this doctor, I told him I wanted off of this medication, wanted instructions of how to do it, and planned not to see him again. He laughed and said, “You'll never be able to do it!” I looked at him with authority and said, “I can do ALL things through Christ who empowers me!” I was able to take myself completely off Opioid medications in 12 days. Plus I did it with no other medication to help. After going to a regular doctor and beginning all over again, he told me that only 1 out of every 4,000 people can do that on their own. I was scheduled with a really good pain management doctor who I've been with ever since. Every year one must sign an agreement that they will handle Opioid medication safely. When I signed mine in June of this year, the wording had changed some, so I read it carefully. It stated “An Overdose can cause you to stop breathing!” It took me some years to forgive that horrible doctor for what he put me through, but thank the Lord He helped me breathe again with no brain damage. So Yes, we CAN do all things through Christ, who empowers us! I live in the victory of what the Lord has brought me through and am reminded of another scripture in Romans 8-37~”But in all these things we have full victory through God who showed his love for us.” The Lord will carry you though the darkest times, just as He did for me! Praise the Lord because He never fails us!